Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1980

Terra

Meaning goddess of the earth; the land itself Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,434 Trend → Stable

From Latin Terra (“goddess of the earth; the land itself”).

Rank 2025
#2,434
among girls · ↑97 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
74
named Terra · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,720
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1980
604 babies
All-time total
15,434
#1,263 all-time among girls
First recorded
1940
in Social Security records

Terra popularity over time

15,434 babies have been named Terra since 1940, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s 81 – 81 8 – #2,690
1950s 365 – 365 37 +351% #1,454
1960s 613 – 613 61 +68% #1,304
1970s 4,766 – 4,766 477 +677% #386
1980s 4,636 5 4,641 464 -3% #379
1990s 2,437 – 2,437 244 -47% #634
2000s 1,163 – 1,163 116 -52% #1,230
2010s 886 – 886 89 -24% #1,939
2020s (to 2025) 482 – 482 80 -9% #2,141

Where Terra is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 74 0.05 outside top 500
2027 73 0.05 outside top 500
2028 73 0.05 outside top 500
2029 72 0.05 outside top 500
2030 72 0.04 outside top 500

Where Terra is most popular

Girls named Terra per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.049 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Florida, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Terra born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 54 0.064 +30%
Florida 24 0.056 +13%
Ohio 13 0.055 +11%
Texas 35 0.044 -12%
Michigan 5 0.027 -44%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -56%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Terra

Terra is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,434 in 2025 with 74 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1940, 15,434 American babies have been named Terra. Its peak came in 1980, when 604 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Terra stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Terra?

The median living Terra is about 42 years old; half are between 31 and 49. An estimated 15 thousand people named Terra are alive in the United States today.

median 42 020406080100

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

Terra 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 74 #2,434 – –
2024 71 #2,531 – –
2023 90 #2,141 – –
2022 87 #2,191 – –
2021 79 #2,325 – –
2020 81 #2,239 – –
2019 87 #2,153 – –
2018 81 #2,270 – –
2017 88 #2,181 – –
2016 97 #2,051 – –
2015 94 #2,087 – –
2014 85 #2,232 – –
2013 84 #2,234 – –
2012 102 #1,939 – –
2011 88 #2,172 – –
2010 80 #2,384 – –
2009 92 #2,181 – –
2008 99 #2,074 – –
2007 99 #2,067 – –
2006 96 #2,065 – –
2005 128 #1,598 – –
2004 101 #1,881 – –
2003 131 #1,494 – –
2002 137 #1,409 – –
2001 118 #1,583 – –
2000 162 #1,230 – –
1995 233 #840 – –
1990 355 #634 – –
1985 469 #458 – –
1980 604 #379 – –
1975 527 #386 – –
1970 277 #619 – –
1965 59 #1,445 – –
1960 31 #2,090 – –
1955 45 #1,535 – –
1950 14 #2,894 – –
1945 7 #3,990 – –
1940 5 #4,969 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Terra?

The median living Terra is about 42 years old. Half of all living Terras are between 31 and 49 years old.

How many people named Terra are alive today?

An estimated 15 thousand people named Terra are alive in the United States, based on 15,434 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Terra mean?

From Latin Terra (“goddess of the earth; the land itself”).

How popular is the name Terra in 2025?

Terra ranked #2,434 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 74 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Terra?

15,434 babies have been named Terra in the United States since 1940, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Terra most popular?

Terra peaked in 1980, when 604 newborns received the name.

Is Terra a boy or girl name?

Terra is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Terra rising or falling?

Terra has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Terra become more popular?

Terra looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 72 girls named Terra in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Terra

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

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