Tecla

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Thekla in BR Brazil, NL Netherlands, US United States and 5 more.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 8 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Tecla is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English name6.8K records spelled Tecla7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, El Salvador, Canada, Australia

  Also written Técla

• Italian given name640 records spelled Tecla2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Italy, United States

  Also written Thekla

• English given name203 records spelled Tecla29 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus

  Languages: English, German, Western Frisian

  Also written Thekla, Thecla, Θεκλα, Thécla, Θέκλα

• a separate name94 records spelled Tecla2 spellings in the group

  Also written Técla

47 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Tecla is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Spanish, Latín eclesiástico Thecla, del griego; ‘gloria de Dios’.

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

• Gloria de Dios

  as a name·25,000 nombres de bebé. La mejor guía para escoger el nombre adecuado

• Dea illustre

  as a name·Il grande libro dei nomi per bebè. Significato, origini, curiosità. Oltre 7000 nomi per bambine e bambini Significato,…

• In Galician, key (button on a typewriter or computer keyboard)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Asturian, key, button (on a machine or musical instrument)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 19 years between 1907–1970. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Maria Tecla Civit Lloberab. 1683ESCatalan manager and healer
• Tecla Sala Miralpeixb. 1886ESSpanish businessperson (1886-1973)
• Tecla Scaranob. 1894ITItalian actress (1894–1978)
• Tecla San Andres Zigab. 1906PHFilipino politician
• Tecla Tofanob. 1927VEVenezuelan artist (1927–1995)
• Tecla Lumbreras Krauelb. 1954ESVicerrectora de Cultura UMA
• Tecla Pettenuzzob. 1999ITItalian association football player
• Tecla Insoliab. 2004ITItalian singer-songwriter and actress
• Tecla RuelliITwriter from Italy
• Tecla PratsESaccused of witchcraft

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 204 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Tecla?

We estimate roughly 2.2 thousand people bear Tecla (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Tecla have the most bearers?

Tecla is most frequently recorded in El Salvador, where it is most often spelled tecla.

What does the name Tecla mean?

Recorded meaning: key, button (on a machine or instrument)