Girl names that start with T cover a lot of ground, from vintage picks like Thelma and Tillie to surname names like Tinley and rare finds most people have never met.
All 100 names below come with their origin, meaning, pronunciation, and where they actually stand in U.S. birth data. Those rankings come from the Social Security Administration, which builds its files from Social Security card applications and publishes a name only once at least five babies receive it in a year (1).
That cutoff is why some names here carry an exact rank, such as Tessa at #311, Teagan at #341 and Thea at #353 in 2025, while others have no number at all. Start with the chart, then work down the list until one of them sounds like your daughter.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Tate, Tyler, Tessa, Teagan and Thea.
100 Popular Female Names That Start with T
These 100 girl names that start with T run from the everyday to the almost unheard of, each with its meaning, origin, and where it stands in U.S. birth data today.
Tabitha
Tabitha carries the sense of beauty and grace, borrowed from the long-legged gazelle it names in Aramaic. Scripture gives it real weight too. Tabitha was one of Jesus’ disciples, remembered for her good deeds. Vintage without being fussy, it also hands you Tabby the moment your daughter decides three syllables is too many.
- Origin: Aramaic, Hebrew
- Meaning: Gazelle
- Pronunciation: TAEB-ih-Thah
- Variations: Tabytha, Tabatha, Tabata
- Namesakes: Tabitha St. Germain, a Canadian actress in the PBS Kids series Martha Speaks. Tabitha King, an American author of Small World in 1981 and the wife of Stephen King.
- Popularity: Tabitha ranked #1,308 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 171 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #126 in 1978.
Taelyn
Taelyn borrows its sound from the boy’s name Talon, meaning large claw of a bird of prey, and it also reads as an American blend of Taylor and Lynn, which explains the long parade of spellings parents have tried. Nothing about it is settled yet, and for some families that is the whole appeal.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: To cut the lake
- Pronunciation: TEY-Lihn
- Variations: Telin, Telinn, Telinne
- Popularity: SSA records put Taelyn at #2,563 for U.S. girls in 2025 (69 births), against a high of #1,560 in 2010.
Tahel
Tahel comes from the Hebrew “halal,” meaning “to praise” and “to shine.” It’s also one of many Hebrew-based girl names that start with T meaning “gift from God.”
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: You will shine
- Pronunciation: Tah-HEHL
- Popularity: Tahel has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 2014, when it ranked #18,926. Its best year was #18,926 in 2014.
Tahmina
Tahmina belongs to a 10th-century Persian epic, where she is the wife of the hero Rustam, and the name is a variant of the Persian Tahmineh, built on the idea of power and strength. It sounds soft in the mouth and lands firm in meaning, which is a rare pairing.
- Origin: Arabic, Persian
- Meaning: Strong woman
- Pronunciation: Taa-MEEN-Ah
- Variations: Tahmeena, Tahmineh, Taminah
- Namesakes: Tahmina Kohistani, an Afghan runner who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Tahmina Begum, an English football referee and the first of Bangladeshi descent in the UK.
- Popularity: Tahmina has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 2024, when it ranked #15,066. Its best year was #10,413 in 1995.
Taika
Taika means magic in Finnish, the sort of word used for a spell rather than a stage trick. It sits comfortably among the more magical baby names in circulation. The same spelling points to a tiger in Maori. Boys wear it more often than girls, which keeps it unexpected either way.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Magic
- Pronunciation: TAEY-kah
- Popularity: U.S. birth records carry Taika mainly as a boys’ name, at #9,600 in 2025. Girls’ use of it is too small to rank in recent years.
Tailynn
Tailynn is an American construct that pairs the Vietnamese Tai, meaning talented, with Lynn, meaning waterfall, though read through Old English instead, Lynn gives you lake and cascade. Either route keeps water in the name, and the double n ending softens the landing.
- Origin: Vietnamese, English
- Meaning: Talent/Lake
- Pronunciation: TAEY-Lihn
- Variations: Telinn, Telinne, Taelynn, Taelynne, Tailyn
- Popularity: SSA records put Tailynn at #4,260 for U.S. girls in 2025 (34 births), against a high of #2,622 in 2013.
Takako
Takako reads as dutiful and precious in Japanese. It is built from taka, meaning filial piety, and ko, meaning child. It is traditional in the truest sense, carrying an idea of respect rather than prettiness. For parents drawn to names with a quiet code of conduct inside them, this one delivers.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Pronunciation: TAA-Kaa-kow
- Namesakes: Takako Iida, a Japanese volleyball player who competed at the 1976 Olympic games. Takako Shigematsu, a Japanese manga artist known for the series Tenshi Ja Nai!!
