boys' name ★ peaked 1989

Terrell

Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,538 Trend ↓ Falling 38%
Rank 2025
#1,538
among boys · ↓39 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
113
named Terrell · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 15,116
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1989
1,004 babies
All-time total
38,087
#601 all-time among boys
First recorded
1885
in Social Security records

Terrell popularity over time

38,087 babies have been named Terrell 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 – 5 5 1 – #1,085
1890s – 5 5 1 0% #1,146
1900s – 49 49 5 +880% #904
1910s – 244 244 24 +398% #872
1920s 10 403 413 41 +69% #1,016
1930s 29 572 601 60 +46% #628
1940s 179 1,517 1,696 170 +182% #459
1950s 253 2,044 2,297 230 +35% #470
1960s 302 2,559 2,861 286 +25% #421
1970s 409 4,434 4,843 484 +69% #315
1980s 253 7,916 8,169 817 +69% #255
1990s 122 7,924 8,046 805 -2% #280
2000s 28 5,141 5,169 517 -36% #409
2010s – 2,836 2,836 284 -45% #621
2020s (to 2025) – 853 853 142 -50% #1,132

Where Terrell 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 105 0.06 outside top 500
2027 98 0.06 outside top 500
2028 93 0.05 outside top 500
2029 88 0.05 outside top 500
2030 85 0.05 outside top 500

Where Terrell is most popular

Boys named Terrell per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.079 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Michigan, and Illinois.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Terrell 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 21 0.205 +161%
Michigan 42 0.205 +160%
Illinois 46 0.180 +129%
Georgia 45 0.178 +126%
Ohio 39 0.147 +87%
Maryland 16 0.134 +70%
Florida 63 0.133 +69%
Missouri 15 0.108 +37%
North Carolina 27 0.106 +34%
Alabama 11 0.101 +28%
Virginia 16 0.084 +7%
Tennessee 14 0.078 ≈ national
Indiana 11 0.069 -13%
Pennsylvania 16 0.060 -23%
South Carolina 6 0.058 -26%
New York 22 0.051 -35%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -38%
Texas 43 0.049 -38%
California 43 0.047 -40%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -46%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -68%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Terrell

Terrell is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,538 in 2025 with 113 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1885, 38,087 American babies have been named Terrell. Its peak came in 1989, when 1,004 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 Terrell stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Terrell?

The median living Terrell is about 36 years old; half are between 25 and 48. An estimated 34 thousand people named Terrell are alive in the United States today.

median 36 020406080100

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

Terrell 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 – – 113 #1,538
2024 – – 120 #1,499
2023 – – 109 #1,607
2022 – – 161 #1,225
2021 – – 177 #1,142
2020 – – 173 #1,132
2019 – – 190 #1,073
2018 – – 215 #968
2017 – – 245 #881
2016 – – 229 #929
2015 – – 248 #891
2014 – – 276 #824
2013 – – 322 #728
2012 – – 350 #676
2011 – – 383 #621
2010 – – 378 #640
2009 – – 451 #584
2008 6 #17,319 480 #546
2007 – – 521 #510
2006 5 #19,819 500 #517
2005 5 #18,949 519 #482
2004 – – 512 #485
2003 – – 516 #482
2002 – – 503 #473
2001 6 #15,188 531 #456
2000 6 #14,880 608 #409
1995 22 #4,666 696 #353
1990 20 #4,856 925 #282
1985 23 #3,721 890 #255
1980 27 #3,207 604 #317
1975 44 #2,022 492 #349
1970 63 #1,559 354 #432
1965 19 #2,920 243 #492
1960 30 #2,147 219 #535
1955 27 #2,102 199 #519
1950 23 #2,048 203 #470
1945 17 #2,142 133 #519
1940 8 #3,479 119 #540
1935 – – 64 #776
1930 – – 36 #1,189
1925 – – 36 #1,199
1920 5 #5,674 47 #1,016
1915 – – 30 #1,211
1910 – – 5 #1,816
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 8 #1,043
1895 – – – –
1890 – – 5 #1,146
1885 – – 5 #1,085
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Terrell

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

  1. 1 Terrell Owens Terrell Owens American football player (born 1973) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Terrell?

The median living Terrell is about 36 years old. Half of all living Terrells are between 25 and 48 years old.

How many people named Terrell are alive today?

An estimated 34 thousand people named Terrell are alive in the United States, based on 38,087 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Terrell in 2025?

Terrell ranked #1,538 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 113 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Terrell?

38,087 babies have been named Terrell in the United States since 1885, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Terrell most popular?

Terrell peaked in 1989, when 1,004 newborns received the name.

Is Terrell a boy or girl name?

Terrell is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Terrell rising or falling?

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

Will Terrell become more popular?

Terrell is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 85 boys named Terrell 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 Terrell?

Well-known people named Terrell include Terrell Owens (american football player).

Names like Terrell

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

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