Fun Facts About the Name Tessa
- More than 55 thousand babies named Tessa: U.S. records list 55,927 babies given the name Tessa from 1880 through 2025. Even 13 boys received the name Tessa - about 1 boy for every 4,301 girls.
What Does the Name Tessa Mean?
Tessa is mainly an English pet form of Theresa, so its meaning depends on that name's disputed etymology. The usual explanation traces Theresa to the Greek verb therizein, "to reap" or "to harvest," which would give Tessa the sense "harvester" or "reaper." A competing explanation connects the name to Therasia, the small island near Thera in the Aegean, and another links it to Greek thera, "hunt," which would give "hunter." Because no single derivation is agreed on, the meaning inherited from Theresa is not fully settled.
Separately, some Italian and Romance usage treats Tessa as a short form of contessa, "countess," used as a given name in its own right. This gives the name a second, unrelated literal sense. The two origins - the English diminutive of Theresa and the shortening of contessa - are distinct, even though the forms are identical.
Tessa Name History & Origins
Tessa is best understood as an English pet form of Theresa, created by adding the familiar -a ending to the stem "Tess-". Theresa came into English by way of Spanish and Portuguese Teresa, a name long established in Iberia before its deeper roots were forgotten. Devotion to Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515 - 1582), the Spanish Carmelite reformer, and later to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873 - 1897), carried the name across Catholic Europe and produced many regional short forms, of which Tessa is one.
In Italy the same shape is explained instead as a shortening of contessa, "countess." That Italian use stands apart from the English nickname, though the two are indistinguishable in form.
English speakers used Tessa informally for women named Theresa for a long time; during the 20th century it became common as a name in its own right in Britain, the United States, and other English-speaking countries. The clipped form Tess followed a similar path, and Thomas Hardy used that shorter form for the heroine of Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891). Tessa also appears as a character name in fiction, including the central figure of Margaret Kennedy's novel The Constant Nymph (1924).
How Popular is the Name Tessa?
Tessa recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2007. Its best rank was #190 in 2007.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #311 | 978 | 0.0608% |
| 2024 | #303 | 1,034 | 0.0641% |
| 2023 | #323 | 964 | 0.0602% |
| 2022 | #331 | 972 | 0.0593% |
| 2021 | #287 | 1,116 | 0.0681% |
| 2020 | #279 | 1,135 | 0.0703% |
| 2019 | #260 | 1,266 | 0.0755% |
| 2018 | #245 | 1,329 | 0.0782% |
| 2017 | #245 | 1,295 | 0.0750% |
| 2016 | #229 | 1,394 | 0.0787% |
| 2015 | #208 | 1,560 | 0.0874% |
| 2014 | #221 | 1,526 | 0.0854% |
| 2013 | #244 | 1,324 | 0.0755% |
| 2012 | #233 | 1,366 | 0.0776% |
| 2011 | #229 | 1,391 | 0.0791% |
| 2010 | #221 | 1,427 | 0.0803% |
| 2009 | #207 | 1,568 | 0.0854% |
| 2008 | #203 | 1,659 | 0.0877% |
| 2007 | #190 | 1,753 | 0.0912% |
| 2006 | #251 | 1,354 | 0.0712% |
| 2005 | #269 | 1,224 | 0.0662% |
| 2004 | #276 | 1,184 | 0.0645% |
| 2003 | #281 | 1,112 | 0.0609% |
| 2002 | #294 | 1,064 | 0.0592% |
| 2001 | #301 | 1,047 | 0.0581% |
| 2000 | #266 | 1,210 | 0.0666% |
| 1999 | #251 | 1,248 | 0.0704% |
| 1998 | #224 | 1,377 | 0.0779% |
| 1997 | #218 | 1,358 | 0.0780% |
| 1996 | #226 | 1,254 | 0.0715% |
| 1995 | #253 | 1,119 | 0.0636% |
| 1994 | #241 | 1,158 | 0.0648% |
| 1993 | #218 | 1,259 | 0.0696% |
| 1992 | #237 | 1,164 | 0.0631% |
| 1991 | #243 | 1,149 | 0.0613% |
| 1990 | #290 | 955 | 0.0503% |
| 1989 | #370 | 694 | 0.0376% |
| 1988 | #408 | 588 | 0.0330% |
| 1987 | #402 | 566 | 0.0326% |
| 1986 | #376 | 619 | 0.0361% |
| 1985 | #344 | 683 | 0.0397% |
| 1984 | #307 | 777 | 0.0461% |
| 1983 | #289 | 816 | 0.0488% |
| 1982 | #359 | 650 | 0.0384% |
| 1981 | #395 | 571 | 0.0342% |
| 1980 | #526 | 361 | 0.0217% |
| 1979 | #461 | 438 | 0.0273% |
| 1978 | #451 | 441 | 0.0288% |
| 1977 | #637 | 262 | 0.0171% |
| 1976 | #523 | 341 | 0.0233% |
| 1975 | #575 | 289 | 0.0198% |
| 1974 | #565 | 285 | 0.0194% |
| 1973 | #542 | 309 | 0.0212% |
| 1972 | #697 | 209 | 0.0137% |
| 1971 | #710 | 215 | 0.0129% |
| 1970 | #786 | 180 | 0.0103% |
| 1969 | #875 | 144 | 0.0085% |
| 1968 | #971 | 115 | 0.0070% |
| 1967 | #1,066 | 96 | 0.0058% |
| 1966 | #927 | 119 | 0.0070% |
| 1965 | #1,007 | 108 | 0.0061% |
| 1964 | #880 | 140 | 0.0074% |
| 1963 | #1,784 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1962 | #2,157 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1961 | #1,663 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 1960 | #2,507 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1959 | #1,947 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1958 | #3,220 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1957 | #3,473 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #5,272 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #2,547 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1954 | #3,692 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,689 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #2,789 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1951 | #2,798 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1950 | #2,524 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1949 | #2,063 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1948 | #2,122 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1947 | #1,720 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1946 | #1,643 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 1945 | #1,353 | 36 | 0.0028% |
| 1944 | #1,482 | 31 | 0.0023% |
| 1943 | #3,467 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #4,882 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #4,301 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #5,208 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1924 | #5,810 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #4,335 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #3,973 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #4,409 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #5,675 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1918 | #3,006 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #5,080 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1915 | #3,758 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1904 | #2,142 | 5 | 0.0018% |
| 1900 | #2,194 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1895 | #1,789 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1894 | #1,686 | 5 | 0.0022% |
| 1893 | #1,271 | 7 | 0.0033% |
| 1892 | #1,162 | 8 | 0.0038% |
| 1891 | #1,321 | 6 | 0.0032% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #8,837 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #7,226 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Tessa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Tessa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tessa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.