Tessa
Tessa was the 311th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 978 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 190th with 1,753 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 103 places. More babies were named Tessa in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Teresa · English, Spanish
Say it TES-uh /ˈtɛsə/
- Rank in 2025
- #311 girls, down 30 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 978girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20071,753 babies
- Total since 1880
- 55,939babies recorded
What does the name Tessa mean?
Tessa is a short form of Teresa (Theresa). DMNES calls Theresa of uncertain origin, possibly from Greek therízō, "to harvest", and notes it stayed in Spain and Portugal until the fame of Saint Teresa of Ávila in the 16th century. Tessa itself has been used as an independent English name since the 19th century.
Teresa (Spanish, “Theresa (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Well established. Tessa as a short form of Teresa is clear; Teresa's own meaning is uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Teresa means 'harvester'.
Related names: Teresa, Theresa, Tess.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tessa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Theresa', DMNES, Durham University
Nicknames for Tessa
The usual nicknames for Tessa are Tess. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Tessa in the last five years, 12 were named Tess, against 39 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tess · also for Teresa, Therese | Traditional | #1,794 | 594 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Tessas go by each one.
Tessa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 13 since 1984.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #311 | 978 |
| 2020 | #281 | 1,135 |
| 2010 | #221 | 1,427 |
| 2000 | #266 | 1,210 |
| 1990 | #290 | 955 |
| 1980 | #526 | 361 |
| 1970 | #786 | 180 |
| 1960 | #2,507 | 24 |
| 1950 | #2,524 | 17 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #5,675 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | #2,194 | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tessa, counting every spelling?
Tessa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #337 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #311 for Tessa on its own. Together these spellings went to 978 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tessa | 978 | #311 | 5,069 |
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 Tessa?
978 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tessa (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tessa 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 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tessa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tessa?
About 54,700 people born in the US named Tessa are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 12 and 33. That makes Tessa mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Tessa by state
How common Tessa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (3.0×), Massachusetts (2.5×), Utah (2.4×), South Dakota (2.2×), Illinois (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tessa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tessa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tessa · Sibling names for Tessa
Tessa is also a nickname for Teresa.
Questions about the name Tessa
What does Tessa mean?
Tessa means “short form of Teresa” (English, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tessa?
Tessa was the 311th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 978 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 190th with 1,753 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 103 places. More babies were named Tessa in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Tessa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tessa in the US.
Where is Tessa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tessa was most common in Connecticut (1.91 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and Utah.