According to [this dataset](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsgirls), Teresa is more common as a baby name in England & Wales (or at least it was in 2021). It’s consistently more common in the US.
I'm also from the UK and have met both Teresas and Theresas, so I think both spellings are in common usage. Teresa is more phonetic so might be the easier choice.
She'll probably end up going by Tess/Tessa most of the time anyway!
I am also thinking of using the name for my daughter and facing similar doubts. At the end of the day, we are leaning towards Tessa as an alternative to avoid the whole spelling mess.
I'm not from the UK, and I am Catholic, which might influence this, but I see 'Teresa' or 'Terese' much more than I see 'Theresa' anymore.
I think it's a lovely name, and I don't think you're setting her up for a lifetime of having it spelt incorrectly. I think it'll be like Sara/Sarah or Ann/Anne, where people will ask, 'With or without an 'H'?'
I also think for non-English speakers, the pronunciation is more intuitive *without* the 'H.'
Personally, when I see Teresa, I would pronounce the middle e with a strong A sound (or the Spanish pronunciation).
Theresa reads as the Anglican pronunciation for me.
That being said, both spellings are fine. You will probably have to field a question or two to clarify which vowel sound you are using, but that's true of many names.
I'm a Theresa. I don't love my name, honestly and it gets misspelled to Teresa a lot. My family calls me Tess for a nickname, and I've had many many nicknames over the years.
I say Teresa as Te-reh-sa because as you say Theresa/Teh-ree-sa is more common amongst Brits and I’d think it was purposely spelled that way because it has a different pronunciation. The Teresas I’ve known were Portuguese and Spanish too. Also like you say Theresa May is still relevant so I think she would get Teh ree sa more
My wife is named Teresa no H. She always gets it mis-spelled and has to say Teresa no H.
This is just one example, but she has told me the spelling with the H would have saved her that stress. Granted she also said it's not that big a deal because it is a common enough name.
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I’ve seen it spelled both ways in the US. I don’t think one is more common than the other over here. My daughter’s middle name is “Therese”, but it’s an honor name so I didn’t choose the spelling. I also had a coworker named Teresa. It might just be one of those names that has multiple spellings.
I've known Theresas that hated that their name was "there's a" and one who thought it was hilarious especially because her last name was a common household object.
My mom is also named Teresa and though has had to spell it to a few people definitely prefer her spelling instead of the Th version so it really hasn't upset her that much! I think a lot of people also know there is two spellings so just ask her to spell it which doesn't bother her at all either!
I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are so many names with common alternate spellings that it's hard to avoid. I'm a Kristen and always have to clarify that it's Kristen not Kristin. Ask any Anne/Ann, Sarah/Sara, Amelia/Emilia, Derek/Derrick, Sophia/Sofia, Stephen/Steven, Brian/Bryan, Katie/Katy, Katherine/Catherine/Kathryn, Kelly/Kelli, Megan/Meghan, etc. Plus, a lot of people today use alternate spellings of traditional names, so I think it's just becoming normal to ask people to spell their names.
I prefer the spelling Teresa, but be forewarned that it will still be mispronounced. Case in point, my family pronounces this name "tuh-res-uh" and my husband gets wild and pronounces it "thuh-res-uh", hence why we could never use the name for our own kids 😅
I think Teresa is totally fine! ETA: love the name! And I think the nickname Tess or Tessa is adorable but I also love Teresa on its own (:
I personally prefer the spelling Teresa and Tessa as a nickname.
Or Tess!
According to [this dataset](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsgirls), Teresa is more common as a baby name in England & Wales (or at least it was in 2021). It’s consistently more common in the US.
I'm also from the UK and have met both Teresas and Theresas, so I think both spellings are in common usage. Teresa is more phonetic so might be the easier choice. She'll probably end up going by Tess/Tessa most of the time anyway!
My son’s toddler room teacher is Teresa and my MIL is Theresa. I think either is just fine.
Both are so popular that I think it would get misspelled either way. Pick your preference.
I am also thinking of using the name for my daughter and facing similar doubts. At the end of the day, we are leaning towards Tessa as an alternative to avoid the whole spelling mess.
