Terresa
An Italian feminine name derived from the Greek word for "harvester".
Name Census estimates that about 1,268 living Americans carry the first name Terresa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Terresa today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Terresa births was 1962 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Terresa. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 270,311 Americans
Peak year
1962
73 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2004 SSA rank
#18,591
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Terresa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Terresa from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 614 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Terresa 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 Terresa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Terresas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Terresa, while Michigan, Kansas, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Terresa
The name Terresa is a feminine form of the name Terence, which has its origins in the Latin name Terentius. The name Terentius is derived from the Roman family name Terentius, which is thought to have originated from the Latin word "terere," meaning "to rub" or "to wear away."
The name Terresa gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Latin was widely spoken and studied. It was often associated with educated and scholarly individuals, as the name Terentius had connections to the famous Roman playwright Terence, who lived in the 2nd century BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Terresa can be found in the writings of the 12th century English historian and philosopher, William of Malmesbury. In his work, he mentions a nun named Terresa who lived in a convent in Somerset, England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Terresa. One of the most famous was Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), a Spanish mystic, writer, and reformer of the Carmelite Order. She is celebrated for her profound spiritual insights and her contributions to the Counter-Reformation.
Another prominent figure was Terresa Higginson (1844-1923), an American writer and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was a co-founder of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and served as its president from 1887 to 1892.
In the realm of literature, Terresa Wilms Monvellietz (1890-1964) was a German-American writer known for her novels and short stories that explored themes of immigration and cultural assimilation. Her works, such as "The Transplanted" and "The Promised Land," shed light on the experiences of German immigrants in America.
Terresa Carreno (1853-1917) was a renowned Venezuelan pianist and composer who achieved international acclaim for her virtuosic performances and compositions. She was one of the first female musicians to gain widespread recognition in a male-dominated field.
Another notable figure was Terresa Coaxley (1909-1992), an African American nurse and educator who played a crucial role in desegregating nursing education in the United States. She was the first African American nurse to be accepted into the University of Cincinnati's nursing program and later served as the director of nursing at Meharry Medical College.
People
Terresa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Terresa 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
Terresa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Terresa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,268 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Terresa 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 270,311 US residents.
Is Terresa a common name?
We classify Terresa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,571 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Terresa most popular?
The single biggest year for Terresa was 1962, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Terresa is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Terresa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Terresa 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.