Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or reap", or from θέρος (''theros'') "summer". It is first recorded in the form ''Therasia'', the name of

Therasia of Nola Therasia (fl. 381 - 408–10) was a Christian aristocrat from Spain. Through her marriage to Paulinus of Nola, she encouraged his conversion to Christianity and was influential in the early church, co-writing epistles and co-patron of the cult o ...

, an aristocrat of the 4th century. Its popularity outside of Iberia increased because of saint

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during t ...

, and more recently

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelit ...

and

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

it was ranked as the 852nd most popular name for girls born in 2008, down from 226th in 1992 (it ranked 65th in 1950, and 102nd in 1900). Spelled "Teresa," it was the 580th most popular name for girls born in 2008, down from 206th in 1992 (it ranked 81st in 1950, and 220th in 1900).

People

In aristocracy: *

Teresa of Portugal (disambiguation) Teresa of Portugal may refer to: * Theresa, Countess of Portugal (1080–1130), mother of Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal * Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders (1157–1218), daughter of Afonso Henriques and wife of Philip, Coun ...

Theresa, Countess of Portugal Theresa ( Portuguese: ''Teresa''; Galician-Portuguese: ''Tareja'' or ''Tareixa''; Latin: ''Tarasia'') (1080 – 11 November 1130) was Countess of Portugal, and for a time claimant to be its independent Queen. She rebelled against her half-si ...

(1080–1130), mother of Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal ** Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders (1157–1218), daughter of Afonso Henriques and wife of Philip, Count of Flanders **

Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León Theresa of Portugal; 1176 – 18 June 1250) was Queen of Léon as the first wife of her first cousin King Alfonso IX of León. She was born the oldest daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. When her marriage was annulled becaus ...

(1181–1250), daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and wife of Alfonso IX of León **

Infanta Maria Teresa of Braganza Infanta Maria Teresa of Braganza ( or ; 29 April 1793 – 17 January 1874) was the firstborn child of John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain, and heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal between 1793 and 1795, until her short-lived br ...

(1793-1874), firstborn child of John VI of Portugal *

Teresa Lubomirska Princess Teresa Katharina Lubomirska (1 January 1685 – 6 January 1712) was a Polish noblewoman.http://genealogia.grocholski.pl/gd/osoba.php?id=018696 She was the second spouse of Count Palatine Charles Philip of Neuburg, who became Elector ...

, Polish noble lady *

Teresa of the Two Sicilies Dona Teresa Cristina (14 March 182228 December 1889), nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians", was the Empress consort of Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, who reigned from 1831 to 1889. Born a Princess of the Kingdom of the Two Sicil ...

, Empress-consort of Brazil *

Teresa, Contessa Guiccioli Teresa, Contessa Guiccioli (1800–1873) was the married lover of Lord Byron while he was living in Ravenna and writing the first five cantos of '' Don Juan''. She wrote the biographical account ''Lord Byron's Life in Italy''. On 19 January 1 ...

(1800–1873), the married lover of Lord Byron in Ravenna In the arts: *

Teresa Berganza Teresa Berganza Vargas OAXS (16 March 1933 – 13 May 2022) was a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with roles such as Rossini's Rosina and La Cenerentola, and later Bizet's Carmen, admired for her technical virtuosity, mu ...

, Spanish opera singer *

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

, American pop and jazz singer *

Teresa Carpenter Teresa Carpenter (born 1948) is an American author. Her awards include the Pulitzer Prize for best feature writing. Biography Teresa Carpenter was born in Independence, Missouri. She lives with her husband Steven Levy in New York's Greenwich Vill ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author *

Teresa Carpio Teresa Carpio (born 30 September 1956) is a Hong Kong English- and Cantonese-language pop singer, actress, and singing teacher. Carpio was popular in Hong Kong during the 1970s and 1980s. She is the paternal cousin of actress and singer Rita Ca ...

, Cantopop singer and actress *

Teresa Carreño María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García (December 22, 1853June 12, 1917) was a Venezuelan pianist, soprano, composer, and conductor. Over the course of her 54-year concert career, she became an internationally renowned virtuoso piani ...

, Venezuelan musician *

Teresa Cheung (socialite) Teresa Cheung Siu-wai () (born June 10, 1963) is a Canadian actress and producer. Early life Born in Hong Kong to parents of Shanghainese descent, Cheung appeared in her first advertisement at the age of three. She was born in a scholarly fam ...

, Hong Kong socialite and actress *

Teresa De Sio Teresa De Sio (born 3 November 1952) is an Italian pop-folk singer and songwriter. She is the elder sister of actress Giuliana De Sio. Biography and career Teresa De Sio was born in Naples and grew up in Cava de' Tirreni, where her family was ori ...

