boy's name
Terrance
TEH-rens
- Origin American
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 71,867
Terrance respells Terrence, and the name descends from a Roman playwright born enslaved in North Africa — Terence was freed by his owner and his Latin became a school text for centuries. It holds 70,976 lifetime births in our records.
- Terrance is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1988, when 1,440 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 30,416 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1895.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Terrance over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1910s | 127 |
| 1920s | 289 |
| 1930s | 1,120 |
| 1940s | 5,512 |
| 1950s | 9,982 |
| 1960s | 9,216 |
| 1970s | 12,090 |
| 1980s | 12,713 |
| 1990s | 9,589 |
| 2000s | 5,646 |
| 2010s | 3,607 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,025 |
What Terrance means
Terrance has no securely known meaning. The Roman family name Terentius has no established derivation, and the smooth or tender reading is a proposal rather than a translation.
Where Terrance comes from
Terrance is a respelling of Terrence, from the Roman gens name Terentius, whose derivation is unrecovered. Publius Terentius Afer was brought to Rome enslaved from North Africa, educated and freed by the senator whose name he took, and his six comedies survive complete — unusually, since most Roman drama does not. His Latin was clean enough to become a school text, which is why the plays outlasted the theater that staged them.
Terrance in use
Terrance peaked in the United States in 1988, when 1,440 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1,565th in the United States on 109 births, across 71,867 lifetime births. Terrence, the other spelling, is written up separately and holds slightly more volume across two markets.
How popular is Terrance?
In 2025, Terrance was given to 109 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Terrance is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Terrance
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Terrance also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Terrance over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Terrance
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Terrance in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Terrance
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Terrance — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Terrance
What does the name Terrance mean?
Not known. The Roman Terentius has no established derivation.
Is it Terrance or Terrence?
Both are used; Terrence is closer to the Latin and holds slightly more volume in our data.
Who was Terence?
A playwright brought to Rome enslaved from North Africa, whose six comedies survive complete.
How popular is Terrance?
1565th in the United States, down from a 1988 peak of 1,440 births.
Is Terrance a girl's or a boy's name?
Terrance is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Terrance?
Terrance has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Terrance?
Terrance is usually shortened to Terry.
Is Terrance a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Terrance currently ranks #1,565 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.