- Popularity: Takako has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 1974, when it ranked #10,046. Its best year was #2,857 in 1926.
Tali
Tali means my lamb in Hebrew, with dew from heaven and ascending close behind, and it works as a short form of Talia or Talicia and stands up perfectly well on its own. Two syllables, no spelling debate, and easy for a toddler to say back to you.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: My lamb
- Pronunciation: TAA-Liy
- Variations: Talia
- Namesakes: Tali Shalom-Ezer, an Israeli filmmaker known for Princess (2014). Tali Darsigny, a Canadian weightlifter and silver medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
- Popularity: In 2025, Tali ranked #2,953 for U.S. girls with 57 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1967 and did best at #2,845 in 2023.
Tallulah
Tallulah puts together the Old Irish tuile, meaning abundance, and flaith, meaning prince. The other half of its story is American. Tallulah Falls sits in north Georgia at the head of a gorge two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep, and the Cherokee knew those falls as Ugunyi before settlers renamed them around 1820 (2). The water association stuck, and so did the glamour Tallulah Bankhead gave it on screen. Say it out loud and it swings.
- Origin: Irish, Native American
- Meaning: Lady of abundance
- Pronunciation: Taa-LUW-laa
- Variations: Talula
- Namesakes: Tallulah Bankhead, an American actress appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944). Tallulah Morton, an Australian fashion model appearing in Vogue and Marie Claire.
- Popularity: Tallulah ranked #940 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 276 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #811 in 2023.
Tamara
Tamara means date palm, the tree and its fruit both. The biblical Tamar stands behind it, which lends the name an old, sunlit quality. It has held a spot on the SSA’s charts since 1917, decades before most trend names existed. Tammy waits in the wings for the day your daughter wants something shorter.
- Origin: Arabic, Hebrew
- Meaning: Date palm
- Pronunciation: Tah-MAAR-ah
- Variations: Tamra, Tamar
- Namesakes: Tamara Frolova, a Russian politician in the State Duma since 2016. Tamara Todevska, a Macedonian pop singer who competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 and 2019.
- Popularity: SSA records put Tamara at #1,816 for U.S. girls in 2025 (111 births), against a high of #64 in 1974.
Tammia
Tammia sits close to Tamia and carries date palm and ruler among its meanings, and French gives the sound a link to thunder, though the Latin tie to the chipmunk is far more charming. It is a small, unfussy name that almost nobody else is using.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Chipmunk
- Pronunciation: TAEM-Yaa
- Variations: Tamia
- Popularity: Tammia dropped off the SSA’s list after 1999, when it ranked #14,249. It had peaked far earlier, at #6,989 in 1970.
Tammy
Tammy started life as a nickname for Tamsin and Tamara and then outgrew them both. Hebrew supplies life, while an Egyptian reading offers who loves the land. It was a genuine top 10 name in the mid 1960s, so it now reads as retro rather than tired. Parents who grew up beside a Tammy tend to circle back to it.
- Origin: Greek, Arabic
- Meaning: Date palm
- Pronunciation: TAEM-iy
- Variations: Tammi, Tammie
- Namesakes: Tammy Clarkson, an Australian actress known for The Circuit. Tammy Sutton-Brown, a Canadian basketball player for the Charlotte Sting.
- Popularity: In 2025, Tammy ranked #3,703 for U.S. girls with 41 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1934 and did best at #8 in 1966.
Tangwystl
Tangwystl comes from the Welsh tanc, meaning peace, and gwystl, meaning pledge. It belonged to the mistress of Llywelyn the Great, the 13th-century Welsh ruler, so it arrives with a story attached. It is one of the longest names here and among the least expected. Your daughter will be spelling it out for life.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Pledge of peace
- Pronunciation: TAENG-whist–EhL
- Popularity: The SSA publishes a name only once at least five U.S. babies receive it in a year, and Tangwystl stays below that line, so it carries no American ranking.
Tanisha
Tanisha means ambition in Sanskrit and turns up again as a West African name for a girl born on a Monday. It is also read as the feminine form of Tanish, meaning happiness. The name had a strong run in American classrooms in the early 1980s. It has thinned out since, which makes it feel more distinctive now than it did then.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Ambition
- Pronunciation: Taa-NIY-Shaa
- Variations: Taneisha, Tannisha, Tanysha, Tanesha
- Namesakes: Tanisha Scott, an MTV VMA-nominated choreographer known for work with Rihanna. Tanisha Wright, an American basketball head coach of the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
- Popularity: SSA records put Tanisha at #6,802 for U.S. girls in 2025 (17 births), against a high of #318 in 1982.
