What does the name Teresa mean?

Answer 1

According to "A Dictionary of First Names" by Hanks and Hodges, Teresa is the Spanish and Italian form of the name Theresa. In the English speaking world, Teresa is often chosen by Roman Catholic parents as a reference to the Spanish saint, Teresa of Avla.

The meaning of the name is unknown. Theresa is said to have been the name of the wife of Saint Paulinus of Nola, who spent most of his life in Spain. There are suggestions that this Theresa took her name from the Greek island of Thera, but these suggestions have no support in documentation or in the science of word structure, according to Hanks and Hodges.

Short forms of this name include Tere, Teresita, and Tete (in Spanish), Terri, Tessa, and Tess (in English), and Resi, Reserl, and Resli (in German).

Teresa (ter-eh-suh) means reaper because for the simple fact it is known as the opposite of the name Theresa (ter-ee-suh) meaning angel.

Answer 2

The name Teresa is of Greek origin and means "harvester" or "reaper." It is also associated with Saint Teresa of Ávila, a prominent Catholic saint known for her writings and reform work in the 16th century.