Meaning of the nameTeresa
- Female
- Latin origin
- Te-re-sa
Teresa is a female name that comes from Latin T(h)eresia, of obscure origin; explanations for the meaning of the name are debated.
Meaning
The meaning of Teresa is not known for certain. No reliable source documents it, so we give none; below are the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
- People (2022)
- 61,698
- Rank in Brazil
- #494
- Median age
- 63 years
- 2010 Census
- 83,248
- people
Teresa in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Teresa, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1950s (16,897 people).
61,432 women 266 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Teresa is most common
States with the highest share of people named Teresa in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Piauí 0.115%
- Rio de Janeiro 0.040%
- Rio Grande do Sul 0.039%
- Maranhão 0.038%
- Ceará 0.038%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 16,293 | 0.037% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 6,428 | 0.040% |
| Minas Gerais | 4,618 | 0.023% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 4,199 | 0.039% |
| Paraná | 4,026 | 0.035% |
| Piauí | 3,754 | 0.115% |
| Ceará | 3,354 | 0.038% |
| Maranhão | 2,601 | 0.038% |
| Bahia | 2,483 | 0.018% |
| Pernambuco | 2,306 | 0.026% |
| Santa Catarina | 2,020 | 0.027% |
| Goiás | 1,266 | 0.018% |
| Espírito Santo | 1,178 | 0.031% |
| Pará | 1,058 | 0.013% |
| Paraíba | 975 | 0.025% |
| Distrito Federal | 943 | 0.034% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 661 | 0.020% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 650 | 0.024% |
| Alagoas | 565 | 0.018% |
| Mato Grosso | 533 | 0.015% |
| Amazonas | 486 | 0.012% |
| Rondônia | 335 | 0.021% |
| Sergipe | 331 | 0.015% |
| Tocantins | 275 | 0.018% |
| Roraima | 161 | 0.025% |
| Acre | 129 | 0.016% |
| Amapá | 70 | 0.010% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Teresa
The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil, citing Machado (1981), gives Teresa as coming from Latin T(h)eresia, of obscure origin, sees the link with the Greek verb therizo, 'to reap', as unjustified, and prefers Therasía, the name of islands. Behind the Name says the meaning is uncertain and lists the Greek hypotheses theros, 'summer', therizo and the name of the island of Therasia. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 61,698 people named Teresa, with a median age of 63. Proportionally, it is most common in Piauí.
This is the traditional spelling in Portuguese and the most recorded in the group.
Other spellings of Teresa
| Spelling | People (2022) |
|---|---|
| Teresa | 61,698 |
| Theresa | 1,323 |
Sources
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Teresa · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · origin
- Behind the Name: Theresa · behindthename.com · origin
- Wiktionary: Teresa · en.wiktionary.org · spelling
Questions about the name Teresa
What does the name Teresa mean?
The meaning of Teresa is not known for certain: no reliable source documents it. So we give no meaning; the page shows the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
How many people are named Teresa in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 61,698 people with the first name Teresa, which ranks it number 494 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1950s.
Is Teresa a boy's or a girl's name?
Teresa is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 61,432 women and 266 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Teresa?
Teresa is a name of Latin origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Teresa most common?
Proportionally, in Piauí: 0.115% of the state's population is named Teresa (3,754 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Teresa?
Theresa. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
More names of Latin origin
See all- Francisca♀Feminine of Franciscus, 'Frenchman', from the name of the Frankish…665,602 people
- Júlia♀Feminine form of Júlio, a Roman family name possibly linked to the…650,271 people
- Juliana♀Feminine of Juliano, 'relating to Julius'538,991 people
- Adriana♀Feminine of Adrian (Hadrianus), 'from Hadria'536,334 people
- Márcia♀Feminine of Latin Marcius, derived from Marcus, a name probably…522,265 people
- Patrícia♀Noble, patrician500,893 people
- Amanda♀Lovable, worthy of being loved495,974 people
- Letícia♀Joy487,449 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Teresa with a source. See the methodology.