Definition of "Theresa"

"Theresa!" exclaimed the stranger, "is your name Theresa?" asked she, a death-like paleness at the same time overspreading her countenance."Is this name so frightful to you?" enquired the recluse."Frightful!" rejoined the stranger, "O, no, I venerate it, like the name of a saint. I had once an unknown friend, whose name was Theresa.

1810, Tales of real life: forming a sequel to miss Edgeworth's Tales of fashionable life, volume 1, London: Henry Colburn, page 72

"Theresa,", he said. "I never cared for that name."Justine nodded, chewing."I don't like difficult names. I don't like foreignness.""Perhaps they're Catholic," Justine said.

1976, Anne Tyler, Searching for Caleb, Berkley Books, New York, published 1983, page 7