Tess is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Tess means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Tess across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Tess has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Tess is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “harvester, or late summer”. A short form of Theresa.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 14,770 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,478 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 181 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 155 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 585 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Tess per year, United States (1889 to 2025). United States peaked in 1992 (529/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2009 (95/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2021 (39/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2007 (12/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2022 (11/yr).
Tess has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1992, when it ranked #896 nationally (given to 532 babies that year).
Tessa · Tessie · Dessie · Tisa · Desi · Tyus · Tesia
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