Terence
From the Roman family name Terentius, whose meaning is unknown; it was borne by the playwright Terence and in Ireland stood in for Toirdhealbhach.
Terence in 2025
Terence was given to 47 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,901st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 70,539 babies born.
The history of Terence
Terence reached its highest point in 1964, when 1,024 babies were given the name, ranking 525th that year.
Across the 141 years of records since 1885, 34,460 babies have been named Terence. Half of them were born before 1968, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Terence by decade
| Decade | Babies named Terence | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 23 | 1,424 |
| 1900s | 14 | 2,370 |
| 1910s | 169 | 2,242 |
| 1920s | 413 | 1,694 |
| 1930s | 866 | 1,089 |
| 1940s | 2,811 | 704 |
| 1950s | 6,351 | 541 |
| 1960s | 7,858 | 525 |
| 1970s | 4,805 | 709 |
| 1980s | 5,118 | 731 |
| 1990s | 3,180 | 953 |
| 2000s | 1,491 | 1,820 |
| 2010s | 1,058 | 2,757 |
| 2020s | 303 | 4,982 |
Where Terence is heading
Terence has fallen 53% over the past decade, from 101 babies in 2015 to 47 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1964 peak — Terence is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Terence
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Terence.