Tessa
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- TESS-a
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #622 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #311 for girls
Tessa is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 622nd for girls in the UK (68 babies) and 311th for girls in the US (978 babies).
What does Tessa mean?
Greek: pet form of Teresa
A pet form of Teresa that is often given as a full name in its own right.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Tessa a girl's or a boy's name?
Tessa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 68 girls in the UK and 978 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Tessa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 622nd among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 68 about 1 in 4,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 68 girls in the UK were named Tessa, making it the 622nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 539th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 85 girls.
Half of all the girls named Tessa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 667th in England and Wales, 539th in Scotland and 231st in Northern Ireland.
Tessa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 68 | #622 |
| 2024 | 60 | #687 |
| 2023 | 60 | #661 |
| 2022 | 70 | #603 |
| 2021 | 65 | #644 |
| 2020 | 82 | #539 |
| 2019 | 67 | #638 |
| 2018 | 66 | #669 |
| 2017 | 53 | #805 |
| 2016 | 81 | #569 |
| 2015 | 76 | #613 |
| 2014 | 73 | #618 |
| 2013 | 73 | #613 |
| 2012 | 85 | #552 |
| 2011 | 65 | #671 |
| 2010 | 74 | #592 |
| 2009 | 61 | #663 |
| 2008 | 73 | #572 |
| 2007 | 73 | #558 |
| 2006 | 71 | #556 |
| 2005 | 54 | #644 |
| 2004 | 41 | #744 |
| 2003 | 63 | #548 |
| 2002 | 55 | #588 |
| 2001 | 57 | #558 |
| 2000 | 61 | #523 |
| 1999 | 58 | #550 |
| 1998 | 78 | #440 |
| 1997 | 79 | #450 |
| 1996 | 84 | #417 |
How popular is Tessa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 311th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 978 about 1 in 1,600 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 978 girls in the US were named Tessa, making it the 311th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 280th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 1,753 girls. It first appears in the records in 1891.
Half of all the girls named Tessa in the US since 1880 were born between 1993 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
Tessa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 978 | #311 |
| 2024 | 1,036 | #303 |
| 2023 | 964 | #323 |
| 2022 | 973 | #331 |
| 2021 | 1,118 | #287 |
| 2020 | 1,135 | #280 |
| 2019 | 1,268 | #260 |
| 2018 | 1,329 | #245 |
| 2017 | 1,296 | #245 |
| 2016 | 1,395 | #229 |
| 2015 | 1,560 | #208 |
| 2014 | 1,527 | #221 |
| 2013 | 1,324 | #244 |
| 2012 | 1,366 | #233 |
| 2011 | 1,391 | #229 |
| 2010 | 1,427 | #221 |
| 2009 | 1,569 | #207 |
| 2008 | 1,660 | #203 |
| 2007 | 1,753 | #190 |
| 2006 | 1,354 | #251 |
| 2005 | 1,224 | #269 |
| 2004 | 1,184 | #275 |
| 2003 | 1,112 | #281 |
| 2002 | 1,064 | #294 |
| 2001 | 1,047 | #300 |
| 2000 | 1,210 | #266 |
| 1999 | 1,248 | #251 |
| 1998 | 1,377 | #224 |
| 1997 | 1,358 | #218 |
| 1996 | 1,254 | #226 |
| 1995 | 1,119 | #253 |
| 1994 | 1,158 | #241 |
| 1993 | 1,259 | #218 |
| 1992 | 1,164 | #236 |
| 1991 | 1,149 | #242 |
| 1990 | 955 | #290 |
| 1989 | 694 | #370 |
| 1988 | 588 | #406 |
| 1987 | 566 | #402 |
| 1986 | 619 | #375 |
| 1985 | 683 | #343 |
| 1984 | 777 | #307 |
| 1983 | 816 | #289 |
| 1982 | 650 | #359 |
| 1981 | 571 | #395 |
| 1980 | 361 | #526 |
| 1979 | 438 | #460 |
| 1978 | 441 | #451 |
| 1977 | 262 | #636 |
| 1976 | 341 | #522 |
| 1975 | 289 | #572 |
| 1974 | 285 | #565 |
| 1973 | 309 | #542 |
| 1972 | 209 | #695 |
| 1971 | 215 | #709 |
| 1970 | 180 | #784 |
| 1969 | 144 | #872 |
| 1968 | 115 | #966 |
| 1967 | 96 | #1,060 |
| 1966 | 119 | #927 |
| 1965 | 108 | #1,004 |
| 1964 | 140 | #876 |
| 1963 | 43 | #1,753 |
| 1962 | 31 | #2,112 |
| 1961 | 47 | #1,639 |
| 1960 | 24 | #2,431 |
| 1959 | 34 | #1,917 |
| 1958 | 15 | #3,084 |
| 1957 | 13 | #3,308 |
| 1956 | 7 | #4,836 |
| 1955 | 20 | #2,471 |
| 1954 | 11 | #3,489 |
| 1953 | 17 | #2,594 |
| 1952 | 16 | #2,670 |
| 1951 | 15 | #2,693 |
| 1950 | 17 | #2,435 |
| 1949 | 23 | #2,012 |
| 1948 | 22 | #2,069 |
| 1947 | 32 | #1,696 |
| 1946 | 30 | #1,616 |
| 1945 | 36 | #1,331 |
| 1944 | 31 | #1,454 |
| 1943 | 9 | #3,248 |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 5 | #4,248 |
| 1938 | 6 | #3,845 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 5 | #4,568 |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 5 | #5,059 |
| 1923 | 7 | #3,970 |
| 1922 | 8 | #3,653 |
| 1921 | 7 | #4,021 |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,973 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 11 | #2,821 |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 5 | #4,415 |
| 1915 | 7 | #3,433 |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 5 | #1,876 |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 5 | #1,931 |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,592 |
| 1894 | 5 | #1,484 |
| 1893 | 7 | #1,175 |
| 1892 | 8 | #1,085 |
| 1891 | 6 | #1,213 |
Nicknames for Tessa
- Tess 22 girls in the UK in 2025
Names like Tessa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Athena, Thea, Lara, Lyra, Fatima, Elena, Myla, Selena, Zara, Ava, Francesca, Mila
Names related to Tessa
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe
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, “Tessa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tessa, updated 20 October 2026.