# Terence (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/terence/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɛɹəns/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Terry |
| Variant spellings | Terrance, Terrence, Terance |
| US babies named this | 34,460 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 34,290 / 170 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 856, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Terentius, a Roman family name of obscure origin, borne by a Roman playwright and by early Christian saints. * In Ireland, it has been used to represent Turlough.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 7 | 6,191 |
| 1969 | 5 | 8,572 |
| 1970 | 6 | 7,913 |
| 1971 | 7 | 7,309 |
| 1972 | 8 | 6,505 |
| 1974 | 6 | 8,661 |
| 1975 | 8 | 7,097 |
| 1978 | 8 | 7,594 |
| 1982 | 7 | 9,158 |
| 1984 | 6 | 10,303 |
| 1985 | 12 | 6,011 |
| 1986 | 8 | 8,464 |
| 1987 | 9 | 7,942 |
| 1988 | 7 | 10,303 |
| 1989 | 7 | 10,749 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 127 | 1,342 |
| 2012 | 135 | 1,294 |
| 2013 | 116 | 1,432 |
| 2014 | 111 | 1,472 |
| 2015 | 101 | 1,598 |
| 2016 | 97 | 1,653 |
| 2017 | 81 | 1,842 |
| 2018 | 70 | 2,061 |
| 2019 | 77 | 1,931 |
| 2020 | 59 | 2,321 |
| 2021 | 56 | 2,434 |
| 2022 | 61 | 2,347 |
| 2023 | 37 | 3,284 |
| 2024 | 43 | 2,949 |
| 2025 | 47 | 2,753 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25 | 1,045 |
| 2012 | 29 | 977 |
| 2013 | 33 | 882 |
| 2014 | 20 | 1,281 |
| 2015 | 18 | 1,380 |
| 2016 | 25 | 1,123 |
| 2017 | 27 | 1,068 |
| 2018 | 16 | 1,533 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1,587 |
| 2020 | 15 | 1,548 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1,595 |
| 2022 | 17 | 1,469 |
| 2023 | 16 | 1,533 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1,951 |
| 2025 | 22 | 1,276 |

## In other languages

- Dutch: Terens
- Esperanto: Terencio
- Finnish: Tero
- French: Térence
- German: Terenz
- Irish: Turlough, Toirdhealbhach
- Italian: Terenzio
- Latin: Terentius
- Norwegian: Terens
- Portuguese: Terêncio
- Russian: Тере́нтий
- Scottish Gaelic: Teàrlach
- Spanish: Terencio
- Swedish: Terens
- Welsh: Terens

## People named Terence

- Terence Tao, Australian-American mathematician
- Terence Stamp, British actor (1938–2025)
- Terence McKenna, American ethnobotanist and mystic (1946–2000)
- Terence Young, British film director and screenwriter (1915–1994)
- Terence Kongolo, Dutch-Swiss association football player (born 1994)
- Terence Winter, American television and film writer
- Terence Rattigan, British playwright, screenwriter (1911-1977)
- Terence Crawford, American boxer
- Terence Fisher, British film director (1904–1980)
- Terence Blanchard, American musician and composer
- Terence Davies, British film director and screenwriter (1945–2023)
- Terence T. Henricks, American astronaut

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.