Taniya
Taniya is the Russian diminutive of Tatiana, shortened until it became its own name, and it keeps the fairy queen meaning of the original intact. Pretty, quick to say, and far less formal than Tatiana on a class register.
- Origin: Russian
- Meaning: Fairy queen
- Pronunciation: Tae-NIY-yah
- Variations: Tania
- Namesakes: Taniya Bhatia, an Indian cricketer for Punjab. Taniya Chatterjee, an Indian actress appearing in Gandii Baat season 4.
- Popularity: Taniya sits at #5,890 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 76,923, after peaking at #665 in 2006. Measured over the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them, it is down 82%, the steepest slide here.
Tansy
Tansy grows out of the Greek athanasia, meaning immortality. It is also a flowering plant in the aster family. Gardeners know it as cow bitter or golden buttons. The plant is scruffy and cheerful, and the name reads exactly the same way.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Eternal life
- Pronunciation: TAEN-Siy
- Variations: Tansey, Tansi, Tansie, Tansye, Tanzy
- Namesakes: Tansy Rayner Roberts, an Australian fantasy writer published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. Tansy Davies, an English composer who performed with the London Symphony Orchestra.
- Popularity: In 2025, Tansy ranked #7,454 for U.S. girls with 15 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1920 and did best at #4,505 in 1930.
Tanu
Tanu means from the river and also carries the sense of a slim body in India, and the name suggests sweetness with real power behind it. It is short enough to travel well and rare enough to stay entirely hers.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: From the river
- Pronunciation: TAA-Nuw
- Variations: Tano
- Namesakes: Tanu Roy, an Indian actress appearing in the film Ee Adutha Kalathu.
- Popularity: Tanu does not appear in U.S. federal birth data at all. Fewer than five babies a year are given it, which is the SSA’s cutoff for publication.
Tanya
Tanya is best known as a Russian name meaning fairy queen, and it doubles as a Slavic diminutive of Tatiana. Pushkin gave the sound its literary anchor with Tatiana Larina in Eugene Onegin. It had a long run on American birth certificates. That gives it the feel of a name with a history rather than a trend.
- Origin: Russian, Slavic
- Meaning: Fairy queen
- Pronunciation: TAEN-Yah
- Variations: Tania, Tannya, Taunia
- Namesakes: Tanya Donelly, an American musician who formed the band The Breeders. Tanya Hunks, a Canadian swimmer and bronze medalist at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
- Popularity: SSA records put Tanya at #3,767 for U.S. girls in 2025 (40 births), against a high of #46 in 1974.
Tara
Tara means hill in Gaelic and star in Sanskrit, which is a lot of range for four letters. The Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, gives it somewhere real to stand. It ran through the American top 100 in the 1970s and 1980s and peaked at #35 in 1977. Short, soft, and still perfectly wearable.
- Origin: Gaelic, Sanskrit
- Meaning: Hill
- Pronunciation: TAAR-ah
- Variations: Tarah, Tarra, Tarrah
- Namesakes: Tara Moss, a Canadian-Australian author and UNICEF national ambassador. Tara Lipinski, an American figure skater and the 1998 Olympic champion.
- Popularity: Tara sits at #847 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 5,000, after peaking at #35 in 1977.
Taraji
Taraji means hope in Swahili, with faith sitting right beside it. It is uncommon enough in the U.S. to feel like a discovery, and Taraji P. Henson has kept it in the public ear. Three syllables, all of them open, so it carries across a playground.
- Origin: Swahili
- Meaning: Hope
- Pronunciation: Taa-RAA-jhiy
- Namesakes: Taraji P. Henson, an American actress appearing in Hustle & Flow (2005).
- Popularity: In 2025, Taraji ranked #7,853 for U.S. girls with 14 births. It has been on the federal lists since 2002 and did best at #680 in 2010.
Tasha
Tasha is the trimmed form of the Russian Natasha, meaning birthday, and the birthday in question is the Lord’s, which is to say Christmas, so it suits a December baby especially well. Friendly, quick, and it needs no explaining.
- Origin: English, Russian
- Meaning: Birthday
- Pronunciation: TAH-Shah
- Namesakes: Tasha Smith, an American actress on the NBC series Boston Common (1996 to 1997). Tasha Cobbs Leonard, an American gospel musician and winner of three Billboard Music Awards.
