boy's name · in the US
Terry
TER-ee (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Boy (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 528,433
Ireland
#533
2025 births
Terry is a name serving as a short form of Terence and of the Germanic Theodoric, two unrelated names, and it is mixed — about 18 percent of recorded births are female.
- Terry is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1955, when 20,939 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 16,413 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Terry Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 98 |
| 1890s | 125 |
| 1900s | 239 |
| 1910s | 1,039 |
| 1920s | 2,819 |
| 1930s | 12,951 |
| 1940s | 90,663 |
| 1950s | 183,918 |
| 1960s | 129,127 |
| 1970s | 48,204 |
| 1980s | 26,108 |
| 1990s | 13,792 |
| 2000s | 6,918 |
| 2010s | 4,180 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,297 |
What Terry Means
Terry has no single meaning. Through Terence it carries the sense of a Roman family name of unknown origin; through Theodoric it means ruler of the people.
Where Terry Comes From
Terry shortens two names that have nothing to do with each other. Terence is the Roman Terentius, a family name whose meaning is not known, borne by the playwright Terence, a freed North African slave whose comedies were read as models of Latin style for centuries. Theodoric is the Germanic Theudoreiks — theud, people, joined to ric, ruler — which reached England through the Norman Thierry and gave the surname Terry directly. So the name arrives from a Roman gens and a Gothic king, and English speakers cannot tell them apart. It is also an Irish anglicization of Toirdhealbhach in some families.
Terry in Use
Terry peaked in the United States in 1955, when 20,939 babies were registered, and is falling. It now ranks 533rd in Ireland on 6 births, 1,116th in the United States on 202, 1,735th in England and Wales and 5,570th in France, across 528,433 lifetime births. About 18 percent of recorded births are female, which puts it among the more mixed names in this cohort rather than nominally unisex.
How Popular Is Terry?
In 2025, Terry was given to 202 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Terry 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 Terry
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Terry Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Terry over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Terry is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Boys' 3% girls · 2,669 babies
- England & Wales Boys' 0% girls · 201 babies
- Canada Boys' 0% girls · 176 babies
- France Both 13% girls · 155 babies
How to Say Terry
- English TER-ee /ˈtɛɹ.i/
Terry 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 Terry
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Terry — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Terry
What does the name Terry mean?
It depends which name it shortens — Terence, whose meaning is unknown, or Theodoric, ruler of the people.
Is Terry a girls' name?
For about 18 percent of recorded births, yes — it is mixed rather than nominally unisex.
Is Terry short for Terence?
It can be, and equally for Theodoric or the French Thierry. It is also widely used as a full name.
How popular is Terry?
1,116th in the United States, down from a 1955 peak of 20,939 births.
How many syllables are in Terry?
Terry has 2 syllables.
Is Terry a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Terry currently ranks #533 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.