Terence
The story
Terence is the English form of the Roman family name Terentius. Its deeper meaning is unknown, despite confident translations sometimes attached to it. The name later became established in English and carried the Roman spelling into modern use. Its US curve shows a small midcentury arc and then fades late in the twentieth century, making it more generational than fashionable in current American records. The verified story is narrower: a Roman family name of unknown meaning, an English afterlife, and a modest American curve.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Terence peaked in the 1940s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
150 people · the #31,103 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 43
Among people named Terence living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Terence
People given the name Terence in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Terence deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Terence truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Terence fits with your family’s names and surname.
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