- Popularity: Tasha ranked #7,854 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 14 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #130 in 1980.
Tasmin
Tasmin is the feminine answer to Thomas, arriving by way of Thomasina. It is familiar across the UK and never really landed in the U.S. That is exactly why it is worth a second look here. Expect to spell it out, since Tamsin is the more common arrangement of the same letters.
- Origin: English, Arabic
- Meaning: She who fulfills
- Pronunciation: TAEZ-Mihn
- Variations: Tazmin
- Namesakes: Tasmin Lucia-Khan, a British news anchor for BBC Three 60 Seconds. Tasmin Rana, a member of Bangladesh Parliament from 2005 to 2006.
- Popularity: Tasmin’s SSA history ends in 2004 at #18,557. Its strongest year came earlier, in 1993, at #7,010.
Tate
Tate comes from the Old Norse teitr, meaning bright and glad. It is one syllable of pure cheer and works just as well on a toddler as on an adult. In the U.S. it leans strongly toward boys, so a girl named Tate is going against the current on purpose.
- Origin: Old Norse
- Meaning: Cheerful
- Pronunciation: TEYT
- Variations: Tait, Taite, Taete
- Popularity: Tate is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #194 in 2025. Girls kept 160 newborns that year, at #1,379.
Tatiana
Tatiana traces back to the Latin Tatius and the Roman family name Tatianus, with King Tatius, an ancient ruler of the Sabines and Romans, at the far end of the line, and it is formal without being stiff. Tati, Tanya, and Tia all live inside it, so your daughter can dress it up or down as the day requires.
- Origin: Russian, Latin
- Meaning: Fairy queen
- Pronunciation: Tae-tiy-AEN-ah
- Variations: Tatianna, Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana
- Namesakes: Tatiana Kosheleva, a Russian volleyball player and gold medalist at the 2015 European Championship. Tatiana Pauhofová, a Slovak actress known for Kruté radosti (2002).
- Popularity: In 2025, Tatiana ranked #1,106 for U.S. girls with 216 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1915 and did best at #213 in 1999.
Tau
Tau was an ancient symbol for life and resurrection and the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. Tau also symbolizes death and makes a unique middle name.
- Origin: Tsanan, Bantu
- Meaning: Lion
- Pronunciation: TAA-uw
- Namesakes: Piotr Kowalczyk (known as Tau), a Polish rapper with the debut album Seans spirytystyczny (Séance).
- Popularity: U.S. birth records carry Tau mainly as a boys’ name, at #13,675 in 2025. Girls’ use of it is too small to rank in recent years.
Tawny
Tawny means green field in Irish and also names a shade of golden brown. Tawny owls wear precisely that color, which gives the name a ready image. It sounds like early autumn. It is also far enough from its 1980s peak to feel fresh again.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Golden brown
- Pronunciation: TAO-Niy
- Variations: Tawney, Tawni, Tawnie
- Namesakes: Tawny Kitaen, an American actress appearing in the horror film Witchboard (1986). Tawny Little, an American beauty contestant and Miss New York 1975.
- Popularity: Tawny has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 2024, when it ranked #17,438. Its best year was #860 in 1989.
Taylor
Taylor began as an occupational surname for a cutter of cloth, from the Old French tailleor. It crossed over to girls in the 1980s and peaked at #6 in 1994, making it one of the era’s defining unisex names. Taylor Swift has kept it in the air ever since. It still reads as confident and current rather than dated.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Tailor
- Pronunciation: TEY-Laor
- Variations: Taiylor, Tayler, Tayllor
- Namesakes: Taylor Swift, an American singer-songwriter, featured in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Taylor Anderson, an American curler and the 2019 U.S. National Champion.
- Popularity: Taylor sits at #403 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 2,083, after peaking at #6 in 1994.
Tea
Tea comes from the Greek theos, meaning god, and doron, meaning gift, and it also works as a trimmed-down Teresa. Three letters, one soft sound, and it stands out precisely because it does so little.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Gift from God
- Pronunciation: TEH-aa
- Variations: Teya
- Namesakes: Tea Pedić, a Croatian footballer for the Croatia women’s national team. Tea Gueci, an Italian chess player and winner of the Italian Women Chess Championship (2012).
- Popularity: Tea sits at #10,042 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 10 births. The SSA has tracked it since 1976, and its best year was 1998, at #749.
