Meanings
- A female given name originating as a coinage.
"Just the sort of name to suit a Norwegian nymph or goddess. Thelma is quaint and appropriate, and as far as I can remember there's no rhyme to it in the English language. Thelma!"
1887, Marie Corelli, Thelma, a Norwegian Princess, R. Bentley, published 1896, page 14
Origin
A literary invention, first appeared in the Swedish novel Kyrkoinvigningen i Hammarby (1840-1841) by Emilie Flygare-Carlén, translated into English as "The Magic Goblet" (1845). Similar names of ambiguous origin, Elma, Selma, Velma, appeared in the 19th century. By folk etymology explained as Ancient Greek θέλημα (thélēma, “will”). Notice also the Spanish and Portuguese Telma, a rare feminine form of Telmo, ultimately from Santelmo or Saint Elmo.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Thelma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thelma
“Thelma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thelma. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Thelma,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thelma.
Source: Thelma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.