Total births
55,926
Girls' name · since 1891
Tessa
Tessa has 55,926 recorded births since 1891 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2007 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #303
- among girls today
- 55,926
- born since 1891
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Tessa currently ranks #303 among girls' names in America, with 55,926 babies recorded since 1891.
Social Security Administration records show Tessa recorded 55,926 times among girls since 1891, holding rank #303 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1891 to 2025.
- #303 among girls today
- 55,926 born since 1891
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tessa is currently the #303 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 55,926 born since 1891, peaking in the 2010s.
- #303
- among girls today
- 55,926
- born since 1891
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Tessa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#303
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Tessa was born in this single decade.
2007
Single peak year
1,753 babies were named Tessa in 2007 - its busiest year on record.
How Tessa compares
55,926 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Tessa's all-time total is 146x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tessa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55,926 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,753 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tessa's full recorded timeline at 1975, 95% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 5% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1894, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 1,753 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tessa at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2007
Current rank
#303
Active since
1891
Tessa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1891–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 1,753
- Annual births at peak, across 135 years of records
Tessa popularity over time - boys
13 total births recorded since 1984 (Tessa as boys' name)
Tessa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Tessa's strongest decade.
13,883 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Tessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 31
1890s
31 births
- 1900s 10
1900s
10 births
- 1910s 23
1910s
23 births
- 1920s 37
1920s
37 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 183
1940s
183 births
- 1950s 165
1950s
165 births
- 1960s 867
1960s
867 births
- 1970s 2,969
1970s
2,969 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,325 births
- 1990s
1990s
12,041 births
- 2000s
2000s
13,177 births
- 2010s
2010s
13,883 births
- 2020s
2020s
6,204 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 13,883 births (25% of all-time use).
How Tessa 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 Tessa's total volume
Tessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Tessa by state
Where Tessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1891
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,225 | 9.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 3,443 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 2,725 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 2,716 | 4.9% |
| #5 | New York | | 2,588 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 2,570 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,138 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Florida | | 1,890 | 3.4% |
California share of Tessa's total US births 9.3%
Even split
5,225 of 55,926 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Tessa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tessa? ▼
Tessa has been given to 55,926 babies in the U.S. since 1891, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #303 as of the latest data. 1,753 babies were born in 2007, its single highest year.
When was Tessa most popular? ▼
Tessa was most popular in the 2010s decade with 13,883 total births. The single peak year was 2007.
Where is Tessa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tessa are California (5,225 births), Texas (3,443 births), Ohio (2,725 births).
How long has the name Tessa been used? ▼
Records for Tessa go back to 1891, giving 135 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Tessa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tess, Tessie, Tesla, Tesha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tessa's data
- Tessa's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (13,883 total births) through the 2020s (6,204) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Tessas (5,225 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Tessa
Nearby Names Like Tessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tessa
Tess Girl
#1756 14,770 births
Tessie Girl
#8948 9,981 births
Tesla Girl
2,589 births
Tesha Girl
1,804 births
Tesa Girl
#15612 1,382 births
Compare Tessa side by side: Tessa vs Tess Tessa vs Tessie Tessa vs Tesla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tessa
Ryleigh #302
35,139 births · Peak 2019
Evelynn #304
16,064 births · Peak 2019
Rosemary #301
163,165 births · Peak 1947
Londyn #305
27,245 births · Peak 2014
Ariel #300
78,697 births · Peak 1991
Danna #306
25,106 births · Peak 2010
Maggie #299
123,078 births · Peak 2007
Amina #307
19,270 births · Peak 2017
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1891–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tessa: #303 Girls' Name - 55,926 Births, Peak 2007." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tessa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Tessa 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 June 2026.