Teagan
Teagan is the English spelling of the Gaelic O’Tadhgain, meaning descendant of Tadhgan. The root taghg points to a wise poet, so there is brain as well as beauty in it. It is unisex on paper and mostly worn by girls in practice. It shortens to Teag or Tea without effort.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Pronunciation: TIY-Gaen
- Variations: Tegan, Teagen
- Namesakes: Teagan Croft, an Australian actress known for the series Titans (2018 to present). Teagan O’Keeffe, a South African BMX rider who competed at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships.
- Popularity: Teagan ranked #341 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 894 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #150 in 2016.
Teal
Teal names the greenish blue of a small freshwater duck, from the Middle English tele and the Middle German telink, and it is a color name that came from a bird rather than a paint chart, which is a good piece of trivia to hand a child. Short, cool, and entirely gender-neutral.
- Origin: English, Dutch
- Meaning: Blue-green bird
- Pronunciation: TEEL
- Variations: Teale, Teele
- Namesakes: Teal Bunbury, a Canadian soccer player for Nashville SC. Teal Sherer, an American actress appearing in the web series The Guild.
- Popularity: SSA records put Teal at #8,308 for U.S. girls in 2025 (13 births), against a high of #2,000 in 1961.
Teddy
Teddy means wealthy protector, with brave people and God’s gift close behind. It is the friendliest way into Theodora. That name is built from the Greek theos and doron. On a girl, Teddy reads as warm and a little tomboyish, which is usually the point.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Wealthy protector
- Pronunciation: TEHD-ee
- Variations: Teddee, Teddey, Teddi, Teddie
- Popularity: Teddy is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #823 in 2025. Girls kept 56 newborns that year, at #2,994.
Tegwyn
Tegwyn means lovely and shining in Welsh, and Saint Tecwyn, the 6th-century founder of the Llandecwyn church, is its oldest bearer. It looks unfamiliar on paper and turns out to be simple once said aloud.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Fair
- Pronunciation: TIYG-Wihn
- Variations: Tecwyn, Tegwen
- Popularity: Tegwyn does not appear in U.S. federal birth data at all. Fewer than five babies a year are given it, which is the SSA’s cutoff for publication.
Tekakwitha
Tekakwitha is Mohawk, and it translates to the wonderfully human she who bumps into things. It belonged to a 17th-century Mohawk woman remembered as the first Native American Catholic saint. This is a name with a specific history attached rather than a decorative choice. It deserves to be used knowingly.
- Origin: Mohawk
- Meaning: She who bumps into things
- Pronunciation: Teh-kak-WIHTH-ah
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Tekakwitha, since the SSA lists only names given to five or more babies in a single year.
Temperance
Temperance comes from the Latin temperantia, meaning moderation, and the Greek deity Sophrosyne stood for the same idea long before the 19th-century movement tied the word to abstinence from alcohol. It is a virtue name with more spine than most, and Tempe makes a light nickname.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Moderation
- Pronunciation: TEHMP-erehnz
- Variations: Temperanse, Temperence, Temperense
- Popularity: Temperance counted 94 U.S. girl births in 2025, ranking #2,034, well off its 2012 high of #836.
Tempest
Tempest means stormy, and Shakespeare thought enough of the word to hang a play on it. It began as an English and French nickname for someone with a short temper. Today it simply reads as dramatic in the best way. It suits a girl with opinions.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Stormy
- Pronunciation: TEHMP-Ehst
- Variations: Tempeste, Tempiste, Tempestt
- Namesakes: Tempest Storm (born Annie Banks), an American burlesque star and best-known performer of the 1950s.
- Popularity: Tempest sits at #7,103 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 100,000, after peaking at #1,566 in 1990.
Temple
Temple comes from the Latin templum, the word for a place set aside for ritual and prayer, and it started as a surname for someone living near one. Temple Grandin has made it familiar as a first name, and it carries a calm, spare sound.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Dweller near the temple
- Pronunciation: TEHMP-uwl
- Variations: Tempell
- Namesakes: Temple Grandin, an American animal behaviorist, ranked in the 2010 Time 100 list.
- Popularity: In 2025, Temple ranked #10,836 for U.S. girls with 9 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1884 and did best at #1,264 in 1971.
Tenzin
Tenzin means holder of the teaching in Tibetan. It is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama. It is used freely for boys and girls. For a family drawn to a spiritual name with no obvious Western equivalent, this one travels well.
- Origin: Tibetan
- Meaning: Holder of the teaching
- Pronunciation: TEHN-Zihn
- Variations: Tenzing
- Namesakes: Tenzin Palmo, a Tibetan Buddhist nun and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India.
