Fun Facts About the Name Theia
- More than 1 thousand babies named Theia: U.S. records list 1,216 babies given the name Theia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Theia Mean?
Theia is the ancient Greek goddess name Theia (Θεία), the feminine form of the adjective theios (θεῖος), meaning "divine" or "of a god." That adjective comes from theos (θεός), "god," so the name's plain sense is "divine" or "goddess." The deeper origin of theos is disputed: some scholars trace it to an Indo-European root, while others argue it is a Pre-Greek word, so the oldest layer of the etymology is uncertain. In later Greek, theia is also the ordinary word for "aunt" - a separate word that happens to have the same spelling and sound.
The brightness often attached to Theia is a mythological association rather than the name's literal meaning: as the mother of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn), she was linked with light and the shining sky. Related-looking names are not necessarily connected. Thea, for instance, is commonly a short form of names such as Dorothea and Theodora rather than a simple variant of Theia.
Theia Name History & Origins
Theia belongs to the oldest layer of Greek myth. In Hesiod's Theogony, composed around the eighth or seventh century BC, she is one of the Titans, a daughter of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). She is the wife of her brother Hyperion, and their children are Helios the Sun, Selene the Moon, and Eos the Dawn. That family is the source of her long-standing tie to light and to the daily and monthly cycles of the sky. The lyric poet Pindar, writing in the fifth century BC, addresses her as "Mother of the Sun, Theia of many names," treating her as a power behind the sun's brightness.
For most of its history in English, Theia was chiefly a figure from classical myth rather than a common given name. It gained wider notice in modern science: planetary scientists use "Theia" for the hypothetical Mars-sized body that, in the giant-impact theory, struck the young Earth and led to the formation of the Moon. The name suits the role, since the mythical Theia was the mother of Selene, the Moon goddess. Today the name appears as a given name in English-speaking countries, and its classical and scientific uses are the two main ways most people encounter it.
How Popular is the Name Theia?
Theia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #1,813 in 2019.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,989 | 97 | 0.0060% |
| 2024 | #1,844 | 109 | 0.0068% |
| 2023 | #2,014 | 98 | 0.0061% |
| 2022 | #2,122 | 91 | 0.0056% |
| 2021 | #1,978 | 99 | 0.0060% |
| 2020 | #2,315 | 77 | 0.0048% |
| 2019 | #1,813 | 113 | 0.0067% |
| 2018 | #1,866 | 109 | 0.0064% |
| 2017 | #1,841 | 112 | 0.0065% |
| 2016 | #2,029 | 98 | 0.0055% |
| 2015 | #2,428 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 2014 | #3,707 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2013 | #7,007 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #8,593 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #7,401 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #13,350 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #12,363 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #17,324 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #17,466 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #12,250 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #9,680 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #6,736 | 6 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Theia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Theia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Theia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.