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 θερίζω (''therízō'') "to

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

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, 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 Carmelite ...

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 bo ...

. 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 territorie ...

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, Count ...

** Theresa, Countess of Portugal (1080–1130), mother of Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal **

Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders Theresa of Portugal ( pt, Teresa or ''Tereza'', ; Archaic Portuguese: ''Tarasia''; 11511218) was Countess of Flanders by marriage to Philip I, Count of Flanders, and Duchess of Burgundy by marriage to Odo III, Duke of Burgundy. She was the daugh ...

(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 because ...

(1181–1250), daughter of Sancho I of Portugal and wife of Alfonso IX of León ** Infanta Maria Teresa of Braganza (1793-1874), firstborn child of John VI of Portugal * Teresa Lubomirska, Polish noble lady * Teresa of the Two Sicilies, Empress-consort of Brazil * Teresa, Contessa Guiccioli (1800–1873), the married lover of Lord Byron in Ravenna In the arts: * Teresa Berganza, Spanish opera singer * Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer * Teresa Carpenter,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning American author * Teresa Carpio, Cantopop singer and actress * Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan musician * Teresa Cheung (socialite), Hong Kong socialite and actress * Teresa De Sio, Italian folk singer-songwriter *

Teresa Edgerton Teresa Edgerton (born 1949) is an author of fantasy novels and short stories set in worlds that parallel the Middle Ages and the 18th century. Literary biography Born Teresa Ann Waller in Van Nuys, California, in 1949, she lived in the Los Ang ...

, American author of fantasy novels and short stories * Theresa Fu, Hong Kong singer and actress * Teresa Gallagher, British actress *

Therese Grankvist Therese Grankvist (born 2 May 1977) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She started recording in 1997 under the Drömhus alias, and goes by Therese since the release of her single "Monkey" in 2002. She may be best known for her internationally ...

, 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 Chri ...

, American actress and singer *

Theresa Harris Theresa Harris (December 31, 1906 – October 8, 1985) was an American television and film actress, singer and dancer. Early life Harris was born on New Year's Eve 1906 (some sources indicate 1909) in Houston, Texas, to Isaiah and Mable Harris ...

, American actress, dancer and singer *

Theresa Ikoko Theresa Ikoko is a British playwright and screenwriter of Nigerian descent. Her play ''Girls'', about three girls abducted by terrorists in northern Nigeria, won the Alfred Fagon Award and other awards. Ikoko later gained greater nationwide reco ...

, British playwright *

Teresa Medeiros Teresa Medeiros (born 1962/1963) is an American award-winning romance novelist. She wrote her first novel at 21. Before becoming an author, she was a nurse. According to her official biography, she lives in Kentucky. Her books have appeared on ...

, American romance novelist *

Teresa Nielsen Hayden Teresa Nielsen Hayden (born March 21, 1956) is an American science fiction editor, fanzine writer, essayist, and workshop instructor. She is a consulting editor for Tor Books and is well known for her weblog, ''Making Light''. She has also work ...

, American writer and teacher * Teresa Palmer, Australian actress *

Teresa Parente Teresa Parente is an American actress and singer. Career She is best known for her recurrent role on the Fox Broadcasting Company's sitcom ''Married... with Children'' as hapless television reporter "Miranda Veracruz de la Hoya Cardinal", whos ...

, American actress *

Theresa Randle Theresa E. Randle (born December 27, 1964) is an American actress. She has appeared in films such as ''Malcolm X'' (1992), '' Sugar Hill'', ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' (both 1994), '' Girl 6'', ''Space Jam'' (both 1996), ''Spawn'' (1997) and the '' ...

, American actress * Teresa Reichlen, American ballet dancer * Theresa Russell, American actress * Theresa Saldana, American actress * Teresa Salgueiro, Portuguese singer * Theresa Sokyrka, Canadian singer-songwriter * Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano * Teresa Teng, Taiwanese queen of pop * Teresa Villaverde, Portuguese film director *

Lady Teresa Waugh Lady Teresa Lorraine Waugh (''née'' Onslow; born 26 February 1940) is a British novelist and translator. Waugh is the daughter of the 6th Earl of Onslow and his first wife, Pamela Dillon. On 1 July 1961, she married the author Auberon Waugh, e ...

, 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 Teresa Żarnowerówna (or Żarnower; – April 30, 1949) was a Polish avant-garde artist, painter, sculptor, scenographer, and architect. Personal life Teresa Żarnowerówna was born in Targówek, Warsaw in either 1895 or 1897 (sources cann ...

, Polish avant-garde artist In politics: * Theresa Ahearn (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 Teresa Bellanova (born 17 August 1958) is an Italian politician and trade unionist, who served as Minister of Agriculture from September 2019 to January 2021 in the government of Giuseppe Conte. In 2018, she was elected in the Italian Senate for ...

, 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 Teresa Gutiérrez (born January 6, 1951) is an American activist. Gutiérrez was the Workers World Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2004 United States presidential election, 2004. She was the running mate of John Parke ...

, American politician *

Teresa Heinz Teresa Heinz (born Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira; October 5, 1938), also known as Teresa Heinz Kerry, is a Portuguese-American businesswoman and philanthropist. Heinz is the widow of former U.S. Senator John Heinz and the wife of for ...

(born 1938), former widow of U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III; wife of Senator John Kerry *

Teresa Isaac Teresa Isaac, an American politician, served as mayor of Lexington, Kentucky from 2003 to 2007. Political life Isaac was elected to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government council as an At-Large member in 1988. In 1992, she was reelected ...

