Tessie
Pet form of Teresa or Tessa. Teresa is of uncertain origin, possibly connected to Greek theros, meaning summer, or to Therasia, an island in the Aegean.
Tessie in 2025
Tessie was given to 8 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 19,856th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 414,418 babies born.
The history of Tessie
Tessie reached its highest point in 1917, when 393 babies were given the name, ranking 570th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 503rd, in 1904.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 9,991 babies have been named Tessie. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Tessie by decade
| Decade | Babies named Tessie | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 247 | 601 |
| 1890s | 595 | 543 |
| 1900s | 877 | 503 |
| 1910s | 2,588 | 558 |
| 1920s | 2,088 | 705 |
| 1930s | 667 | 1,260 |
| 1940s | 419 | 2,074 |
| 1950s | 402 | 2,507 |
| 1960s | 604 | 2,031 |
| 1970s | 548 | 2,296 |
| 1980s | 408 | 2,881 |
| 1990s | 232 | 5,405 |
| 2000s | 143 | 10,457 |
| 2010s | 118 | 11,240 |
| 2020s | 55 | 15,023 |
Where Tessie is heading
Tessie has fallen 27% over the past decade, from 11 babies in 2015 to 8 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1917 peak — Tessie is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Tessie
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Tessie.