French form of Theresa, possibly from Greek 'therizein' (to harvest) or the island of Thera. A major saints' name.
Therese is the French and German form of Teresa or Theresa, a name whose precise etymology has long been debated. The most widely accepted theory traces it to the Greek Θηρασία (Therasia), the name of a small volcanic island near Santorini, possibly derived from the verb therízein, meaning "to harvest" or "to reap." Others have proposed a connection to the Greek theros, meaning "summer."
Whatever its origins, the name became powerful through its association with two towering figures of Catholic mysticism: Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), the Spanish Carmelite reformer and Doctor of the Church, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), the French Carmelite known as "The Little Flower," whose autobiography The Story of a Soul became one of the most widely read spiritual texts of the 20th century. The French spelling Therese carries a particular elegance — stripped of the final a, it feels both spare and refined. It was the birth name of Saint Thérèse herself, and the variant without the accent became common in German-speaking Europe as well.
In the 20th century, the name enjoyed broad international use and was borne by figures as varied as Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa. In contemporary naming, Therese occupies a graceful middle ground between classic and underused — substantial in history, light in current popularity, and possessed of an enduring Old World poise.