Terran
Feminine
Terran is given to both — 566 girls and 1,536 boys since 1880. See Terran as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Terran is a name and, in science fiction, a word: the name its writers gave to people from Earth. It is two syllables with the stress on the first, given mostly to boys and to a real minority of girls.
How old is the name Terran?
Terran first appears in US birth records in 1961 — 64 years ago. The typical Terran alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 600 people named Terran are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Terran most popular?
Terran peaked in 1985, reaching #2440 nationally. See the whole 1985 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Terran
When science fiction writers needed a word for humans among the stars, they reached for Latin terra, earth, and made Terran, and the word spread through magazines, novels, television and games until a Terran was simply a person from home. As a given name it arrived from the sound as much as the stories: for boys it sits beside Terrance, for girls beside Terra and Tara. It is a name that places a child on this planet, which is where every child begins.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source records the origin of Terran as a first name. It matches the science-fiction word for an Earth-dweller, from Latin terra, and it sits near Terrance for boys and Terra for girls; the record does not say which a family meant.
Pronouncing Terran
TAIR-un
Stress on the first syllable; it rhymes with Karen in most American speech.
Nicknames for Terran
Limited
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
- 1961
- Most girls named
- 198540 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2440reached in 1985
- Change vs 2017
- +40.0%7 in 2018, 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.
Terrans among us
people named Terran 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
Terran 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
- It is short and easy to say.
- Terry is a ready short form.
- It works for a boy or a girl.
- Science fiction fans will hear the genre word.
- Most children given it are boys; a girl named Terran may be taken for a boy on paper.
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Terran
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Terrans 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 Terran are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Terran in 2025?
- Terran is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Terran with classmates?
- Terran 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 Terran? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Terran and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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