Terilyn
Feminine
Terilyn is a mid-century American name that joins Teri to the -lyn ending of Marilyn and Carolyn. It sounds almost exactly like Terylene, the British trade name for the first polyester fiber.
How old is the name Terilyn?
Terilyn first appears in US birth records in 1946 — 79 years ago. The typical Terilyn alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 600 people named Terilyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Terilyn most popular?
Terilyn peaked in 1963, reaching #2306 nationally. See the whole 1963 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Terilyn
In 1941 two chemists at the Calico Printers' Association in Manchester, John Whinfield and James Dickson, made the first polyester fiber, and in Britain it was sold as Terylene; in America it became Dacron. Terilyn was not named for the fabric; it came from Teri and the soft -lyn of its day. But the two share a sound — and the fabric that does not crease is not a bad namesake.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Terilyn may join Teri to -lyn, or bend Marilyn with a T, and nothing records which.
Pronouncing Terilyn
TAIR-ih-lin
Three syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Terilyn
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1946
- Most girls named
- 196327 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2306reached in 1963
- Change vs 2006
- +40.0%7 in 2010, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Terilyns among us
people named Terilyn are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Terilyn sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Built from familiar pieces.
- Comes with Teri and Lyn as ready short forms.
- Rare, so a Terilyn is unlikely to share her name.
- People will write Terrilyn or Terilynn.
- British listeners may hear the fabric.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Terilyn
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Terilyns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Terilyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Terilyn in 2025?
- Terilyn is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Terilyn with classmates?
- Terilyn will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Terilyn? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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