UK girl's name
Thea
Feminine form of the Greek name Theodora, meaning "divine gift".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Thea is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Thea popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #66, with 686 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 1,132 births.
This profile covers 12,888 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 61% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 14,191 living people in the UK are called Thea. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Thea ranked #66 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 686 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 1,132 girls were registered as Thea.
- • Thea ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #65 in 2024.
- • About 14,191 living people in the UK are estimated to have Thea as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#66
2024
Births in 2024
686
Latest year
Peak year
2016
1,132 births
Estimated living
14,191
2026
Meaning
What does Thea mean?
The name Thea has its origins in Greek mythology and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "theos," meaning "god" or "divine." The name was originally used to refer to female deities or goddesses in Greek mythology.
In ancient Greek texts, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the term "thea" was often used to address or describe powerful female figures like Hera, the queen of the gods, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The name carried a sense of reverence and respect for the divine feminine energy.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Thea dates back to the 5th century BC, when it was borne by Thea of Lemnos, a Greek woman who was said to have been the first to establish a temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele. Thea was also the name of a Greek poetess who lived in the 3rd century BC and was renowned for her elegiac poetry.
Throughout history, the name Thea has been carried by several notable individuals. In the 4th century AD, Thea of Alexandria was a philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of astronomy and mathematics in ancient Egypt. During the Byzantine era, Thea Porphyrogenita (1054-1092) was a princess and the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos.
In the realm of literature, Thea Musgrave (born 1928) is a renowned Scottish composer and conductor who has written numerous operas, orchestral works, and chamber pieces. Thea von Harbou (1888-1954) was a German author and screenwriter best known for her collaborations with the legendary filmmaker Fritz Lang, including the classic science-fiction film "Metropolis."
Another prominent figure named Thea was Thea Astley (1925-2004), an Australian novelist and short story writer who won multiple literary awards, including the prestigious Patrick White Award. Thea Sharrock (born 1976) is a British theatre and film director who has directed acclaimed productions on both stage and screen.
While the name Thea has ancient roots in Greek culture, its enduring appeal and versatility have allowed it to transcend time and be embraced by various cultures and societies throughout history, making it a timeless and evocative choice.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Thea over time
The chart below shows babies named Thea registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Thea, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 686 births in 2024, compared with 1,132 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thea by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Thea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #61 | 3,945 | 5 |
| 2010s | #118 | 6,937 | 10 |
| 2000s | #263 | 1,681 | 10 |
| 1990s | #396 | 325 | 4 |
Geography
Where Thea is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Thea. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Thea ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #65 in 2024.
Across the UK
Thea in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#65 in 2024
32 years of NRS records, 950 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#75 in 2024
19 years of NISRA records, 419 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Thea
-
Thea Achillea
actor
actress
2014-
-
Thea Brookes
cricketer
English cricketer
1993-
-
Thea Bourke-Borrowes
(born 1986)
1986-
-
Thea Gilmore
singer; singer-songwriter
British singer-songwriter
1979-
-
Thea Sharrock
film director; theatre director; director
British director
1976-
-
Thea Gregory
actor; film actor
actress
1929-2022
-
Thea Musgrave
composer; professor
Scottish composer
1928-
-
Thea King
musician; music educator
British clarinettist (1925-2007)
1925-2007
Related
Names similar to Thea
- Tia 15,569
- Tilly 11,524
- Taylor 7,401
- Tegan 6,583
- Tabitha 6,462
- Talia 5,198
- Tara 5,114
- Tiffany 4,653
- Tallulah 4,442
- Tiana 3,570
- Tamara 3,405
- Tayla 2,799
FAQ
Thea: questions and answers
How popular is the name Thea in the UK right now?
In 2024, Thea was ranked #66 for girls in England and Wales, with 686 births registered.
When was Thea most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 1,132 babies registered as Thea in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Thea?
Feminine form of the Greek name Theodora, meaning "divine gift".
How many people are called Thea in the UK?
A total of 12,888 babies have been registered as Thea across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 950 more in Scotland and 419 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Thea most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Thea ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #65 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.