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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Terrel

Terrel was not among the names given to 5 or more boys in 2025. Its best year was 1989, when it ranked 1091st with 94 babies. More babies were named Terrel in the 1990s than in any other decade.

Meaning (as Terrell) Origin uncertain · Anglo-Norman, English

Rank in 2025
Not rankedboys
Babies in 2025
0boys
Girls and boys
Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
Peak year
198994 babies
Total since 1880
3,042babies recorded

What does the name Terrel mean?

Terrel is a spelling of Terrell, pronounced the same way, so it shares Terrell's meaning and origin.

Terrell is a surname of Norman origin (also Tyrrell, Terrill), used as a first name mainly in the US. Wikipedia traces the family to the Norman Walter Tirel and suggests possible meanings such as "stubborn" or a link with the god Thor, without settling on one; Wiktionary gives no etymology. Terrell was most popular as a first name in the US from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Tirel (Anglo-Norman, “surname of uncertain meaning”)

How sure is this? Uncertain. The meaning of the Norman surname Tirel is uncertain.

Related names: Tyrell, Terrill, Tyrrell, Terry.

See also: French names.

Sources for this meaning

Terrel popularity since 1880

0255075100 1900192019401960198020002020
Boys Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few girls are given the name too: 81 since 1946.

YearRank (boys)Babies (boys)
2025——
2020#6,25514
2010#5,22618
2000#2,12848
1990#1,38166
1980#1,84831
1970#2,28217
1960#1,35535
1950#1,36229
1940#1,36325
1930——
1920#3,4698
1910——
1900——
1890——
1880——

How popular is Terrel, counting every spelling?

Terrel is a spelling of Terrell, a name family that ranked #1,407 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 118 boys in 2025.

SpellingBabies 2025Official rankBabies 2021–2025
Terrell113#1,538680
Terell5#13,68348
Terrill——35

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 old are people named Terrel?

About 2,400 people born in the US named Terrel are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 29 and 51. That makes Terrel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

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.

Terrel by state

How common Terrel was among boys born in each state in 1987–1991, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.9×). In 38 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: fewer than 5 a yearWA–Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: fewer than 5 a yearMN–Illinois: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesIL0.03Michigan: fewer than 5 a yearMI–New York: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesNY0.07Massachusetts: fewer than 5 a yearMA–Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: fewer than 5 a yearIN–Ohio: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesOH0.01Pennsylvania: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesPA0.02New Jersey: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesNJ0.02Connecticut: 0.06 per 1,000 babiesCT0.06Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesCA0.01Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: fewer than 5 a yearCO–Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: fewer than 5 a yearMO–Kentucky: fewer than 5 a yearKY–West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesVA0.02Maryland: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesMD0.03Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: fewer than 5 a yearAZ–New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: fewer than 5 a yearTN–North Carolina: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesNC0.07South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesLA0.07Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: fewer than 5 a yearGA–Hawaii: fewer than 5 a yearHI–Texas: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesTX0.03Florida: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesFL0.05
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Terrel, boys, 1987–1991. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Terrel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Terrel, they share its era and feel.

Questions about the name Terrel

What does Terrel mean?

The origin of Terrell is uncertain: the meaning of the Norman surname Tirel is uncertain.

How popular is the name Terrel?

Terrel was not among the names given to 5 or more boys in 2025. Its best year was 1989, when it ranked 1091st with 94 babies. More babies were named Terrel in the 1990s than in any other decade.

Is Terrel a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Terrel in the US.

Where was Terrel most popular?

In 1987–1991, Terrel was most common in New York (0.07 per 1,000 boys), followed by North Carolina and Louisiana.