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Tessa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Tessa

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The baby name Tessa is a Girl name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced TESS-ə.

Tessa is English, Greek in Origin.

Gender: Girl
Syllables: 2
Origin: English, Greek
Pronunciation: TESS-ə

What is the meaning of the name Tessa ?

The baby name Tessa is a girl name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced TESS-ə.

Tessa is English, Greek in Origin.

Tessa is a shortened form of Teresa or Theresa, shaped in English from Tess with the feminine -a ending. The older name is first securely seen in Late Antiquity as Therasia, borne by the Spanish wife of Paulinus of Nola. Its root is normally treated as Greek, perhaps linked with the Aegean island Therasia; an alternative connection with Greek therizein, to reap, underlies the traditional gloss harvester, though the island-name explanation is often preferred.

As an independent given name, Tessa developed mainly in English and Dutch usage, alongside Tess and Tessie. Teresa spread through Catholic Europe after Saint Teresa of Ávila and later appears in forms such as French Thérèse, German Theresia, Hungarian Teréz, and Portuguese Terezinha. In the United States, Tessa entered the Top 1000 in the 1960s, rose steadily in the 1980s and 1990s, and has ranked above Theresa in recent decades.

Tessa has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Tessa

Tessa Thompson Actor · Born 1983 · United States Tessa Thompson is an American actress best known for roles in films like Creed, Thor: Ragnarok, and Westworld. She’s known for balancing big blockbuster projects with acclaimed indie dramas, and has earned nominations for BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy awards. Tessa Violet Actor · Born 1990 · United States Tessa Violet is an American singer-songwriter best known for her music career and earlier popularity as the YouTube creator Meekakitty. She’s known for songs like “Crush” and “Bad Ideas,” and has also worked as an actress, music video director, and former child model. Tessa Blanchard Actor · Born 1995 · United States Tessa Blanchard is an American professional wrestler best known for her work in TNA. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and has held both the TNA World Championship and the TNA Knockouts Championship.
Tessa Ferrer Actor · Born 1986 · United States Tessa Ferrer is an American actor best known for her role as Dr. Leah Murphy on the television series Grey's Anatomy. She has also appeared in shows like Extant and Catch-22.

Tessa – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
NA 0 #29 5 2,537
EE 0 #37 1 1,051
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
New Zealand Girls 2010 #68 44 98
NL Girls 0 #74 4,590 5,933
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
QA 0 #99 8 7,011
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
France Girls 2021 #105 514 3,185
PH 0 #107 4 5,607
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
Switzerland Girls 2024 #119 17 1,786
NL 0 #124 344 2,481
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
Canada Girls 2024 #141 157 2,795
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
MT Girls 0 #147 7 3,773
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
Belgium Girls 2024 #153 33 424
CR 0 #162 4 5,526
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
NA Girls 0 #170 55 7,146
SI Girls 0 #173 5 2,769
Sweden Girls 2022 #178 2 1,568
HR 0 #180 2 2,081
AE 0 #181 7 10,220
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
LU Girls 0 #187 4 4,850
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
DK 0 #202 5 5,198
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
Finland Girls 0 #232 202 1,368
MO Girls 0 #236 16 7,056
JM Girls 0 #240 20 7,507
GR Girls 0 #245 5 6,293
GH 0 #246 3 5,396
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
SG 0 #251 19 11,010
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
Finland 0 #266 42 830
HR Girls 0 #269 21 3,687
United States Girls 2024 #270 1,034 8,487
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
TW Girls 0 #281 9 8,139
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
DK Girls 0 #294 23 7,429
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
MU Girls 0 #296 56 8,539
QA Girls 0 #303 14 15,378
Finland Girls 2026 #307 983 3,895
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
KZ Girls 0 #329 4 5,862
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
PH Girls 0 #329 62 13,098
HK 0 #336 13 8,483
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
ZA 0 #336 112 14,421
GH Girls 0 #337 1 6,973
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
CN Girls 0 #340 10 8,829
CZ Girls 0 #343 9 5,378
PL Girls 0 #343 12 5,096
MY 0 #348 7 12,352
Austria Girls 0 #392 29 1,885
Germany 0 #401 37 2,542
MX 0 #402 12 8,339
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
EG 0 #410 3 6,387
OM Girls 0 #417 8 15,987
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
ZA Girls 0 #434 1,242 25,928
Spain 0 #438 15 2,326
PT Girls 0 #467 5 7,952
SG Girls 0 #467 120 18,916
RU Girls 0 #483 16 11,913
CR Girls 0 #494 39 11,342
KW Girls 0 #495 21 19,177
PS Girls 0 #507 17 10,981
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
AE Girls 0 #512 42 20,968
PA Girls 0 #518 1 9,861
IR Girls 0 #519 12 8,334
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
UY Girls 0 #530 7 6,731
GT Girls 0 #537 5 7,500
CM Boys 0 #540 11 12,054
BH 0 #544 10 17,937
CM Girls 0 #554 7 11,671
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
Germany Girls 0 #560 307 4,949
HK Girls 0 #563 53 16,104
IL Girls 0 #597 21 11,648
AR Girls 0 #626 5 8,289
BO Girls 0 #643 9 9,488
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
IT 0 #676 39 4,183
LB 0 #685 6 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
NG Girls 0 #744 43 15,093
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
TN 0 #807 23 13,765
United States Boys 2004 #825 8 7,246
CL Girls 0 #834 18 14,098
Spain Girls 0 #849 135 5,561
SA Girls 0 #897 39 25,931
PE Girls 0 #915 29 14,861
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
MY Girls 0 #940 55 24,821
NL Boys 0 #942 10 5,873
BR Girls 0 #988 5 12,708
NG Boys 0 #1,001 1 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
MX Girls 0 #1,031 153 17,781
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
IT Girls 0 #1,072 384 9,415
AE Boys 0 #1,142 2 22,615
CO Girls 0 #1,144 9 16,140
DZ 0 #1,144 33 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,162 17 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,180 3 25,439
MA 0 #1,194 6 20,986
TR 0 #1,249 6 19,440
SA Boys 0 #1,689 3 28,008

Tessa is popular in 81 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Ireland
Canada
Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Tessa

Tessa is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Tessa is a 2 syllable name, pronounced TESS-ə.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Tess, Tessie, Teresa, Theresa, Therese and Thérèse.
Yes, very popular — Tessa ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Tessa ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Yes — 4 notable people named Tessa are in our database, including Tessa Thompson (Actor), Tessa Violet (Actor), Tessa Blanchard (Actor).