Thelma appears in U.S. registration data going all the way back to 1880, when records begin. Its popularity climbed over the following decades. In 1921, 7,839 babies were named Thelma (ranked #30 nationally). Today it sits well outside the top 1,000 (around #5009), with roughly 27 babies named Thelma each year. Thelma's usage has held roughly steady recently. In total, around 226,571 babies have been registered with this name since 1880.