- Popularity: Tenzin is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #2,254 in 2025. Girls kept 36 newborns that year, at #4,061.
Tercia
Tercia is the Latin word for third, based on the older Tertia, and very little else is recorded about it. That blank page is an advantage: your daughter gets to fill it in, whether she is your third child or your first.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Third
- Pronunciation: TEHR-Chah
- Variations: Tertia
- Popularity: Tercia does not appear in U.S. federal birth data at all. Fewer than five babies a year are given it, which is the SSA’s cutoff for publication.
Teresa
Teresa is the Spanish and Italian form of Theresa, from the Greek theros, meaning summer. Saints, politicians, and Olympians have carried it. It still sounds unfussy. Terry, Tess, and Tessa all wait inside it, so it grows with a child rather than boxing her in.
- Origin: Spanish, Italian
- Meaning: To harvest
- Pronunciation: Teh-RIY-sah
- Variations: Theresa, Therese, Terese
- Namesakes: Teresa Pearce, a British Member of Parliament from 2010 to 2019. Teresa Edwards, an American women’s basketball player and four-time Olympic gold medalist.
- Popularity: Teresa sits at #911 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 5,525, after peaking at #18 in 1961.
Terra
Terra was the Roman goddess of the earth, and the Latin terra firma is the dry land sailors long for after a voyage, so the name is grounded in the most literal sense available. It pairs with almost any middle name and never needs spelling twice.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Earth
- Pronunciation: TEY-Raa
- Variations: Tera
- Namesakes: Terra Jolé, an American reality TV personality known for Little Women: LA. Terra Findlay, a French-Canadian ice dancer and the 2004 Canadian junior silver medalist.
- Popularity: Terra ranks #2,434 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 74 births. The SSA has followed it since 1940, peaking at #379 in 1980.
Terry
Terry arrives through the French Thierry and Theodoric. It began as an occupational name from terrin, meaning earthenware vase. It also serves as a short form of Teresa. It was a real mid-century favorite, which is exactly why it now sounds like a name with good posture and a station wagon.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Gracious, good
- Pronunciation: TEY-REE
- Variations: Teri, Terri, Terrie
- Namesakes: Terry McMillan, an American novelist known for the 1992 book Waiting to Exhale. Terry M. Bellamy, the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, from 2005 to 2013.
- Popularity: Terry is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #1,116 in 2025. Girls kept 10 newborns that year, at #10,047.
Tessa
Tessa means to reap and to gather, a five-letter route into Theresa and its summer harvest, and the Greek reading also points to an inhabitant of Thera and, in another telling, a huntress. It is one of the most usable names on this list: soft, current, and impossible to mispronounce.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Fourth child
- Pronunciation: TEH-sah
- Variations: Tessie
- Namesakes: Tessa Virtue, a Canadian ice dancer and the 2018 Olympic champion. Tessa Schram, a Dutch actress/filmmaker who directed 100% Coco (2017).
- Popularity: SSA records put Tessa at #311 for U.S. girls in 2025 (978 births), against a high of #190 in 2007.
Tevy
Tevy means angel in Cambodian and sits close to Teva, meaning word in Hebrew. Messenger belongs in the same family of meanings. That suits the white-winged image parents have in mind. It is light, quick, and has almost no competition.
- Origin: Cambodian
- Meaning: Angel
- Pronunciation: TEH-vee
- Variations: Tevee, Tevey, Tevi, Tevie
- Popularity: Tevy has shown up in SSA data exactly once, in 2008, when it ranked #17,322.
Teyana
Teyana carries graceful, with unique and goddess attached to it. It shows up mostly in the U.S. and mostly in African American families. Teyana Taylor is the bearer most people will name first.
- Origin: Greek, English
- Meaning: Graceful
- Pronunciation: Tey-AH-nah
- Variations: Teyanna
- Namesakes: Teyana Taylor, an American actress appearing in Madea’s Big Happy Family.
- Popularity: Teyana ranked #4,537 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 31 births, and the SSA has followed it since 1982, peaking at #2,660 in 2017.
Thalia
Thalia is built on the Greek thallein, meaning to bloom, and in Greek mythology she is the muse of comedy, which makes her the cheerful one of the nine. The name has the rare gift of sounding ancient and light at the same time.
- Origin: Greek, Hebrew
- Meaning: To flourish
- Pronunciation: TAAL-Yaa
- Variations: Talia
- Namesakes: Thalia Charalambous, a Cypriot long-distance runner who competed at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships. Thalia Assuras, a Canadian journalist for Global Television.
