I’ve been thinking about the name Thea lately. Thea is a popular nickname that was only sporadically used as a full standalone name until 2013.* Traditionally, Thea could be short for anything from Dorothea to Theresa. You can pronounce it like the end of Cynthia, or you can pronounce it more like “Tay-uh.” In Ancient Greek, Thea means “goddess.”
Armored with a powerful meaning and the short and sweet characteristics of a minimalist moniker, Thea is a wonderful baby name on its own. Classic, it befits a woman or girl of any age. Still, many parents prefer formal versions of nicknames that they can put on the birth certificate or that their child can assume as an adult if preferred. While standalone nicknames are trendy in 2023, traditions die hard and maximalism is just as popular as minimalism!
What are some other formal or full names for Thea?
- Althea, which means “healing,” is both the name of a character from Greek Mythology and a Grateful Dead song.
- Alethea: Despite the extremely similar spellings of Althea and Alethea, they are completely different names. Aletheia comes from a Greek word meaning “truth” or “unforgetfulness.” Indeed, Aletheia was the Greek goddess of Truth.
- Anthea means “flower” or “blossom,” and despite its accessibility and its similarity to Andrea, it’s never taken off in popularity. An epithet of Hera, Anthea boasts well-established clout for fans of Greek Mythology.
- Athena: Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War, also known as Minerva in Roman myth. Sporty Athena’s popularity is fast growing, now ranking at #78 in the U.S.
- Axiothea was a student of Plato, the famed Athenian philosopher who wrote The Republic. History-loving feminist parents may enjoy this name as a sibling for Hypatia or Hildegard, and let’s be frank: “Axie” is just as cute of a nickname as Thea!
- Calathea / Callithea: Calathea, which supposedly means “basket,” shares its name with the “prayer plant” that’s native to tropical and subtropical regions. Callithea is a butterfly name originating with two women in Greek mythology.
- Chrysanthemum: Meaning “golden flower,” this rare floral name is exquisitely elegant and fits right in with today’s maximalist trend. Millennial-aged and even younger parents may recall a classic picture book called Chrysanthemum about love and acceptance of unique names.
- Corinthia: Half-way between Corinne and Cynthia, this evokes grand architectural features. It means “woman of Corinth,” referencing the ancient city.
- Cynthia: An epithet or alternate name of Artemis, Ancient Greek goddess of the hunt. This is one of the few timeless girls’ names that has never been outside of the U.S. Top 1000!
- Dorothea: The longer and form of Dorothy, this means “gift of God.” Dorothea belongs to at least two famous women: 19th-century mental health reformer Dorothea Dix and Depression-era photojournalist Dorothea Lange.
- Edith: Who ever said Thea had to be short for a Greek name? For parents who are on the fence about an “old-lady name” like Edith, a nickname like Thea might just be the deciding factor. And don’t worry: Edith still popular enough to be in the Top 1000 and has never been outside the rankings, so it’s already been successfully tried and tested for the 21st century (Downton Abbey helped make sure of that).
- Elizabeth probably has the most possible nicknames out of any name imaginable, from Lizzie to Elise to Zibby and beyond. Why not Thea?
- Forsythia: An extremely rare and unique flower name that originated from the surname of 1700s botanist William Forsyth.
- Galatea / Galathea: Though Galatea (pronounced Gal-uh-TAY-uh) was also a sea nymph in Greek mythology, the name is traditionally ascribed to Pygmalion’s sculpture, who he molded into the perfect woman (if you’ve seen My Fair Lady, you know story). Most recently, Madeline Miller published a short story by this name.
- Heather: I truly feel Heather was ahead of its time. Heather took off in the mid-20th century, long after the floral name craze (Rose, Violet, Daisy, etc.) of the Victorian era and decades before that style revival. Maybe it’s not as dated as other top 1980s baby names?
- Ilithyia / Eileithyia: Ilithyia is a fairly obscure deity compared to, say, Artemis or Athena, but in Greek mythology she was the goddess of childbirth and midwifery. It’s pronounced like “ill-ih-THWEE-uh.”
- Lysithea – I recently heard this gorgeous, unusual Ancient Greek name meaning something like “released by the goddess.” These days Lysithea is best known as a minor moon of Jupiter or the name of a Fire Emblem (video game) character.
- Rhodothea is another unique name from Ancient Greek that means “rose of the goddess” or “goddess of roses.” The growing popularity of the name Rhodes makes Rhodothea another wonderful option for consideration!
- Scythia: To all my fans of place names, Scythia was an ancient nomadic empire of the Eurasian steppe. The ‘c’ is silent, so say this like Cynthia without the ‘n!’
- Theodora: Feminine form of Theodore and inverse of Dorothea, Theodora means “gift of God.” The most famous bearer is Empress Theodora, wife of the Byzantine ruler Justinian.
- Theodosia: Fairly popular in the 18th century but rare nowadays, maximalist Theodosia is trendy once again thanks to Hamilton. Theodosia, similar to Theodora, means “giving to God.”
- Theophania / Tiffany: Tiffany is the medieval English form of Theophania, a name traditionally bestowed upon daughters born around Epiphany (January 6th). Theophania, and therefore Tiffany, means “appearance of God” or “manifestation of God.”
- Theresa: Probably the one name that isn’t Greek for which Thea is a traditional nickname. Theresa comes from Teresa, an old Spanish and Portuguese name of unknown meaning that has never been out of the U.S. Top 1000. Theresa fell out of favor a few years ago, but there’s nothing a fresh nickname can’t do!
- Thessaly: A unique if mildly trendy place name referring to a region in Greece. Although Thessaly doesn’t chart in the U.S., this name does receive occasional buzz online. It rhymes with Cecily.
- Thisbe: Shakespeare wasn’t the first to write about star-crossed lovers whose lives end tragically. Romeo and Juliet retells the Ovid’s myth of Pyramus and Thisbe. If Juliet remains a popular baby name despite tragedy, perhaps more parents should consider Thisbe. Thisbe (pronounced THIZ-bee and rhymes with “frisbee”) currently remains uncharted in the U.S.
- Xanthippe (pronounced ZAN-thip-ee) might be a tough name to swallow, but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt reintroduced it to modern ears via a teenage character called “Xan” for short. Xanthippe means “yellow horse,” though the name became akin to older generations’ version of Karen because of its association with the wife of Socrates. Xanthippe was famously argumentative and some stories even suggest she dumped a chamber pot over her husband’s head! I wonder how badly men have maligned her over millennia, as they’ve done to so many outspoken women? Sounds like it might be time for a good feminist reclamation! And wouldn’t Thea, “goddess,” make a great nickname for it?
Do you have a favorite full name for Thea? Can you think of any others that aren’t on my list? Would you even choose a full name or just stick to the short form? Let me know! As for me, I’m loving this heavy dose of Greek Mythology name inspiration. Most of these are still incredibly rare and unique!
*I suspect Thea’s Top 1000 reentry that year is because of the character on Arrow, which debuted on TV in late 2012.
The Well-Informed Namer 