Girl nameCurrently #303 in the USFalling
Tessa
TESS-uh//ˈtɛsə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20075 lettersStarts with T
Meaning & origin
Harvester (short form of Theresa)
Tessa developed as a short form of Theresa, a name of uncertain but possibly Greek origin sometimes linked to harvesting or to the Greek island of Therasia. Crisp and self-assured, it has been embraced as a stand-alone name since the mid-20th century.
Tessa's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Tessa |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1918 | 11 |
| 1920 | 5 |
| 1921 | 7 |
| 1922 | 8 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1929 | 5 |
| 1938 | 6 |
| 1939 | 5 |
| 1943 | 9 |
| 1944 | 31 |
| 1945 | 36 |
| 1946 | 30 |
| 1947 | 32 |
| 1948 | 22 |
| 1949 | 23 |
| 1950 | 17 |
| 1951 | 15 |
| 1952 | 16 |
| 1953 | 17 |
| 1954 | 11 |
| 1955 | 20 |
| 1956 | 7 |
| 1957 | 13 |
| 1958 | 15 |
| 1959 | 34 |
| 1960 | 24 |
| 1961 | 47 |
| 1962 | 31 |
| 1963 | 43 |
| 1964 | 140 |
| 1965 | 108 |
| 1966 | 119 |
| 1967 | 96 |
| 1968 | 115 |
| 1969 | 144 |
| 1970 | 180 |
| 1971 | 215 |
| 1972 | 209 |
| 1973 | 309 |
| 1974 | 285 |
| 1975 | 289 |
| 1976 | 341 |
| 1977 | 262 |
| 1978 | 441 |
| 1979 | 438 |
| 1980 | 361 |
| 1981 | 571 |
| 1982 | 650 |
| 1983 | 816 |
| 1984 | 782 |
| 1985 | 683 |
| 1986 | 619 |
| 1987 | 566 |
| 1988 | 588 |
| 1989 | 694 |
| 1990 | 955 |
| 1991 | 1,149 |
| 1992 | 1,164 |
| 1993 | 1,259 |
| 1994 | 1,158 |
| 1995 | 1,119 |
| 1996 | 1,254 |
| 1997 | 1,358 |
| 1998 | 1,377 |
| 1999 | 1,248 |
| 2000 | 1,210 |
| 2001 | 1,047 |
| 2002 | 1,064 |
| 2003 | 1,112 |
| 2004 | 1,192 |
| 2005 | 1,224 |
| 2006 | 1,354 |
| 2007 | 1,753 |
| 2008 | 1,659 |
| 2009 | 1,568 |
| 2010 | 1,427 |
| 2011 | 1,391 |
| 2012 | 1,366 |
| 2013 | 1,324 |
| 2014 | 1,526 |
| 2015 | 1,560 |
| 2016 | 1,394 |
| 2017 | 1,295 |
| 2018 | 1,329 |
| 2019 | 1,266 |
| 2020 | 1,135 |
| 2021 | 1,116 |
| 2022 | 972 |
| 2023 | 964 |
| 2024 | 1,034 |
Tessa through the decades
- Tessa peaked in 2007, when 1,753 babies were named Tessa in the US.
- The 2010s were Tessa's strongest decade, averaging 1,388 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Tessa has fallen 17% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Tessa currently ranks #303 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Tess
Variants & spellings
TheresaTessie