- Popularity: Thalia ranked #648 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 446 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #363 in 1993.
Thea
Thea originated with the Greek Theia, meaning goddess. It works as a short form of Theodora, Althea, Mathea, or Dorothea. It has quietly become a favorite in its own right. It stands on its own as well as it does as a short form of Theodora.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Goddess
- Pronunciation: THIY-ah
- Variations: Tea
- Namesakes: Thea Rasche, the first female aerobatics pilot in Germany. Thea Knutzen, a member of Norway’s Parliament elected in 1985 and 1989.
- Popularity: SSA records put Thea at #353 for U.S. girls in 2025 (867 births), against a high of #268 in 2017.
Thelma
Thelma means desire, taken from the Greek thelema, and Marie Corelli’s 1887 novel Thelma is what launched it into wide use. It is a proper vintage name, the kind that skipped two generations and is circling back.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Will, volition
- Pronunciation: THEHL-Maa
- Variations: Thelmah, Thellma
- Namesakes: Thelma Schoonmaker, an American film editor known for continued work with director Martin Scorsese. Thelma Aoyama, a Japanese singer whose song “Soba ni Iru ne” was the best-selling digital download single in Japan in 2008.
- Popularity: Thelma sits at #4,745 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 55,556, after peaking at #26 in 1913.
Theodora
Theodora is the feminine form of Theodore, made of the Greek theos, meaning god, and doron, meaning gift. Two saints carried it, including a 6th-century Byzantine empress honored in the early Christian church. It is regal without being cold. Thea, Teddy, and Dora are all waiting inside, which makes it one of the most flexible long names here.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Gift from God
- Pronunciation: Thiy-ah-DOW-Rah
- Variations: Theadora, Teadora
- Namesakes: Theodora, a 6th-century Byzantine empress honored as a saint in the early Christian Church. Theodora Petraliphaina, a 13th-century consort of Epirus and an Orthodox Christian saint.
- Popularity: In 2025, Theodora ranked #726 for U.S. girls with 384 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1880 and did best at #509 in 1937. Across the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them, it is up 418%, the biggest gain of any name on this list.
Thi
Thi means poetry and verse in Vietnamese, along with the sense of a single female. The Vietnamese term for persimmon flowers uses the same word. That gives it a quiet garden image. One syllable, gently said, and easy to pair with a longer middle name.
- Origin: Vietnamese
- Meaning: Poem
- Pronunciation: TIY
- Variations: Thia, Thy
- Popularity: Thi last cracked the SSA’s list in 2018, ranked #15,516, well off its 1982 peak of #4,019.
Thiri
Thiri means beauty in Burmese, or more exactly she who is good-looking, and radiance and splendor sit in the same word. It is short, bright, and rarely heard outside Myanmar.
- Origin: Sanskrit, Burmese
- Meaning: Beauty
- Pronunciation: THEE-riy
- Popularity: Thiri holds #7,104 among U.S. girls in 2025, its only appearance in the data, with 16 births recorded that year.
Thisbe
Thisbe is a variation of Tisbe, the doomed lover of Pyramus in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Shakespeare borrowed the pair for the play within A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is a tragic story. Yet it lands as a surprisingly light, bouncing name.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Lover of Pyramus
- Pronunciation: THIHS-Biy
- Variations: Thisbi, Thisbie, Thisby, Thizbi
- Namesakes: Thisbe Nissen, an American author of Out of the Girls’ Room and into the Night.
- Popularity: The SSA last published Thisbe in 2021 at #17,454, close to its 2013 high point of #14,474.
Thomasina
Thomasina is a biblical name meaning twin, the feminine answer to Thomas, and it has held on in Scotland and Northern Ireland while fading almost everywhere else. Tasmin, Tamsin, and Tammy all live inside it, so the formality is entirely optional.
- Origin: Aramaic, English
- Meaning: Twin
- Pronunciation: TAH-ma-SEE-Nah
- Variations: Thomasin
- Namesakes: Thomasina Miers, an English cook and co-founder of the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants. Thomasina Pidgeon, a Canadian rock climber and the first Canadian female to climb the V10 through V12 grades.
- Popularity: Thomasina has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 2019, when it ranked #15,407. Its best year was #977 in 1932.
Thora
Thora is the female equivalent of the Old Norse Thor, god of thunder. The Scandinavian word for thunder sits in the same root. It is a small name with a great deal of weather in it. Two syllables, no fuss, and considerably stronger than it looks.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Thunder
- Pronunciation: THAOR-ah
- Variations: Tora
- Namesakes: Thora Bjorg Helga, an Icelandic actress appearing in Ragnar Bragason’s Metalhead. Thora Birch, an American actress best known for American Beauty (1999).
