Thelma is a female

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. It was popularized by Victorian writer

Marie Corelli Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey, and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist. From the appearance of her first novel ''A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became the bestsel ...

who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel '' Thelma''. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see ''

thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ' ...

''). Note that although consonant with another female given name,

Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...

, the two are not synonymous.

People with the name

* Thelma Akana Harrison (1905–1972), American politician *

Thelma Aoyama is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinidadian and Japanese. She is known for her collaboration song with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo" and her answer song "Soba ni Iru ne". In September 2008, the Guinness World Records certified ...

(born 1987), Japanese pop singer *

Thelma Barlow Thelma Barlow (''née'' Pigott; born 19 June 1929) is an English television actress and writer, known for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' and as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom '' di ...

(born 1929), English actress * Thelma Carpenter (1922–1997), American jazz singer and actress * Thelma Cazalet-Keir (1899–1989), British politician * Thelma Drake (born 1949), American politician *

Thelma Eisen Thelma "Tiby" Eisen (May 11, 1922 – May 11, 2014) was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Thelma Eisen was among the t ...

(1922–2014), American baseball player *

Thelma Fardin Thelma Inés Fardin (; born October 24, 1992) is an Argentine actress. Biography Thelma Fardin began her career in 1998 in the soap opera '' Cabecita'', which stars Laura Olivia. In 1999 she appeared in the film ''La edad del sol'', by Sole ...

(born 1992), Argentine actress *

Thelma Forbes Thelma Bessie Forbes (September 26, 1910 – January 5, 2012) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in ...

(1910–2012), Canadian politician *

Thelma Furness, Viscountess Furness Thelma Furness, Viscountess Furness ( Morgan, 23 August 1904 – 29 January 1970), was a mistress of King Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales. She was supplanted in his affections by Wallis Simpson, for whose sake Edward abdicated and bec ...

(1904–1970), mistress of King Edward VIII * Thelma Harper (politician) (1940–2021), Tennessee politician * Thelma Hill (1906–1938), American silent screen actress *

Thelma Holt Thelma Holt (born 4 January 1932) is a British theatre producer and former actress. After a successful career as an actress, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, Thelma founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, London, which b ...

(born 1932), stage actress and producer *

Telma Hopkins Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn, which had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety ...

(born 1948), American singer and actress *

Thelma Hopkins (athlete) Thelma Elizabeth Hopkins (born 16 March 1936) is a Northern Irish athlete, who competed in the high and the long jump. On 5 May 1956 she broke the world record in high jump in Belfast with a jump of 1.74 metres, breaking the record of 1.73 metr ...

(born 1936), British athlete *

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Gramm ...

(born 1946), American singer *

Thelma Leeds Thelma Leeds (December 18, 1910 – May 27, 2006), also known as Thelma Bernstein, was an American actress. Life and career Leeds was born Thelma Goodman in New York City, to Katie and Joseph Goodman, Russian-Jewish immigrants. She was the ...

(1910–2006), American actress *

Thelma Coyne Long Thelma Dorothy Coyne Long (née Coyne; 14 October 1918 – 13 April 2015) was an Australian tennis player and one of the female players who dominated Australian tennis from the mid-1930s to the 1950s. During her career she won 19 Grand Sl ...

(1918–2015), Australian tennis player *

Thelma Nava Thelma Nava (November 25, 1932 - August 17, 2019) was a Mexican poet and journalist. She founded and co-founded magazines, one of which she also published. Nava was the recipient of the Premio Nacional de Poesía « Ramón López Velarde» and the ...

(1932–2019), Mexican poet, magazine co-founder, publisher, journalist * Thelma "Pat" Nixon (1912–1993), former First Lady of the United States *

Thelma Parr Thelma Parr (born Thelma Sill, October 19, 1906 – February 13, 2000) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her roles in Mack Sennett comedies as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, appearing in numerous films for Mack Senne ...

(1906–2000), American actress *

Thelma Pressman Thelma Pressman (April 10, 1921 – August 10, 2010, Rancho Mirage, California) was a pioneering microwave cooking consultant, product development consultant, and cookbook author. In 1969 she opened the first microwave cooking school in the U ...

(1921–2010), American microwave cooking consultant and cookbook author *

Thelma Rodgers Thelma Rodgers is a retired Antarctic scientist from New Zealand. She was the first woman to spend a winter at Scott Base, New Zealand's scientific base in Antarctica. Life Rodgers grew up in the Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertain ...

, Antarctic scientist from New Zealand *

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working-class characters and her strong New York accent. She won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and received ...

(1902–1969), American actress *

Thelma Schoonmaker Thelma Schoonmaker (; born January 3, 1940) is an American film editor, known for her over five decades of work with frequent director Martin Scorsese. She started working with Scorsese on his debut feature film '' Who's That Knocking at My Doo ...

(born 1940), American film editor *

Thelma Terry Thelma Terry (born Thelma Esther Combes; September 30, 1901 – May 30, 1966) was an American bandleader and bassist during the 1920s and 1930s. She led Terry and Her Playboys and was the first American woman to lead a notable jazz orchestra as ...

(1901–1966), American bandleader * Thelma Thall (born 1924), American two-time world table tennis champion *

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, sh ...

(1906–1935), American actress and businesswoman * Thelma Toole (1901–1984), mother of American author John Kennedy Toole *

Thelma Votipka Thelma Votipka (December 20, 1906 – October 24, 1972) was an American soprano who sang 1,422 performances with the Metropolitan Opera, more than any other woman in the company's history (her nearest rival, Mathilde Bauermeister, sang 1,062) ...

(1906–1972), American opera singer * Thelma Wood (1901–1970), American artist and lover of Djuana Barnes

Fictional characters

Thelma Bates Thelma Bates is a fictional character played by Jemima Rooper in Sky One's British horror dramedy series '' Hex''. She appeared in every episode of the programme. After the departure and subsequent replacement of the programme's lead character of ...

, from the TV series ''Hex'' * Thelma Evans, in the sitcom ''Good Times'' *

Thelma Harper Thelma Mae Harper (nee Crowley), better known as Mama, is a fictional character played by American actress Vicki Lawrence. Mama is a purse-lipped, thickset senior citizen in her mid-to-late 60s. She has lived in an unspecified part of the Southern ...

, from ''The Carol Burnett Show'' and ''Mama's Family'' *

Thelma Lou Thelma Lou, or Thel by boyfriend Barney Fife, is a character on the American television sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960-1968). The character appeared in 26 episodes, starting with the first-season episode, "Cyrano Andy". Thelma Lou was po ...

, on ''The Andy Griffith Show'' *

Thelma Griffin ''Family Guy'' is an American animated comedy series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Characters are only listed once, normally under the first applicable subsection in the list; very minor characters are listed with ...

, from ''Family Guy'' * Thelma Dickinson from the 1991 film ''

Thelma and Louise Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel ''Thelma''. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see ''thelema''). Note that altho ...

'' * Thelma, protagonist of the eponymous 2017 film '' Thelma'' * T.H.E.L.M.A. an android from the Nickelodeon sci-fi series, ''

Space Cases ''Space Cases'' is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on Nickelodeon for two seasons. Created by Peter David and Bill Mumy, it premiered on March 2, 1996 and ended on January 27, 1997 with reruns until 1998. It aired for a t ...

'' * Thelma, a character referred to as "New Thelma" in the '' Junie B. Jones'' book series

References

{{Given name English feminine given names