, American politician, former mayor of Lexington, Kentucky * Teresa Kok, 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 cab ...

, 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 Teresa Pearce (born 1 February 1955) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Thamesmead (UK Parliament constituency), Erith and Thamesmea ...

, former UK Member of Parliament *

Teresa Reyes Sahagún Teresa Guadalupe Reyes Sahagún (born 15 October 1963) is a Mexican politician from the Labor Party. From 2009 to 2012 she served as Deputy of the LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress representing the State of Mexico The State of Mexico ( ...

, 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 followi ...

(born 1969), Spanish jurist, university professor and politician * Teresa Riera (born 1950), Spanish politician *

Teresa Rodríguez María Teresa Rodríguez-Rubio Vázquez (; born 18 September 1981) is a Spanish politician. Active in the United Left in her youth, she then set up her own platform, Anticapitalistas. She was a Member of the European Parliament representing Po ...

, Spanish politician *

Teresa Tomlinson Teresa Pike Tomlinson (born February 19, 1965) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected and served as the 69th Mayor of Columbus, Georgia in 2010. On January 3, 2011, she was sworn in as the city' ...

, American politician * Theresa Villiers, UK Member of Parliament *

Teresa Wat Teresa Wat (, born 1949 or 1950) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 British Columbia general election, 2013 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of Richmond ...

, Canadian member of the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

In religion: * List of saints named Teresa *

Teresa Chikaba Teresa Chikaba (Ewe language, Ewe: ''Chicaba'' or ''Chicava'';Juan Carlos Miguel de Paniagua, ''Compendio de la Vida Ejemplar de la Venerable Madre Sor Teresa Juliana de Santo Domingo'' alamanca, 1752c. 1676 – 6 December 1748) was a Ghanaian ...

, 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 Teresa Barbara Ciepły (''née'' Wieczorek; 19 October 1937 – 8 March 2006) was a Polish sprinter and hurdler. She was a bronze Olympic medalist in the 4×100 metre relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Two years later she won gold medals i ...

, 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 Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist. In 2000, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century". She ...

, American basketball player *

Tereza Kmochová Tereza Kmochová (born 26 September 1990) is a Czech deaf female alpine skier. She has represented Czech Republic in Winter Deaflympics, Winter Universiade and in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. She generally competes in the women's com ...

, Czech alpine skier *

Teresa Machado Teresa Machado (22 July 1969 – 28 February 2020) was a Portuguese discus thrower and shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put c ...

, Portuguese athlete *

Teresa Piccini Teresa Piccini is a Mexican ten-pin bowler. She finished in 15th position of the combined rankings at the 2006 AMF World Cup.Teresa Rivera Teresa Rivera Pastrana (born April 24, 1966) is a former female backstroke and freestyle swimming, freestyle swimming (sport), swimmer from Mexico. She participated in two consecutive Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1980. Her ...

, Mexican swimmer * Teresa Rohmann, German medley swimmer * Teresa Ruiz, American State Senator from New Jersey * Teresa Vaill, American racewalker * Theresa Zabell, Spanish sailor other: *

Teresa Cormack Teresa Maida Cormack (18 June 1981 – 19 June 1987) was a six-year-old murder victim from Napier, New Zealand. After fifteen years, advances in genetic analysis led to conviction of Jules Mikus (28 September 1958 – 6 December 2019) for t ...

, murder victim from New Zealand * Theresa Lawson (1951-2014), Australian convicted of embezzlement * Teresa Magbanua, Filipino schoolteacher and revolutionary * Teresa Rodrigo (1956-2020), Spanish scientist *

Teresa Sampsonia Teresa Sampsonia (born Sampsonia; after marriage Lady Shirley, 1589–1668) was an Iranian noblewoman of the Safavid Empire of Iran. She was the wife of Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and em ...

, Persian noblewoman, diplomat, adventuress *

Teresa Webber Mary Teresa Josephine Webber, is a British palaeographer, medievalist, and academic. She has been a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge since 1997 and Professor of Palaeography at the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge since 2018. Webbe ...

, 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 (née Di Vicenzo), Bond girl and wife of James Bond in the film ''

On Her Majesty's Secret Service On Her Majesty's Secret Service may refer to: * ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (novel), a 1963 novel by Ian Fleming * ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (film), a 1969 film adaptation of the novel ** ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (sou ...

'' * Teresa Bryant, 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 *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'' * Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, a main character in the soap opera ''Passions'' *Theresa

Terri McGreggor '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Linda Schuyler and Yan Moore. The series is now considered the first incarnation and premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and then ended on MTV Canada and ...

, in ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' * Theresa McQueen, from the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' *

Teresa Moreno Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...

, 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. * Theresa Russo, from '' Wizards of Waverly Place'' *Theresa Spencer, girlfriend and research partner of the character Daniel Faraday 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'' video game series * Teresa (Barbie), a fashion doll and Barbie's best friend *Teresa, from James Dashner's book series '' The Maze Runner'' *Tereza, from Milan Kundera's novel '' The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' *Theresa (a.k.a. The Fighter), one of the main characters from the Canadian animated series '' Class of the Titans'' *Teresa of Telezart, important character from the second series of the long-running space opera franchise '' Space Battleship Yamato'' * Teresa of the Faint Smile, 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) ''Heidi'' is a computer animated children's television series, based indirectly on the 1881 novel ''Heidi'' by Johanna Spyri. The original 2007 television series was a Swiss-French-Italian-Australian co-production in 27 episodes of 26 minutes. ...

*Theresa Servopoulos, from '' The Last of Us''

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