girl's name
Tessa
TESS-uh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 75,232
the United States
#311
2025 births
Tessa is a girl's name that grew out of Theresa and is now used independently. It is one of the few names in the current Irish top 200 to chart in all six of the markets we track, ranking 191st in Ireland and 311th in the United States.
- Tessa is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2007, when 1,753 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,390 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1891.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Tessa 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 | 31 |
| 1900s | 10 |
| 1910s | 23 |
| 1920s | 37 |
| 1930s | 11 |
| 1940s | 183 |
| 1950s | 165 |
| 1960s | 867 |
| 1970s | 2,969 |
| 1980s | 6,330 |
| 1990s | 12,041 |
| 2000s | 13,185 |
| 2010s | 13,883 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,204 |
What Tessa means
Tessa means harvester or reaper if taken through Theresa, though the meaning of that name is itself uncertain. The link to a Greek word for late summer is the most commonly given account.
Where Tessa comes from
Tessa began as a short form of Theresa and has been used as a full name since the nineteenth century. Theresa's own origin is unresolved: the most cited proposal takes it from the Greek theros, summer or harvest, giving the reaper reading, while others link it to the island of Therasia near Santorini or treat it as pre-Greek and unrecoverable. Tessa therefore inherits a meaning that was never firm to begin with. Its independence from Theresa is real rather than notional — the shorter name now charts in markets where the longer one does not, which is the usual sign that a pet form has separated.
Tessa in use
Tessa ranks 191st in Ireland on 23 births, 293rd in France, 311th in the United States on 978, 449th in Northern Ireland, 674th in England and Wales and 696th in Scotland — all seven markets we track, which few names in this band manage. It peaked in the United States in 2007, when 1,753 babies were registered, and is stable in our data across 75,232 lifetime births going back to 1891.
How popular is Tessa?
In 2025, Tessa was given to 978 babies in the United States, ranking #311 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Tessa 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.
How Tessa is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Téssa | Téssa is a rare spelling of Tessa, written with an acute accent and recorded about 125 times, mostly in France. | 125 |
| Tëssa | Tëssa is a rare spelling of Tessa, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Tessa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Tessa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Tessa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Tessa
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.
Tessa 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 Tessa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Tessa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Tessa
What does the name Tessa mean?
Harvester or reaper, taken through Theresa — though Theresa's own meaning is uncertain.
Is Tessa short for Theresa?
It began that way but has been a name in its own right since the nineteenth century, and now charts where Theresa does not.
Is Tessa the same as Tess?
Tess is the shorter form of the same name and is also used independently.
How popular is Tessa?
191st in Ireland and 311th in the United States. It charts in all six markets we track.
Is Tessa a girl's or a boy's name?
Tessa is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Tessa?
Tessa has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Tessa?
Tessa is usually shortened to Tess.
Is Tessa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Tessa currently ranks #172 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.