, Italian folk singer-songwriter * Teresa Edgerton, American author of fantasy novels and short stories *

Theresa Fu Theresa Fu (born 22 September 1984) is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, film and television actress, and model. Fu was introduced by the Talent Bang model agency in order to become a pop star. She started her career in 2002 as one of the members of ...

, Hong Kong singer and actress *

Teresa Gallagher Teresa Gallagher is an American-born British actress. Career Gallagher is known for her role as Ellen Smith in ''The Bill'', for her appearances on radio in ''No Commitments'', ''Salem's Lot'', and ''Memorials to the Missing''. She playe ...

, British actress * Therese Grankvist, Swedish singer *

Teresa Graves Terresa M. Graves (January 10, 1948October 10, 2002), credited as Teresa Graves, was an American actress and singer best known for her starring role as undercover police detective Christie Love in the ABC crime-drama television series '' Get Ch ...

, American actress and singer * Theresa Harris, American actress, dancer and singer * Theresa Ikoko, British playwright * Teresa Medeiros, American romance novelist * Teresa Nielsen Hayden, American writer and teacher *

Teresa Palmer Teresa Mary Palmer (born 26 February 1986) is an Australian actress. She began her career with roles in '' Bedtime Stories'' (2008), ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' (2010), '' Take Me Home Tonight'' (2011), and '' I Am Number Four'' (2011). She r ...

, Australian actress * Teresa Parente, American actress * Theresa Randle, American actress *

Teresa Reichlen Teresa Reichlen (born ) is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2001, was promoted to principal dancer in 2009, and retired in 2022. Early life Reichlen was born in Clifton, Virginia. She has three brothers. When sh ...

, American ballet dancer *

Theresa Russell Theresa Lynn Russell ( Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her filmography includes over fifty feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent and experimental films. Born in San Diego, ...

, American actress *

Theresa Saldana Theresa Saldana (August 20, 1954 – June 6, 2016) was an American actress, activist, and writer. She is known for her role as Rachel Scali, the wife of Police Commissioner Tony Scali, in the 1990s television series '' The Commish'', for which s ...

, American actress *

Teresa Salgueiro Maria Teresa de Almeida Salgueiro OIH () is a Portuguese singer. She is best known as the lead singer of Madredeus from 1987 until 2007. She also appeared in Wim Wenders' film '' Lisbon Story.'' Career Salgueiro joined Madredeus after other ...

, Portuguese singer *

Theresa Sokyrka Theresa Sokyrka (born 1 April 1981) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. On the Canadian Idol (Season 2), second season of ''Canadian Idol'', she was the final runner-up to winner Kalan Porter. Biography Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Sokyrka s ...

, Canadian singer-songwriter *

Teresa Stratas Teresa Stratas (born May 26, 1938) is a retired operatic soprano from Canada of Greek descent. She is especially well known for her award-winning recording of Alban Berg's '' Lulu''. Early life and career Stratas was born Anastasia Stratakis t ...

, Canadian soprano *

Teresa Teng Teng Li-Chun (; 29 January 1953 – 8 May 1995), commonly known as Teresa Teng, was a Taiwanese singer, actress, musician and philanthropist. Referred to by some as " Asia's eternal queen of pop," Teng became a cultural icon for her contributio ...

, Taiwanese queen of pop *

Teresa Villaverde Teresa Villaverde (born 18 May 1966) is a Portuguese film director. Her film ''Os Mutantes'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. Filmography *''A Idade Maior'' (1991) *'' Três Irmãos'' (1994) *''Os Mu ...

, Portuguese film director * Lady Teresa Waugh, British novelist and translator *

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: in 1941 for her debut work in '' The Little Foxes'', and in 1942 for '' Mrs. Miniver' ...

, Academy Award-winning American actress * Teresa Żarnowerówna, Polish avant-garde artist In politics: *

Theresa Ahearn Theresa Ahearn (; 1 May 1951 – 20 September 2000) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála for the Tipperary South constituency from 1989 to 2000. Political career Her first elected office was as a member of South T ...

(1951-2000), Irish Member of Parliament *

Teresa Aquino-Oreta Maria Teresa Aquino-Oreta (born Maria Teresa Aquino Aquino; June 28, 1944 – May 14, 2020), better known as Tessie Aquino-Oreta, was a Filipina politician. She was the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture in th ...

(born 1944), Filipino politician * Teresa Bellanova, Italian Minister of Agriculture *

Teresa Cheng (politician) Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah (; born 11 November 1958) is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel, arbitrator and politician. She served as Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong from 2018 to 2022. She was also the chairperson of the Financial Dispute Resolution Ce ...

