Meaning and background
The story behind Thelma
Thelma gained recognition after Marie Corelli used it for a Norwegian heroine in her 1887 novel. Onomastic sources say the name’s meaning is unknown, and the frequently repeated connection to a Greek word for “will” is considered unlikely. It is a useful reminder that a well-established name need not have a secure ancient-language translation.
- Origin
- Established English given name of uncertain origin, associated with Marie Corelli’s novel Thelma (1887). Source
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About Thelma
Recorded as a dog’s name
Thelma appears in 9 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/θɛlmə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/θɛlmə/ · primary stress on syllable 1TH EH1 L M AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.