Girls' name · since 1885
Tera
9,918 babies named Tera in U.S. Social Security records since 1885, with the highest year being 1984. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,680 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 9,918
- born since 1885
- 1970s
- peak decade
Tera sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 9,918 recorded since 1885.
Tera has 9,918 recorded births among girls since 1885, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1885 to 2024.
- #1,680 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 9,918 born since 1885
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tera ranks #1,680 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 9,918 born since 1885, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,680 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 9,918
- born since 1885
- 1970s
- peak decade
Tera's 9,918 recorded births place it above 97.67% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Tera's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tera's full recorded timeline at 1963, 93% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 7% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1885, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1984 peak of 416 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tera popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2024
- Peak year (1984)
- 416
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Tera by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (3,574 births, 36% of the file).
1970s was Tera's strongest decade.
3,574 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Tera births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 34
1890s
34 births
- 1900s 54
1900s
54 births
- 1910s 74
1910s
74 births
- 1920s 97
1920s
97 births
- 1930s 41
1930s
41 births
- 1940s 91
1940s
91 births
- 1950s 130
1950s
130 births
- 1960s 505
1960s
505 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,574 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,279 births
- 1990s 1,246
1990s
1,246 births
- 2000s 550
2000s
550 births
- 2010s 180
2010s
180 births
- 2020s 58
2020s
58 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 3,574 births (36% of all-time use).
How Tera compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Tera's total volume
Tera by state
Where Tera concentrates geographically, total births since 1885
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 867 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 601 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 520 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 384 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 373 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Florida | | 267 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Washington | | 263 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 223 | 2.2% |
867 of 9,918 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Tera appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tera? ▼
Where does Tera sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Tera most popular? ▼
Where is Tera most popular? ▼
How long has the name Tera been used? ▼
What names are similar to Tera? ▼
What to do with Tera's data
- Tera's decade-level peak was the 1970s (3,574 total births); usage has since declined to 58 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Teras (867 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Tera
Nearby Names Like Tera
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tera
Compare Tera side by side: Tera vs Teresa Tera vs Terri Tera vs Terry
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tera: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1984)
Similar record span (~139 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1885–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Tera draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.