Teran
Meaning "water, rain" of Iranian origin.
Name Census estimates that about 521 living Americans carry the first name Teran. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 65.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Teran today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teran births was 1985 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teran. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
521
~ 1 in 657,878 Americans
Peak year
1985
31 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2015 SSA rank
#11,935
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Teran
Teran is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 540 total registrations, 355 (65.7%) were male and 185 (34.3%) were female.
Teran as a male name
- Ranked #11,935 in 2015
- 6 male births in 2015
- Peak: 1996 (23 births)
Teran as a female name
- Ranked #18,589 in 2004
- 5 female births in 2004
- Peak: 1985 (24 births)
Popularity
Teran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Teran from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 223 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Teran by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Teran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Terans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Teran
The name Teran has its roots in the Persian language and culture, originating in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) during the Achaemenid Empire period around the 6th century BCE. It is derived from the Old Persian word "tarana," meaning "song" or "melody." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with musicians or poets in ancient Persian society.
While the exact origin of the name is uncertain, some scholars believe it may have ties to the Persian mythological figure Taranee, a minor deity associated with rain and fertility. However, there is limited historical evidence to support this theory.
The earliest recorded use of the name Teran can be traced back to the Sassanid Empire (224-651 CE), where it appears in several ancient Persian texts and inscriptions. During this time, the name was likely popularized among the nobility and upper classes of Persian society.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Teran was a Persian poet and scholar who lived during the 9th century CE. His full name was Teran al-Baghdadi, and he is renowned for his contributions to Persian literature and poetry.
In the 11th century, there was a famous Persian philosopher and physician named Teran Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, philosophy, and science, and his works were widely influential throughout the Islamic world and Europe.
Another notable figure was Teran al-Ghuri, a Persian military commander and governor who served under the Ghuri dynasty in the late 12th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Ghurid Empire and the conquest of northern India.
During the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736 CE), the name Teran gained further popularity among the Persian aristocracy. One prominent figure from this era was Teran Khan Qazvini, a powerful military leader and governor who served under Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century.
In more recent history, there was a famous Persian poet and writer named Teran Mirza Qajar, who lived during the 19th century and was renowned for his literary works and contributions to the Persian literary canon.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Teran within the Persian tradition, spanning over a millennium and encompassing various fields such as literature, philosophy, medicine, and military leadership.
People
Teran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teran as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Teran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 521 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teran going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 657,878 US residents.
Is Teran a common name?
We classify Teran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 540 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teran most popular?
The single biggest year for Teran was 1985, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teran is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Teran a male name?
Yes, 65.7% of people registered as Teran in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.