Terrence as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Terrence

What is the meaning of the name Terrence ?

The baby name Terrence is a boy name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced TEHR-əns.

Terrence is English, Latin in Origin.

Terrence is an English spelling of Terence, whose source is the Roman family name Terentius. That Latin nomen is the earliest securely attested form, known from republican Rome. Its root is not certain, but it is often connected with Latin terens, the present participle of terere, to rub, wear down, or thresh grain, giving the literal gloss rubbing or threshing.

The name’s classical association is Publius Terentius Afer, the second-century BCE comic playwright known in English as Terence. Terence was the older standard English form; Terrence became especially visible in the United States in the twentieth century, alongside the spelling Terrance and the nickname Terry. Cognate forms include Spanish Terencio, Italian Terenzio, and French Térence. Modern bearers include filmmaker Terrence Malick, playwright Terrence McNally, and actor Terrence Howard.