Thelma vs Abigail
How Thelma and Abigail compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Abigail
Female · Hebrew
Meaning: "Father Rejoices."Some Variants Include Abagail, Abaigeal, Abbey, Abbie, And Abby. Diminutive, Gail, Also Exists.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Thelma (girls) vs Abigail (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Thelma | Abigail |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1921 — 7,839 girls | 2003 — 15,932 girls |
| Peak rank | #30 | #6 |
| Most recent rank (1939) | #88 (2,696 births) | #41 (4,941 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 181,638 | 383,135 |
| Last 10 years (1930–1939) | 36,254 | 78,822 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Abigail reached 15,932 US births in 2003 — 8,093 more than Thelma's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Thelma births | Abigail births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Abigail | 0 | 3,405 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Thelma — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | #77 | 406 |
| 2 | Arkansas | #82 | 234 |
| 3 | Kentucky | #86 | 237 |
| 4 | Mississippi | #86 | 794 |
| 5 | South Carolina | #88 | 318 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →