Total births
9,981
Girls' name · since 1880
Tessie
Tessie has 9,981 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1917 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8948
- among girls today
- 9,981
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 50%
- more common than other girls
9,981 babies have been named Tessie since 1880, making it today's #8948 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Tessie recorded 9,981 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #8948 nationally today, ahead of 50% of girls, peaking in the 1910s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #8948 among girls today
- 9,981 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 50% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tessie is currently the #8948 girls' name in America, more common than 50% of girls - 9,981 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #8948
- among girls today
- 9,981
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 50%
- more common than other girls
Tessie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8948
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 50% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Tessie was born in this single decade.
1917
Single peak year
393 babies were named Tessie in 1917 - its busiest year on record.
How Tessie compares
9,981 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Tessie's all-time total is 26x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tessie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,981 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 393 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tessie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Tessie splits its recorded history at 1953: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2022 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1917 peak of 393 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Tessie at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1917
Current rank
#8,948
Active since
1880
Tessie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 393
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Tessie popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 1918 (Tessie as boys' name)
Tessie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Tessie's strongest decade.
2,583 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Tessie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 247
1880s
247 births
- 1890s 595
1890s
595 births
- 1900s 877
1900s
877 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,583 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,083 births
- 1930s 667
1930s
667 births
- 1940s 419
1940s
419 births
- 1950s 402
1950s
402 births
- 1960s 604
1960s
604 births
- 1970s 548
1970s
548 births
- 1980s 408
1980s
408 births
- 1990s 232
1990s
232 births
- 2000s 143
2000s
143 births
- 2010s 118
2010s
118 births
- 2020s 55
2020s
55 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,583 births (26% of all-time use).
How Tessie 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 Tessie's total volume
Tessie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Tessie by state
Where Tessie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,516 | 15.2% |
| #2 | New Jersey | | 606 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 478 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Texas | | 306 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 289 | 2.9% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 238 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Alabama | | 195 | 2.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 181 | 1.8% |
New York share of Tessie's total US births 15.2%
Even split
1,516 of 9,981 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Tessie appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tessie? ▼
9,981 babies have been named Tessie since 1880. It currently ranks #8948 among girls. The peak year was 1917 with 393 births.
When was Tessie most popular? ▼
Tessie was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,583 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Tessie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tessie are New York (1,516 births), New Jersey (606 births), Pennsylvania (478 births).
How long has the name Tessie been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Tessie since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Tessie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tessa, Tess, Tesla, Tesha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tessie's data
- Tessie's decade-level peak was the 1910s (2,583 total births); usage has since declined to 55 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Tessies (1,516 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Tessie
Nearby Names Like Tessie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tessie
Tessa Girl
#303 55,926 births
Tess Girl
#1756 14,770 births
Tesla Girl
2,589 births
Tesha Girl
1,804 births
Tesa Girl
#15612 1,382 births
Compare Tessie side by side: Tessie vs Tessa Tessie vs Tess Tessie vs Tesla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tessie
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tessie: #8948 Girls' Name - 9,981 Births, Peak 1917." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tessie. 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 Tessie 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.