# Thelma

> English word · Proper noun · frequency rank #28,400

## Definitions
1. A female given name originating as a coinage.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **them** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thelma-vs-them)
- **theme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thelma-vs-theme)
- **theta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thelma-vs-theta)
- **thermal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thelma-vs-thermal)
- **Thea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thea-vs-thelma)

## Common misspellings (9)
`htelma`, `tehlma`, `thelam`, `thellma`, `thelmma`, `themla`, `thhelma`, `thlema`, `tthelma`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thelma