Girl · Greek or Iberian; origin uncertain · Christian
Teresa
TeresaSay it tuh-REE-suh
- Meaning today
- Harvester
- Original meaning
- "of uncertain origin; possibly from Greek therizō, to reap" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G2325
- Say it
- tuh-REE-suh
- Other spellings
- Theresa, Therese
Teresa
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Teresa meaning
Teresa is a Christian girl's name.
Meaning today
Harvester
Original Greek or Iberian; origin uncertain meaning
"of uncertain origin; possibly from Greek therizō, to reap"
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G2325 · entry therizō · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Teresa is first recorded in the fourth century as Therasia, the name of the Spanish wife of Saint Paulinus of Nola, and for a long time it was used mainly in Spain and Portugal. Its origin is uncertain. The usual suggestion is the Greek verb therizō, which Strong's Concordance gives as "to harvest" or "to reap", and this is the source of the popular meaning "harvester"; other suggestions are Greek theros, "summer", and the Greek island of Therasia. The name spread across the Catholic world through Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), the Spanish mystic and reformer of the Carmelite order. In India it is linked above all with Mother Teresa of Kolkata, canonised in 2016 as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
References: Strong's Greek 2325, therizō (Bible Hub) · Wikipedia, Teresa · Britannica, St. Teresa of Ávila · Britannica, Mother Teresa
Famous namesakes
- Saint Teresa of Ávila, Spanish mystic
- Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta)
Popularity abroad
- #911 United States, girls 2025 (down 47 from 864 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Teresa · Theresa · Therese