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.
- #546 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #311 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 55,926
- born since 1891
- 2010s
- peak decade
Tessa currently ranks #311 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 #311 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.
- #546 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #311 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 55,926 born since 1891
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tessa ranks #546 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #311 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 55,926 born since 1891, peaking in the 2010s.
- #546 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #311 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 55,926
- born since 1891
- 2010s
- peak decade
Tessa's 55,926 recorded births place it above 99.24% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Tessa compares
55,926 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 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 149x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tessa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55,926 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,753 | 21 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (13,883 births, 25% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
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When was Tessa most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Tessa side by side: Tessa vs Tess Tessa vs Tessie Tessa vs Tesla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tessa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tessa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2007)
Similar record span (~134 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, 1891–2025 (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 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 August 2026.