NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Teela

A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "bright star" or "celestial light".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2015. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Teela is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Teela popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5730, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 4 births.

This profile covers 22 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 1998 to 2015. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 22 living people in the UK are called Teela. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2016 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Teela ranked #5730 for girls in England and Wales in 2015, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1998, when 4 girls were registered as Teela.
  • About 22 living people in the UK are estimated to have Teela as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5730

2015

Births in 2015

3

Latest year

Peak year

1998

4 births

Estimated living

22

2026

Meaning

What does Teela mean?

The name Teela is a relatively modern creation, first emerging in the 20th century. It does not appear to have a definitive language or cultural origin, but is instead thought to be a fanciful invention, perhaps inspired by the sound of other names like Thelma or Leela.

While the name Teela itself does not have a long historical record, it bears some resemblance to the Sanskrit name Leela, which means "play" or "sport". This could be a potential source of influence, though the connection is tenuous at best.

One of the earliest and most notable individuals to bear the name Teela was the character of the same name from the Masters of the Universe franchise, created by Mattel in the 1980s. Teela was a warrior goddess and the daughter of the Sorceress in the fictional realm of Eternia.

Outside of pop culture, the earliest recorded instance of Teela as a given name seems to be Teela Clapp, a Canadian author and educator born in 1919. Another early bearer of the name was Teela Raye, an American musician and singer born in 1938.

In the field of sports, Teela Lomax was a notable American softball player who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. She was born in 1972 and helped the United States win gold medals in both appearances.

Moving into the 21st century, Teela LaFrance is a contemporary American actress and model, born in 1984. She has appeared in various television shows and films, including the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

While not an extensive historical record, these examples demonstrate the relatively recent emergence and use of the name Teela across various fields and contexts.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Teela over time

The chart below shows babies named Teela registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2015. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Teela, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2015, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Teela
01234199820062015

Decades

Teela by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Teela was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2010s #5752 9 3
2000s #4843 9 3
1990s #3142 4 1

Related

Names similar to Teela

FAQ

Teela: questions and answers

How popular is the name Teela in the UK right now?

In 2015, Teela was ranked #5730 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Teela most popular?

The peak year on record was 1998, with 4 babies registered as Teela in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Teela?

A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "bright star" or "celestial light".

How many people are called Teela in the UK?

A total of 22 babies have been registered as Teela across the 7 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.