From the ancient Greek name Θεοκλεια (Theokleia), which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements θεος (theos) meaning "god" and κλεος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as Θεκλα) in the apocryphal 'Acts of Paul and Thecla'. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.