Terry

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Terry is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name76K records spelled Terry8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Canada, United Kingdom

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Beedle, Térry, Térrÿ, Têrry, Tërrÿ

• Greek given name16K records spelled Terry3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Greece, United States, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Τέρρυ, Τερρυ

95 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Terry is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, A type of coarse cotton fabric covered in many small raised loops that is used to make towels, bathrobes and some types of nappy/diaper.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, Manly; strong.

  as a name·Baby names, 25,350 baby names nicknames for your family, friends pets, including the top 100 names, 2,000 most popular…

• In Irish, (French Terri from Old-German Theudoric, people rule). This Anglo-Norman family was closely associated with the city and county of Cork from the thirteenth century. Terry is also used for Mac Toirdealbhaigh —see Turley. Bibl. MIF

  as a name·The Surnames of Ireland

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 145 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Terry Mooreb. 1929USAmerican actress
• Terry Jonesb. 1942GBWelsh actor, comedian, director, historian and writer (1942–2020)
• Terry Venablesb. 1943GBEnglish football player and manager (1943–2023)
• Terry Eagletonb. 1943GBBritish writer, academic and educator
• Teri Garrb. 1944USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress (1944–2024)
• Terry Georgeb. 1952GBIrish screenwriter
• Terry O'Quinnb. 1952USAmerican actor
• Hulk Hoganb. 1953USnot in their usual nameAmerican professional wrestler, actor and television personality (1953–2025)
• Terry McAuliffeb. 1957USAmerican businessman and politician
• Terry Foxb. 1958CACanadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,081 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Terry?

We estimate roughly 305 thousand people bear Terry (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Terry have the most bearers?

We estimate about 300 thousand people bear Terry in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled terry.

How common is Terry compared with other names?

In the United States, Terry is the 102nd most common given name of 3,122,706 given names recorded there.

Is Terry a male or female name?

Terry is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Terry mean?

Recorded meaning: (i) from the medieval personal name Therry/Terry, ultimately from Germanic Theodoric; (ii) potter; (iii) from Irish Gaelic Mac Toirdhealbhaigh.