Teri
Teri was the 13071st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 171st with 2,329 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,670 places. More babies were named Teri in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Terri) short form of Teresa (variant of Terry) · English, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #13,071 girls
- Babies in 2025
- 7girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19602,329 babies
- Total since 1880
- 44,171babies recorded
What does the name Teri mean?
Teri is a spelling of Terri, pronounced the same way, so it shares Terri's meaning and origin.
Terri is a spelling of Terry used for girls, as a short form of Teresa (Theresa), as Wiktionary notes. Theresa is of uncertain origin; DMNES says it may come from Greek therizein 'to harvest', and it was spread by Saint Teresa of Ávila. Terri was very popular in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.
Theresa (Spanish / Greek, “origin uncertain”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Short form of a name whose origin is uncertain.
Related names: Terry, Teresa, Theresa, Tessa.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Terri', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Theresa', DMNES (Durham University)
Teri popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 214 since 1948.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,071 | 7 |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | #7,485 | 17 |
| 2000 | #2,275 | 69 |
| 1990 | #840 | 235 |
| 1980 | #433 | 500 |
| 1970 | #274 | 1,075 |
| 1960 | #171 | 2,329 |
| 1950 | #417 | 370 |
| 1940 | #1,587 | 25 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #4,347 | 7 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Teri, counting every spelling?
Teri is a spelling of Terri, a name family that had 26 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 26 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terri | 19 | #6,303 | 128 |
| Teri | 7 | #13,071 | 39 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Teri?
7 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Teri (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Teri born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,224 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Teri.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Teri?
About 38,100 people born in the US named Teri are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 53 and 67. That makes Teri a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Teri: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Teri, they share its era and feel.
Teri is also a nickname for Teresa.
Questions about the name Teri
What does Teri mean?
Teri is a spelling of Terri, usually explained as “short form of Teresa (variant of Terry)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Teri?
Teri was the 13071st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 171st with 2,329 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,670 places. More babies were named Teri in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Teri a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Teri in the US.