Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1964

Terence

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,753 Trend ↓ Falling 35%

From Latin Terentius, a Roman family name of obscure origin, borne by a Roman playwright and by early Christian saints.

Rank 2025
#2,753
among boys · ↑196 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
47
named Terence · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 36,342
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1964
1,024 babies
All-time total
34,460
#627 all-time among boys
First recorded
1885
in Social Security records

Terence popularity over time

34,460 babies have been named Terence since 1885, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 23 23 2 – #690
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 14 14 1 – #992
1910s – 169 169 17 +1107% #1,093
1920s – 413 413 41 +144% #842
1930s – 866 866 87 +110% #517
1940s 5 2,806 2,811 281 +225% #329
1950s 11 6,340 6,351 635 +126% #244
1960s 55 7,803 7,858 786 +24% #241
1970s 43 4,762 4,805 481 -39% #324
1980s 56 5,062 5,118 512 +7% #339
1990s – 3,180 3,180 318 -38% #452
2000s – 1,491 1,491 149 -53% #800
2010s – 1,058 1,058 106 -29% #1,239
2020s (to 2025) – 303 303 51 -52% #2,321

Where Terence is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 44 0.03 outside top 500
2027 42 0.02 outside top 500
2028 40 0.02 outside top 500
2029 38 0.02 outside top 500
2030 37 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Terence

Terence is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,753 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1885, 34,460 American babies have been named Terence. Its peak came in 1964, when 1,024 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Terence stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Terence?

The median living Terence is about 53 years old; half are between 37 and 64. An estimated 28 thousand people named Terence are alive in the United States today.

median 53 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Terence year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 47 #2,753
2024 – – 43 #2,949
2023 – – 37 #3,284
2022 – – 61 #2,347
2021 – – 56 #2,434
2020 – – 59 #2,321
2019 – – 77 #1,931
2018 – – 70 #2,061
2017 – – 81 #1,842
2016 – – 97 #1,653
2015 – – 101 #1,598
2014 – – 111 #1,472
2013 – – 116 #1,432
2012 – – 135 #1,294
2011 – – 127 #1,342
2010 – – 143 #1,239
2009 – – 129 #1,346
2008 – – 130 #1,333
2007 – – 145 #1,222
2006 – – 138 #1,223
2005 – – 122 #1,277
2004 – – 136 #1,157
2003 – – 177 #931
2002 – – 148 #1,043
2001 – – 164 #948
2000 – – 202 #800
1995 – – 289 #603
1990 – – 482 #452
1985 12 #6,011 549 #344
1980 – – 395 #411
1975 8 #7,097 480 #352
1970 6 #7,913 595 #324
1965 – – 768 #270
1960 – – 754 #288
1955 5 #6,636 767 #250
1950 – – 447 #322
1945 – – 243 #383
1940 – – 136 #499
1935 – – 97 #588
1930 – – 44 #1,048
1925 – – 28 #1,420
1920 – – 46 #1,033
1915 – – 20 #1,595
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 9 #690
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Terence

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Terence Crawford Terence Crawford American boxer (born 1987) Contemporary
  2. 2 Terence Stamp Terence Stamp English actor (1938–2025) Contemporary
  3. 3 Terence Tao Terence Tao Australian and American mathematician (born 1975) Contemporary
  4. 4 Terence Hill Terence Hill Italian actor, director and producer (born 1939) Contemporary
  5. 5 Terence Trent D'Arby Terence Trent D'Arby American singer (born 1962) Contemporary
  6. 6 Terence McKenna Terence McKenna American ethnobotanist, lecturer, and writer (1946–2000) Contemporary
  7. 7 Terence Winter Terence Winter American screenwriter (born 1960) Contemporary
  8. 8 Terence Young Terence Young British film director and screenwriter (1915–1994) Contemporary
  9. 9 Terence Blanchard Terence Blanchard American trumpeter and composer (born 1962) Contemporary
  10. 10 Terence Rattigan Terence Rattigan British playwright and screenwriter (1911–1977) Contemporary
  11. 11 Terence Terence Roman comic playwright (c. 195/185 BC–c.159 BC -185–-159 · Antiquity
  12. 12 Terence MacSwiney Terence MacSwiney Irish writer and politician (1879–1920) 19th century
  13. 13 Terence Fisher Terence Fisher British film director and film editor (1904–1980) Contemporary
  14. 14 Terence Kongolo Terence Kongolo Dutch footballer (born 1994) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Terence, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Terence?

The median living Terence is about 53 years old. Half of all living Terences are between 37 and 64 years old.

How many people named Terence are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Terence are alive in the United States, based on 34,460 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Terence mean?

From Latin Terentius, a Roman family name of obscure origin, borne by a Roman playwright and by early Christian saints.

How popular is the name Terence in 2025?

Terence ranked #2,753 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Terence?

34,460 babies have been named Terence in the United States since 1885, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Terence most popular?

Terence peaked in 1964, when 1,024 newborns received the name.

Is Terence a boy or girl name?

Terence is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Terence rising or falling?

Terence is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Terence become more popular?

Terence is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 37 boys named Terence in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Terence?

Well-known people named Terence include Terence Crawford (boxer), Terence Stamp (actor), Terence Tao (mathematician).

Names like Terence

Names that sound and feel close to Terence: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Terence with similar names → More names starting with T →