Terril
Masculine · “from the Norman surname Tirel”
Terril is given to both — 513 boys and 83 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Terril sounds just like Terrell, and it spells a French word by pure coincidence: in the old coal country of northern France and Belgium, a terril is the great dark heap of waste rock raised beside a mine.
How old is the name Terril?
Terril first appears in US birth records in 1932 — 93 years ago. The typical Terril alive today was born around 1964, making them about 61 years old. About 400 people named Terril are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Terril most popular?
Terril peaked in 1945, reaching #1697 nationally. See the whole 1945 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Tirel (Norman surname) to Terril
The story of Terril
The Norman surname Tirel came to England after the Conquest and settled into several spellings, and American families later took those spellings up as given names, Terrell the most familiar of them. Terril is among the plainest. It is also, by coincidence, a French word: across the old coalfields of northern France and southern Belgium, a terril is a spoil heap, the hill of waste rock raised beside a pit. Many still stand, some grown over with woods, and those of the Nord-Pas de Calais mining basin are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Meaningscholars disagree
from the Norman surname Tirel
Terril is usually taken as a spelling of Terrell, from the Norman surname Tirel, whose own meaning is argued. It also looks like Terry extended, the road some girls' names in this family took; the record does not say which road each child's name followed.
How the name formed
- TirelNorman surname
- Terrellsurname and given name
- Terril
Pronouncing Terril
TAIR-il
Stress on the first syllable, as in Terrell said quickly.
Nicknames for Terril
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
- 1932
- Most boys named
- 194516 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1697reached in 1945
- Change vs 1998
- −16.7%5 in 2001, from 6
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.
Terrils among us
people named Terril 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
Terril 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
- Sounds like Terrell, a name Americans already know.
- Terry is a ready short form that works for boys and girls alike.
- Carries an unexpected French word, a small story to tell.
- It will be written Terrell or Terrill by others.
- Most children with this spelling are boys; a girl named Terril will find the name mostly on boys, though Terry, its short form, has long been used for both.
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What they receive
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Terril
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Terrils are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Terril are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Terril in 2025?
- Terril is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Terril with classmates?
- Terril 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 Terril? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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