Tennyson
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TEN-i-sun
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #4,395 for boys
Tennyson is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “son of Dennis”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies) and 4,395th for boys in the US (23 babies).
What does Tennyson mean?
English: English surname, from Tenny, a medieval pet form of Dennis
“son of Dennis”
Famous through Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Victorian Poet Laureate and author of The Charge of the Light Brigade.
Is Tennyson a girl's or a boy's name?
Tennyson is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK and 8 girls and 23 boys in the US.
How popular is Tennyson in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,065among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Tennyson, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 2013, with 7 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tennyson in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Tennyson in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,241 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 5 | #3,529 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
How popular is Tennyson in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,395among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 23about 1 in 74,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 40% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 23 boys in the US were named Tennyson, making it the 4,395th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,200th. Its busiest year was 2014, with 48 boys. It first appears in the records in 1913. 8 girls were also named Tennyson in 2025 (10,913th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Tennyson in the US since 1880 were born between 1978 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 26% of the babies named Tennyson in the US were girls.
Tennyson in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | #4,395 |
| 2024 | 29 | #3,791 |
| 2023 | 21 | #4,738 |
| 2022 | 31 | #3,615 |
| 2021 | 24 | #4,243 |
| 2020 | 35 | #3,200 |
| 2019 | 43 | #2,850 |
| 2018 | 44 | #2,747 |
| 2017 | 37 | #3,122 |
| 2016 | 34 | #3,292 |
| 2015 | 46 | #2,640 |
| 2014 | 48 | #2,540 |
| 2013 | 44 | #2,666 |
| 2012 | 32 | #3,368 |
| 2011 | 34 | #3,234 |
| 2010 | 39 | #2,957 |
| 2009 | 29 | #3,637 |
| 2008 | 34 | #3,284 |
| 2007 | 29 | #3,589 |
| 2006 | 26 | #3,780 |
| 2005 | 18 | #4,626 |
| 2004 | 19 | #4,416 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 9 | #6,928 |
| 2000 | 18 | #4,198 |
| 1999 | 14 | #4,756 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 17 | #3,872 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 8 | #6,366 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
| 1992 | 11 | #4,864 |
| 1991 | 8 | #5,934 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 7 | #5,745 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 5 | #6,054 |
| 1978 | 12 | #3,214 |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 7 | #4,416 |
| 1975 | 8 | #3,939 |
| 1974 | 6 | #4,632 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 5 | #4,905 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 5 | #4,038 |
| 1963 | 7 | #3,317 |
| 1962 | 7 | #3,303 |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 11 | #2,529 |
| 1958 | 5 | #3,942 |
| 1957 | 5 | #3,991 |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 6 | #3,503 |
| 1954 | 9 | #2,742 |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 9 | #2,605 |
| 1948 | 5 | #3,665 |
| 1947 | 5 | #3,731 |
| 1946 | 7 | #2,918 |
| 1945 | 6 | #2,995 |
| 1944 | 8 | #2,632 |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 5 | #3,533 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 5 | #3,644 |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 5 | #3,774 |
| 1931 | 10 | #2,470 |
| 1930 | 10 | #2,607 |
| 1929 | 5 | #3,957 |
| 1928 | 5 | #4,149 |
| 1927 | 9 | #2,911 |
| 1926 | 7 | #3,383 |
| 1925 | 6 | #3,739 |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 6 | #3,819 |
| 1922 | 12 | #2,485 |
| 1921 | 6 | #3,867 |
| 1920 | 8 | #3,207 |
| 1919 | 11 | #2,510 |
| 1918 | 11 | #2,542 |
| 1917 | 8 | #2,955 |
| 1916 | 7 | #3,176 |
| 1915 | 12 | #2,183 |
| 1914 | 6 | #2,914 |
| 1913 | 5 | #2,820 |
Nicknames for Tennyson
- Tenny
Names like Tennyson
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Harrison Hudson Mason Grayson Jaxon Theo Jenson Oakley Marley Oliver Emerson Elijah
More English names
Lily Evelyn Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel Carter River
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tennyson: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tennyson, updated 20 October 2026.