Therese
From Greek origin, meaning "reaper" or "to harvest".
Name Census estimates that about 20,678 living Americans carry the first name Therese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Therese today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Therese births was 1959 (1,211 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Therese. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
21K
~ 1 in 16,576 Americans
Peak year
1959
1,211 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1931 SSA rank
#2,227
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Therese
Out of the 35,512 babies given the name Therese since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Therese as a male name
- Ranked #4,272 in 1931
- 5 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1931 (5 births)
Therese as a female name
- Ranked #2,227 in 2024
- 85 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1959 (1,211 births)
Popularity
Therese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Therese from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 9,333 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Therese by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Therese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thereses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. Illinois, New York, California recorded the most babies named Therese, while West Virginia, South Carolina, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 630 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Therese
The name Therese is a feminine form of the Greek name Theodoros, which is derived from the elements "theos" meaning "god" and "doron" meaning "gift." It was a popular name among early Christians, who interpreted it as meaning "gift of God." The name first appeared in the 4th century AD and was used throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Saint Therese of Lisieux, a French Carmelite nun who lived from 1873 to 1897. She is known as the "Little Flower of Jesus" and was a highly influential figure in the Catholic Church, renowned for her spiritual writings and her "little way" of serving God through small acts of love and humility.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with Therese of Avila, a Spanish mystic and reformer of the Carmelite Order, who lived from 1515 to 1582. She was a prolific writer and is remembered for her contributions to the spiritual life and her role in the Counter-Reformation.
Another notable figure was Therese of Bavaria, a German princess who lived from 1850 to 1925. She was the last Queen consort of Bavaria and is remembered for her charitable work and support for the arts and culture.
In the 20th century, Therese Neumann, a German Catholic mystic and stigmatic, lived from 1898 to 1962. She gained widespread attention for her reported visions and experiences of the Passion of Christ, as well as her ability to survive for long periods without food or water.
The name Therese also has a literary connection, with the French novelist and playwright Therese Desqueyroux, who lived from 1892 to 1962. Her novel of the same name, published in 1927, explored themes of existentialism and the condition of women in French society.
Throughout history, the name Therese has been associated with religious devotion, mysticism, and spiritual exploration, reflecting its origins as a "gift of God." It has been borne by saints, mystics, and women of notable faith and character, cementing its place as a name with deep religious and cultural significance.
People
Therese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Therese as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Therese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Therese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20,678 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Therese going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 16,576 US residents.
Is Therese a common name?
We classify Therese as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35,512 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Therese most popular?
The single biggest year for Therese was 1959, when 1,211 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Therese is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Therese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Therese in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.