Teola
A feminine name meaning "vision" or "sighting".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Teola. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Teola today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teola births was 1926 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teola. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Teola is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Teolas were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Teola. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1926
13 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1950 SSA rank
#6,025
Tracked since 1907
Census
Teola in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 105 people with the first name Teola, which placed it at #52,717 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#52,717
National first-name rank
People counted
105
105 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
67.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teola
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teola is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (21.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Teola described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Teola at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.6% · 71
- White21.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Popularity
Teola: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Teola from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Teola by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Teola during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teolas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Teola
The name Teola is an ancient one with its roots tracing back to the ancient Greek language. It is believed to have originated from the Greek word "telos," which means "end" or "fulfillment." The name carries a sense of completion and achievement, suggesting that the bearer has reached a certain level of success or has fulfilled a purpose.
In ancient Greek mythology, there are references to Teola as a minor goddess associated with agriculture and fertility. She was often depicted as a young maiden carrying a sheaf of wheat, symbolizing the abundance and prosperity of the harvest. However, there are no specific accounts of individuals bearing this name in ancient Greek literature or historical records.
The earliest recorded use of the name Teola can be found in medieval Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Teolah" or "Tewla." One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Teola of Genoa, a 12th-century Italian noblewoman renowned for her philanthropy and charitable works.
In the 16th century, Teola Brancacci was an Italian painter and artist who gained recognition for her religious paintings and frescoes adorning churches in Florence and Rome. Her works were highly regarded for their attention to detail and skillful use of color.
Moving forward in history, Teola Kern was a 19th-century German-American author and educator. Born in 1835, she wrote several books on education and child development, including "The Kindergarten Principles" and "Practical Lessons in Kindergarten Games."
In the early 20th century, Teola Sanders was an African-American activist and educator who played a significant role in the civil rights movement. Born in 1892, she dedicated her life to promoting equal educational opportunities and advocating for the rights of African-American students.
Another notable figure bearing the name Teola was Teola Ewing, an American artist and sculptor from the mid-20th century. Born in 1921, she was known for her unique abstract sculptures and installations, many of which can be found in public spaces and museums across the United States.
While the name Teola may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and meaning continue to resonate with those who bear it. The name's connection to ancient Greek mythology and its association with fulfillment and achievement make it a unique and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with historical significance.
People
Teola + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teola as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Teola: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teola?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teola going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Teola a common name?
We classify Teola as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 198 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teola most popular?
The single biggest year for Teola was 1926, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teola is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Teola in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 105 people with the name Teola, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,717 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Teola in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Teola?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Teola leans strongly female. 101 people counted with this name were female (95.3%), compared with 5 male bearers (4.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Teola?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teola is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (21.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Teola most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Teola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (71 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Teola in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Teola a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Teola in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Teola still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Teola in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Teola can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Teola?
See how many Americans are named Teola on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.