NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Tessie

A diminutive form of the name Theresa, derived from Greek meaning "harvester".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Tessie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Tessie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3961, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 6 births.

This profile covers 33 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 2005 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 37 living people in the UK are called Tessie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Tessie ranked #3961 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2015, when 6 girls were registered as Tessie.
  • Tessie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #350 in 2021.
  • About 37 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tessie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3961

2021

Births in 2021

5

Latest year

Peak year

2015

6 births

Estimated living

37

2026

Meaning

What does Tessie mean?

The name Tessie is a diminutive form of the name Theresa, which has its origins in the Greek island of Thasos. It is derived from the Greek word "therizo," which means "to harvest." The name Theresa gained popularity in the 4th century AD when a Spanish nun named Theresa of Avila lived and became a prominent figure in the Roman Catholic Church.

Tessie is a name that has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 16th century play "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd, where a character named Tessie appears.

In literature, Tessie is also the name of a character in John Steinbeck's novella "The Pearl," published in 1947. The character Tessie is a young girl who represents innocence and purity in the story.

The name Tessie has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Tessie O'Shea, an English actress and singer who lived from 1913 to 1995. She was known for her performances in West End musicals and on British television.

Another notable Tessie was Tessie Tura, a Belgian singer and actress born in 1920. She was a popular performer in her home country and appeared in several films during the 1940s and 1950s.

In the United States, Tessie Mobley was a famous blues singer and guitarist who lived from 1924 to 1995. She was known for her powerful voice and contributions to the Chicago blues scene.

Tessie Wall was a British cyclist who competed in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics. She won a silver medal in the road race event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Tessie Santiago was a Puerto Rican artist and sculptor who lived from 1935 to 2011. She was known for her abstract and modernist works, and her art is featured in museums and galleries around the world.

While the name Tessie may have originated from a specific region and culture, it has transcended boundaries and been embraced by various communities, making it a truly global name with a rich and diverse history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Tessie over time

The chart below shows babies named Tessie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Tessie, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2021, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Tessie
02356200520132021

Decades

Tessie by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tessie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4727 8 2
2010s #4653 22 5
2000s #4798 3 1

Geography

Where Tessie is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tessie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Tessie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #350 in 2021.

Northern Ireland
4

Across the UK

Tessie in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#350 in 2021

1 years of NISRA records, 4 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Tessie

  • Tessie O'Shea

    comedian; singer; stage actor; film actor; actor

    actress, singer (1913-1995)

    1913-1995

Related

Names similar to Tessie

FAQ

Tessie: questions and answers

How popular is the name Tessie in the UK right now?

In 2021, Tessie was ranked #3961 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Tessie most popular?

The peak year on record was 2015, with 6 babies registered as Tessie in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Tessie?

A diminutive form of the name Theresa, derived from Greek meaning "harvester".

How many people are called Tessie in the UK?

A total of 33 babies have been registered as Tessie across the 8 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 4 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Tessie most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Tessie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #350 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.