Theresa

English form of the Spanish Teresa

"to harvest"

Theresa Origin and Meaning

The name Theresa is a girl's name of Spanish, Greek, Portuguese origin meaning "to harvest".

The popular appeal of the strong, intelligent Saint Teresa of Avila, combined with the selfless compassion of the more recent Mother Teresa, have fused to give this second-tier classic a somewhat noble, religious image. Although the origins of the name are uncertain, it has been prevalent particularly in forms Theresa, Teresa, and Therese throughout Europe for centuries.

Mother Teresa was born Anjeze/Agnese Gonxhe; when taking her vows, she chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, but because another nun in the convent had already chosen that name, she opted for the Spanish spelling Teresa.

A Top 100 name until the 1960s, reaching Number 32 in 1956, Theresa fell off the list completely in 2011, while the sleeker Teresa still holds at Number 719; it was as high as Number 18 from 1961 to 1963.

Currently, a leading character on The Mentalist is Teresa Lisbon.

Short forms Tess,Tessa, Tressa, or Tea are more popular now than the old Terry or Tracy. An interesting variation is Tereza, as in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Mia Farrow's sister Theresa is known as Tisa.

Theresa Rank in US Top 1000

# 940 in the US

Theresa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 774 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Theresa

• 774 Nameberry 2025
• 693 Unique 2023
• 92 Germany 2024
• 35 Austria 2023

20 Names Similar to Theresa

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Theresa.

• Clarice
• Marianne
• Kathleen
• Diane
• Jacqueline
• Johanna
• Paulina
• Susanna
• Miranda
• Gloria
• Judith
• Clyda
• Tristyn
• Felicia
• Catharine
• Annette
• Elisabeth
• Christianne
• Joanna
• Deborah

Famous People Named Theresa

• Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina Queen of Germany; Holy Roman Empress
• Theresa Mary Braiser May current British Prime Minister
• Theresa Weld American Olympic figure skater
• Theresa Shank Grentz American basketball coach
• Theresa Caputo American psychic and TV personality of "Long Island Medium"
• Thérésa Cabarrus Madame Tallien, leading social figure during the French Revolution
• Theresa Hak Kyung Cha American novelist
• Theresa Saldana American actress
• Theresa Randle American actress
• Theresa Zabell Spanish Olympic sailor
• Theresa Magdalena "Tisa" Farrow sister of American actress Mia Farrow
• Theresa Anne Villiers British MP
• Theresa Lynn Russell American actress
• Theresa Rebeck American playwright and novelist
• Theresa Fu Hong Kong pop singer
• Theresa (born Therese Charlotte Marianne Auguste) Princess of Bavaria, German ethnologist
• Theresa Maria Josepha Martha Princess of Liechtenstein; Princess of Bavaria
• Theresa Monika Valerie Elisabeth Ludovika Walburga Anna Princess of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria
• Theresa Owana Kaʻohelelani Laʻanui Princess of Hawai'i
• Theresa Anna Elisabeth (b. 1992) Princess of Leiningen; daughter of Prince Karl Emich

The name Theresa in Pop Culture

• Theresa "Terri" McGreggor character on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
• Theresa Diaz character on TV's "The O.C."
• (Jeannie) Theresa Donovan character on American soap "Days of our Lives"
• Theresa Tatum character in short film "Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade"
• Theresa "Tessa" Young main character in "After" by Anna Todd
• Theresa Mariah Magdalene McQueen character on British soap "Hollyoaks"
• Theresa "Terry" Cherry Perry character on TV's "Lab Rats"
• Theresa Cullen character in TV's "Westworld"
• Theresa "Tessa" Gray main character in Cassandra Clare's "The Infernal Devices" book series.
• Theresa "Tree" Gelbman main character in "Happy Death Day" and "Happy Death Day 2 U"

International Variations of the name Theresa

• Teresita Spanish
• Treasa Irish Gaelic
• Resi German
• Tesa Polish
• Terina Italian
• Teresa Italian
• Reza Czech
• Theresia German
• Renia Polish
• Thérèse French
• Resel German
• Zizi Romanian
• Zilya Russian
• Terike Hungarian
• Terez Hungarian
• Terka Czech
• Tesia Polish
• Rizus Hungarian
• Tereson French
• Terezka Czech
• Riza Hungarian
• Tete Spanish
• Terezia Czech
• Toireasa Irish
• Rezka Czech
• Terenia Polish
• Terezie Czech
• Tresa German
• Tersa Italian
• Teca Hungarian
• Rezi Hungarian
• Tere Spanish
• Terinka Czech
• Teresia Swedish
• Terezilya Russian
• Treszka Hungarian
• Teressa Brazilian
• Tereza Romanian
• Teruska Hungarian
• Trescha German
• Therese German
• Tercsa Hungarian
• Techa Spanish
• Terese Norwegian
• Tereska Polish