Terrelle
Masculine · “from the Norman surname Tirel”
Terrelle is given to both — 575 boys and 34 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Terrelle is the surname Terrell with a French-looking -elle ending, given almost entirely to boys. The surname behind it belongs in American history to Mary Church Terrell, who in her late eighties took the segregated restaurants of Washington to the Supreme Court and won.
How old is the name Terrelle?
Terrelle first appears in US birth records in 1969 — 56 years ago. The typical Terrelle alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 600 people named Terrelle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Terrelle most popular?
Terrelle peaked in 1987, reaching #2468 nationally. See the whole 1987 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Tirel to Terrelle
The story of Terrelle
Tirel came to England with the Normans and became Terrell and Tyrell. In the United States the surname was carried by Mary Church Terrell, a founder of the National Association of Colored Women and a charter member of the NAACP. Near the end of her life she walked into a Washington cafeteria that refused Black customers, sued, and won when the Supreme Court held that the capital's old anti-discrimination laws still stood. As a first name, Terrell and its spellings went mostly to boys, and Terrelle writes it with a French feminine ending that the boys who carry it did not choose.
Meaningscholars disagree
from the Norman surname Tirel
Terrell comes from the Norman surname Tirel, often explained as a nickname from Old French tirer, to pull, for someone stubborn; the reading is traditional rather than certain. The -elle ending is an American addition.
How the name formed
- Tirel
- Terrell
- Terrelle
Related forms: Terrell · Tyrell
Pronouncing Terrelle
tuh-REL
Stress on the second syllable. The final e is silent.
Nicknames for Terrelle
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
- 1969
- Most boys named
- 199027 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2468reached in 1987
- Change vs 2016
- +20.0%6 in 2017, 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.
Terrelle in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Terrell in English — spelling variant
- Tyrell in English — related form
Terrelles among us
people named Terrelle 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
Terrelle 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 sounds exactly like a familiar name with real history behind it.
- Terry and Rell give two ready short forms.
- It is rare as a spelling.
- The -elle ending reads as feminine, so a boy named Terrelle may be taken for a girl on paper before anyone meets him.
- People will write Terrell, and the ending will need spelling out.
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What they receive
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Terrelle
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Terrelles 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 Terrelle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Terrelle in 2025?
- Terrelle is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Terrelle with classmates?
- Terrelle will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Thomas#34 · Timothy#203 · Tyler#219 · Terry#1115 · Theodore#4 · Travis#434 · Todd#1609 · Tony#783
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Terrelle? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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