Tere
Variant of the Spanish name Teresa, ultimately derived from Greek meaning "harvester".
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Tere. It is a predominantly female name (98.5% of registrations). The average person named Tere today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tere births was 1959 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tere. 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
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1959
24 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1992 SSA rank
#8,345
Tracked since 1946
Gender
Gender distribution for Tere
Tere leans heavily female at 98.5% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tere as a male name
- Ranked #8,345 in 1992
- 6 male births in 1992
- Peak: 1992 (6 births)
Tere as a female name
- Ranked #19,353 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 1959 (24 births)
Popularity
Tere: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tere from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 126 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tere 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 Tere during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teres live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tere
The name Tere is believed to have originated from the Estonian language, a Finno-Ugric language spoken in Estonia and some neighboring regions. It is thought to be derived from the Estonian word "tere," which means "hello" or "greetings." The name has been in use in Estonia for centuries, with records dating back to the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name Tere can be found in the Liber Census Daniae, a medieval census document from the 13th century, which lists several individuals with the name. It is likely that the name was initially used as a nickname or a shortened form of a longer Estonian name, possibly related to the idea of greeting or welcoming.
In Estonian folklore and mythology, there are references to a goddess or spirit known as Tere, who was associated with hospitality and welcoming guests. This connection may have contributed to the popularity of the name among Estonian families.
Notable historical figures with the name Tere include:
1. Tere Kull (1898-1983), an Estonian writer and journalist known for her works on Estonian culture and folklore.
2. Tere Mähar (1888-1978), an Estonian composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of Estonian choral music.
3. Tere Lõbu (1942-2018), an Estonian actress and theater director who worked extensively in both Estonian and Russian theaters.
4. Tere Parvel (born 1953), an Estonian painter and graphic artist whose works have been exhibited internationally.
5. Tere Kiisk (born 1964), an Estonian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia from 2005 to 2007.
While the name Tere is predominantly used in Estonia, it has also gained some popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among Estonian diaspora communities. However, its origins and deep cultural connections remain rooted in the Estonian language and traditions.
People
Tere + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tere 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
Tere: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tere?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tere 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Tere a common name?
We classify Tere as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 391 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tere most popular?
The single biggest year for Tere was 1959, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tere is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tere a female name?
Yes, 98.5% of people registered as Tere in the SSA data are female. 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.