Boys' name · peaked in 1970
Terrence name popularity since 1925
72,350 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Terrence (0.7% girls, 99.3% boys). Half of them were born in 1971 or earlier, so the typical Terrence is about 55 years old in 2026. Terrence peaked in 1970 as the #187 name for boys, and it was outside the top 1,000 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 72,350
- Named Terrence, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- Not top 1,000
- #1,600 for boys in 2025
- Girls / boys
- 99.3% boys
- 527 girls · 71,823 boys
- Most popular in
- District of Columbia
- 2.58× its national share
Peak year is the year Terrence made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Terrence births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1955. Measured as a share of all babies, Terrence peaked in 1970.
- Fastest rise: Between 1934 and 1939, Terrence became 2.5× more common.
- Steepest fall: Between 1993 and 1998, its share of baby boys fell by 45%, from 1 in 2,140 to 1 in 3,890.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Terrence's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Terrence.
Decade by decade
Babies named Terrence in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 320 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,773 | #428 |
| 1940s | 45 | 7,656 | #226 |
| 1950s | 84 | 12,833 | #181 |
| 1960s | 110 | 10,818 | #226 |
| 1970s | 147 | 11,905 | #196 |
| 1980s | 118 | 10,665 | #244 |
| 1990s | 23 | 7,724 | #367 |
| 2000s | 0 | 4,297 | #578 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,003 | #814 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 829 | #1,600 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
31.4% of babies named Terrence from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Terrence is most popular
The index compares Terrence's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Terrence.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2.58× | 820 |
| Illinois | 2.12× | 7,115 |
| Louisiana | 1.67× | 2,072 |
| Ohio | 1.54× | 4,889 |
| Michigan | 1.48× | 3,899 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Terrence and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Terrence (this page) | 71,823 | 1970 |
| Terrance | 69,919 | 1979 |
| Terence | 33,853 | 1964 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Terrence's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Terrence.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Terrence (1970).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data