Terria
Of uncertain etymology, possibly meaning "territory" or "earth".
Name Census estimates that about 957 living Americans carry the first name Terria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Terria today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Terria births was 1987 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Terria. 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
957
~ 1 in 358,155 Americans
Peak year
1987
32 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,248
Tracked since 1952
Census
Terria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 872 people with the first name Terria, which placed it at #13,735 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#13,735
National first-name rank
People counted
872
872 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
68.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Terria is Black at 68.2%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Terria described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Terria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.2% · 595
- White24.8% · 216
- Two or more races3.9% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
Popularity
Terria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Terria from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 251 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Terria 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 Terria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Terrias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Terria, while Texas, New York, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Terria
The name Terria is believed to have its origins in ancient Greek, derived from the word "terra," which means "earth" or "land." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a strong affinity for nature and the natural world.
In Greek mythology, Gaia, the primordial goddess personifying the Earth, was revered as the ancestral mother of all life. It is possible that the name Terria served as a tribute to this powerful deity, celebrating the fertility and abundance of the earth.
The earliest recorded use of the name Terria can be traced back to the 5th century BCE, when it appeared inscribed on a clay tablet found in the ancient city of Athens. This artifact provides evidence that the name was in circulation during the Classical period of ancient Greek civilization.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Terria. One of the earliest was Terria of Miletus, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 6th century BCE. Her contributions to the field of geometry and her teachings on the nature of the universe made her a significant figure in the intellectual circles of her time.
Another prominent figure was Terria of Crete, a skilled artisan and sculptor who lived in the 3rd century BCE. Her intricate marble statues depicting scenes from Greek mythology were highly praised and can still be admired in museums across the Mediterranean region.
In the realm of literature, Terria of Alexandria was a celebrated poet and playwright who flourished during the Ptolemaic period in the 3rd century BCE. Her works, though largely lost to time, were praised for their lyrical beauty and profound insights into the human condition.
Moving forward in history, Terria of Byzantium was a influential scholar and theologian who lived in the 6th century CE. Her writings on the interpretation of religious texts and her participation in important ecclesiastical councils left a lasting impact on the development of Christian doctrine.
Lastly, Terria of Antioch was a renowned physician and herbalist who lived in the 9th century CE. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and her innovative treatments earned her a reputation as a skilled healer, and her works on medical practices were widely studied and referenced for centuries.
While the name Terria may not be as common today as it once was, its rich historical lineage and connection to the earth and natural world serve as a testament to its enduring significance and cultural resonance.
People
Terria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Terria 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
Terria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Terria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 957 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Terria 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 358,155 US residents.
Is Terria a common name?
We classify Terria as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,059 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Terria most popular?
The single biggest year for Terria was 1987, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Terria is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Terria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 872 people with the name Terria, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,735 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Terria in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Terria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Terria appears almost entirely female. Of the 874 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Terria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Terria is Black at 68.2%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Terria most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Terria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (595 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Terria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Terria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Terria 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.
Is Terria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Terria in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Terria can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Terria?
Find out how many people share the name Terria on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.