Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Thelma
Endangered
Down 99.6% from peak
Peak era
1921
Peak births
7,839
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Thelma
How many people are named Thelma?
An estimated 25,269 living Americans are named Thelma.
How rare is Thelma?
Thelma is very rare among babies today, with 29 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 99.6% from its 1921 peak.
How old is the typical Thelma?
The median age of a living American named Thelma is approximately 72 years, with most bearers falling between 61 and 80 years old.
Is Thelma still popular?
No. Thelma is endangered as a baby name, down 99.6% from its 1921 peak with 29 births in 2025.
Where is Thelma most common?
Thelma has its strongest geographic signal in Mississippi, where it appears 4.1× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19212025
Peak year
1921
Decline from peak
99.6%
2025
29
All-time
225,460
Where it lives now
Thelma is most concentrated in Mississippi — about 4.1× the national rate in the 1960s.
States where Thelma is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.