, Hong Kong Justice Minister * Teresa Gutierrez, American politician * Teresa Heinz (born 1938), former widow of U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III; wife of Senator John Kerry * Teresa Isaac, American politician, former mayor of Lexington, Kentucky *

Teresa Kok Teresa Kok Suh Sim (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwo̍k Su-tshim''; born 31 March 1964) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Primary Industries in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ...

, Malaysian Member of Parliament *

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...

, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party; UK Member of Parliament *

Teresa Mosqueda Teresa Carmen Mosqueda (born July 4, 1980) is an American politician and labor activist from Seattle, Washington. She was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2017 to represent the at-large position 8. In 2023, she announced that she would run ...

, American politician * Teresa Pearce, former UK Member of Parliament * Teresa Reyes Sahagún, Mexican politician *

Teresa Ribera Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (born 19 May 1969) is a Spanish jurist, university professor, and politician who has served as the Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain since 2018, after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez coming into power follow ...

(born 1969), Spanish jurist, university professor and politician *

Teresa Riera Teresa Riera Madurell (born 13 October 1950 in Barcelona) is a Spanish politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 until 2014. She is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, part of the Party of European Social ...

(born 1950), Spanish politician * Teresa Rodríguez, Spanish politician *

Teresa Tomlinson Teresa Pike Tomlinson (born February 19, 1965) is an Americans, American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she was elected and served as the 69th List of mayors of Columbus, Georgia, May ...

, American politician *

Theresa Villiers Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005. A member of the ...

, UK Member of Parliament * Teresa Wat, Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia In religion: *

List of saints named Teresa Saints named Teresa include: *Teresa of Ávila, Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), or Teresa of Jesus, Spaniard, founder of the Discalced Carmelites, and Doctor of the Church *Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), or Teresa of the Child Jesu ...

* Teresa Chikaba, Ghanaian princess declared Venerable by the Catholic Church *

Teresa Demjanovich Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, SC (March 26, 1901 – May 8, 1927) was an American Ruthenian Catholic Sister of Charity who has been beatified by the Catholic Church. The beatification ceremony was the first to take place in the United States. ...

, American nun of the Sisters of Charity In sports: * Teresa Ciepły, Polish sprinter *

Teresa Earnhardt Teresa Earnhardt (née Houston; born October 29, 1958) is the third wife and widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt (born December 20, 1988) and she is the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt ...

, widow of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, also known as the "wicked witch" by much of the NASCAR fandom * Teresa Edwards, American basketball player * Tereza Kmochová, Czech alpine skier * Teresa Machado, Portuguese athlete * Teresa Piccini, Mexican ten-pin bowler * Teresa Rivera, Mexican swimmer * Teresa Rohmann, German medley swimmer * Teresa Ruiz, American State Senator from New Jersey * Teresa Vaill, American racewalker *

Theresa Zabell Theresa Zabell Lucas (born 22 May 1965 in Ipswich, Suffolk) is a Spanish sailor who won gold medal both in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. A member of ''Real Club de Mediterráneo Mál ...

, Spanish sailor other: * Teresa Cormack, murder victim from New Zealand * Theresa Lawson (1951-2014), Australian convicted of embezzlement *

Teresa Magbanua Teresa Magbanua y Ferraris (October 13, 1868 – August 1947), better known as Teresa Magbanua and dubbed as the "Visayan Joan of Arc", was a Filipino schoolteacher and military leader. Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Philippines, she retired from edu ...

, Filipino schoolteacher and revolutionary *

Teresa Rodrigo Teresa Rodrigo Anoro (195621 April 2020) was a Spanish scientist who worked in particle physics. She worked at CERN, Fermilab and the and was professor at the University of Cantabria. Whilst at CERN, Rodrigo worked on the Compact Muon Solenoi ...

(1956-2020), Spanish scientist * Teresa Sampsonia, Persian noblewoman, diplomat, adventuress * Teresa Webber, British palaeographer, medievalist, and academic *

Teresa Sickles Teresa Bagioli Sickles (1836 – February 5, 1867) was the wife of Democratic New York State Assemblyman, U.S. Representative, and later U.S. Army Major General Daniel E. Sickles. She gained notoriety in 1859, when her husband murdered her lover, ...

, wife of Daniel Edgar Sickles, who stood trial for killing her lover

Fictional characters

*Teresa

Tracy Bond Teresa "Tracy" Bond (born Teresa "Tracy" Draco, and also known as the Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo) is a fictional character and the main Bond girl in the 1963 James Bond novel ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', and its 1969 film adaptation. ...