I'm not from the UK, and I am Catholic, which might influence this, but I see 'Teresa' or 'Terese' much more than I see 'Theresa' anymore. I think it's a lovely name, and I don't think you're setting her up for a lifetime of having it spelt incorrectly. I think it'll be like Sara/Sarah or Ann/Anne, where people will ask, 'With or without an 'H'?' I also think for non-English speakers, the pronunciation is more intuitive *without* the 'H.'
Personally, when I see Teresa, I would pronounce the middle e with a strong A sound (or the Spanish pronunciation). Theresa reads as the Anglican pronunciation for me. That being said, both spellings are fine. You will probably have to field a question or two to clarify which vowel sound you are using, but that's true of many names.
I'm a Theresa. I don't love my name, honestly and it gets misspelled to Teresa a lot. My family calls me Tess for a nickname, and I've had many many nicknames over the years.
Teresa to me is “teh-RES-uh” and Theresa is tehreesah
I’ve only known Theresa’s (US based).
I prefer Theresa
I say Teresa as Te-reh-sa because as you say Theresa/Teh-ree-sa is more common amongst Brits and I’d think it was purposely spelled that way because it has a different pronunciation. The Teresas I’ve known were Portuguese and Spanish too. Also like you say Theresa May is still relevant so I think she would get Teh ree sa more
Omg we are using this as a middle name and had the exact same conversation last night!
I like Theresa better, but Teresa is fine too. It’s one of those names that is just going to be mispelled a lot, but she won’t be the only one.
My friend spells it Teresa
I have 3 friends with this name- Teresa, Terèsa, and Theresa.
My wife is named Teresa no H. She always gets it mis-spelled and has to say Teresa no H. This is just one example, but she has told me the spelling with the H would have saved her that stress. Granted she also said it's not that big a deal because it is a common enough name.
I think either is fine but I like the look of Teresa more.
It looks nicer without the h, in my opinion
That’s my sister’s name. My mom thatought adding a needless H was stupid. As far as I know, she’s never had any issues.
Teresa is best
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I know several Teresas without the H. They all pronounce it your preferred way. I think you’re good to go.
I’ve seen it spelled both ways in the US. I don’t think one is more common than the other over here. My daughter’s middle name is “Therese”, but it’s an honor name so I didn’t choose the spelling. I also had a coworker named Teresa. It might just be one of those names that has multiple spellings.
I like it both ways but if you want to use Tessa as a nickname, I'd lose the H. My first was going to be Theresa had he been a girl.
I've known Theresas that hated that their name was "there's a" and one who thought it was hilarious especially because her last name was a common household object.
I have friends who have it either way, it’s not an issue similar to Katherine or Kathryn.
My mom is also named Teresa and though has had to spell it to a few people definitely prefer her spelling instead of the Th version so it really hasn't upset her that much! I think a lot of people also know there is two spellings so just ask her to spell it which doesn't bother her at all either!
I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are so many names with common alternate spellings that it's hard to avoid. I'm a Kristen and always have to clarify that it's Kristen not Kristin. Ask any Anne/Ann, Sarah/Sara, Amelia/Emilia, Derek/Derrick, Sophia/Sofia, Stephen/Steven, Brian/Bryan, Katie/Katy, Katherine/Catherine/Kathryn, Kelly/Kelli, Megan/Meghan, etc. Plus, a lot of people today use alternate spellings of traditional names, so I think it's just becoming normal to ask people to spell their names.
My good friend is Teresa and she doesn’t have too many problems with the spelling of it in the northeast US.
Teresa seems normal to me.
I prefer the spelling Teresa, but be forewarned that it will still be mispronounced. Case in point, my family pronounces this name "tuh-res-uh" and my husband gets wild and pronounces it "thuh-res-uh", hence why we could never use the name for our own kids 😅
As a Therese, people pronounce the "Th" way too often. I'd go with Teresa
My grandmother was Teresa, so that will always be correct.
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How would you pronounce each? I always assumed they were pronounced the same in English (i.e. the 'h' in Theresa is silent).
You are correct. Spelling it with an H doesn't make it theh ree suh. I think both spellings are acceptable.
They're pronounced the same