Terre
Feminine · “The earth”
Terre is given to both — 838 girls and 99 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Terre is the French word for earth, and it is also a short form of an English name — two entirely separate things that arrive at the same four letters.
How old is the name Terre?
Terre first appears in US birth records in 1942 — 83 years ago. The typical Terre alive today was born around 1959, making them about 66 years old. About 700 people named Terre are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Terre most popular?
Terre peaked in 1956, reaching #1413 nationally. See the whole 1956 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Terre
The Latin word for earth is unusually productive in English. A terrace is a raised earthwork; a terrier is a dog that goes into the ground after its quarry; terrain is the lie of the land; to inter is to put into the earth, and to disinter is to take out again. Subterranean, terrestrial, Mediterranean — the middle of the earth — and territory all carry it. Very few Latin nouns have left so many English words with their sense intact, and a name that is simply the noun is sitting at the head of a large and entirely legible family.
Meaningscholars disagree
The earth, or a short form of Terence or Teresa
As a French noun it means the earth or the ground, and the same Latin root gives terrace, terrain, terrier and terrestrial. As a short form it comes from Terence or Teresa, neither of which has a settled meaning of its own. The record does not say which a given family meant.
Pronouncing Terre
TAIR
One syllable in the French reading. Some families say TER-ee, with two, treating it as a short form.
Nicknames for Terre
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
- 1942
- Most girls named
- 195655 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1413reached in 1956
- Change vs 1986
- 0.0%5 in 1992, 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.
Terre in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Terre in French — same name
Terres among us
people named Terre 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
Terre 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, elegant and easy for an English speaker.
- The French word behind it is concrete and pleasant.
- It works for either child.
- Two pronunciations are in use and she will be asked which.
- Most children with this spelling are girls, but a real minority are boys; either may be taken for the other.
- It is a common noun in French, which French speakers will hear.
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What they receive
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Terre
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Terres are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Terre are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Terre in 2025?
- Terre is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Terre with classmates?
- Terre 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 Terre? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Terre and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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