(née Di Vicenzo), Bond girl and wife of James Bond in the film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' *

Teresa Bryant Teresa Bryant (also Morton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Karen Henthorn. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 28 March 2007. She made her final app ...

, on the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' *Theresa Burke, wife of main character Ethan Burke on the American TV series '' Wayward Pines'' * Teresa Cammeniti, on the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' *Theresa Rourke Cassidy, alter-ego of the ''Marvel Comics'' heroine

Siryn Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Debuting under the codename Siryn, she later retired the name and went by Banshee, in h ...

*Teresa Chávez, protagonist and villain from the TV series ''Teresa'' *Theresa "Tess" Durbeyfield, title character of Thomas Hardy's novel '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' *Theresa Fowler, from the animated TV series '' Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja'' *Theresa "Tessa" Gray, protagonist and main character of '' The Infernal Devices'' novel series by Cassandra Clare * Teresa Lisbon, one of the main characters in the drama ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...

'' *

Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Theresa Lopez - Fitzgerald Winthrop is a fictional character from the NBC/DirecTV soap opera, ''Passions''. She was portrayed by Lindsay Korman throughout the program's tenure, with Priscilla Garita temporarily assuming the role from August 30– ...

, a main character in the soap opera ''Passions'' *Theresa Terri McGreggor, in ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' *

Theresa McQueen Theresa McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jorgie Porter. She made her first appearance on 24 November 2008. The character was introduced as an extension of already established McQueen ...

, from the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' * Teresa Moreno, wife of Richard Sharpe in Bernard Cornwell's ''Sharpe'' series of historical fiction *Teresa Parker, long lost younger sister of Peter Parker / Spider-Man from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. *

Theresa Russo File:WOWPcast2.jpg, 300px, The ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' cast of season two. (Left to right) David Henrie as Justin Russo, Jake T. Austin as Max Russo, Jennifer Stone as Harper Finkle, Selena Gomez as Alex Russo, David DeLuise as Jerry Ru ...

, from ''

Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wiza ...

'' *Theresa Spencer, girlfriend and research partner of the character

Daniel Faraday Dr. Daniel Faraday is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'' played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the Season 4 premiere as a physicist from the Queen's College, University of Oxford. He suffers from short-term ...

from the TV series '' Lost'' * Teresa Wisemail, from the PlayStation role-playing game ''Suikoden II'' *Theresa, an immortal seeress, one of the main characters in the ''

Fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

'' video game series *

Teresa (Barbie) Teresa is a Mattel fashion doll who is marketed as one of Barbie's fictional friends. Teresa debuted in the "California Dream Teresa" doll in 1988 and since then, she has been Barbie's most frequently featured female companion in the toy line (n ...

, a fashion doll and

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

's best friend *Teresa, from

James Dashner James Smith Dashner (born November 26, 1972) is an American writer known for speculative fiction. Many of his books are primarily aimed at children or young adults. He is best known for ''The Maze Runner'' series and the young adult fantasy seri ...

's book series ''

The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an ...

'' *Tereza, from Milan Kundera's novel ''

The Unbearable Lightness of Being ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' ( cs, Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí) is a 1984 novel by Milan Kundera, about two women, two men, a dog and their lives in the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history. Although written in 1982, the no ...

'' *Theresa (a.k.a. The Fighter), one of the main characters from the Canadian animated series ''

Class of the Titans ''Class of the Titans'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by Studio B Productions and Nelvana Limited. It premiered on December 31, 2005, at 5 pm ET/PT on Teletoon with a special 90-minute presentation of the first three ep ...

'' *Teresa of Telezart, important character from the second series of the long-running space opera franchise ''

Space Battleship Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975 ...

'' *

Teresa of the Faint Smile ''Claymore (manga), Claymore'', a manga series by Norihiro Yagi, is set in a medieval world plagued by Yoma, humanoid shape-shifters that feed on humans. A mysterious group, known as the #The Organization, Organization, creates human-Yoma hybrids ...

, in ''Claymore'' * Boos, known in Japan as Teresa, are ghosts from the Mario and Yoshi series of video games. *Teresa Mendoza, protagonist and drug cartel leader from Queen of the South *Theresa Keller, a new girl from the children's program Heidi (2015 TV series) *Theresa Servopoulos, from ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel (The Last of Us), Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie (The Last of Us), Ell ...

Notes

{{given name Feminine given names English feminine given names Italian feminine given names Lithuanian feminine given names Polish feminine given names Portuguese feminine given names Spanish feminine given names

People

Fictional characters

See also

Notes