- Popularity: Thora ranked #6,093 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 20 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #693 in 1913.
Thrud
Thrud means strength, and in Norse mythology she is the daughter of Thor and Sif and one of the Valkyries, and Old Norse also gives it the sense of promised to Alvis. It is blunt, brief, and almost entirely unused.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Strength
- Pronunciation: THROOD
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Thrud, since the SSA lists only names given to five or more babies in a single year.
Tia
Tia means aunt in Spanish and Portuguese, and it doubles as goddess through the Greek Theia. Theia was the goddess of the blue sky. She was also a celestial mother to the sun, moon, and stars. Warm and quick, Tia also works as the landing spot for half the longer names on this list.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Aunt
- Pronunciation: TEE-ah
- Variations: Tiah
- Namesakes: Tia Carrere, an American actress best known for the Wayne’s World films. Tia Hellebaut, a Belgian track and field athlete and the 2008 Olympic champion.
- Popularity: Tia sits at #1,980 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 16,393, after peaking at #221 in 1982.
Tiana
Tiana means princess, and as a Slavic name it carries fairy queen, and daylight, joy, and Christian woman all attach to it depending on the language you ask. Disney gave it a second life with The Princess and the Frog, which is either the selling point or the thing you will be explaining for years.
- Origin: Greek, Russian
- Meaning: Princess
- Pronunciation: Tiy-AEN-ah
- Variations: Teana, Teanna, Tianna, Tiyana, Tyanna
- Namesakes: Tiana Alexandra, a Vietnamese-American filmmaker whose movie Hollywood to Hanoi was the first American documentary feature shot by a Vietnamese-American. Tiana Ringer, an American wrestler for BSE Pro.
- Popularity: In 2025, Tiana ranked #598 for U.S. girls with 491 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1950 and did best at #268 in 1995.
Tiara
Tiara means crown or headdress, the kind worn by royalty. The distinction is worth knowing. A queen wears a crown, a princess wears a tiara. It is unapologetically pretty and has never pretended otherwise.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: Tiy-AAR-ah
- Variations: Tiarrah, Tiarah, Tiyara
- Namesakes: Tiara Jacquelina, a Malaysian actress known for Puteri Gunung Ledang (2005). Tiara Andini Prastika, an Indonesian mountain cyclist and gold medalist at the 2018 Asian Games.
- Popularity: In 2025, 95 U.S. girls received the name Tiara, placing it at #2,014. Its high point, #216, came in 1988.
Tibby
Tibby began as a diminutive of Elizabeth and later attached itself to Isabelle and Tabitha too, and in Latin the sound pointed to the river Tiber. It is a nickname that never quite became a name, which leaves the field wide open for whoever claims it.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Devoted to God
- Pronunciation: TIH-Biy
- Popularity: Tibby last appeared in SSA data in 1957, at #4,504, mostly as a boys’ name, and has not charted since. Girls have never made up enough of its use to rank either.
Tierney
Tierney comes from the Gaelic tiarna, meaning lord and master. It arrives by way of the surname O’Tierney. It has the confident, clipped sound that surname names lend a girl. Tier and Tia both work on a day when three syllables feels like two too many.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: Descendent of a lord
- Pronunciation: TIHYR-Niy
- Variations: Tierni, Tiernie, Tierny
- Popularity: Tierney sits at #7,456 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 111,111, after peaking at #1,062 in 1993.
Tiffany
Tiffany is the French route into the Greek Theophania, meaning revelation of God, and it was traditionally given to girls born on the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. It was everywhere in the 1980s, peaking at #13 in 1982, and it has been away long enough to sound sparkly rather than dated.
- Origin: Greek, French
- Meaning: Manifestation of God
- Pronunciation: TIYF-ah-Niy
- Variations: Tiffaney, Tiffani, Tiffanie, Tiffanny, Tiffiney
- Namesakes: Tiffany Darwish (known as Tiffany), an American musician whose single “I Think We’re Alone Now” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Tiffany Haddish, an American comic actress appearing on The Carmichael Show (2015 to 2017).
- Popularity: In 2025, Tiffany ranked #880 for U.S. girls with 304 births. It has been on the federal lists since 1942 and did best at #13 in 1982.
Tilda
Tilda is the trimmed form of Matilda, meaning battle-strength, with heroine attached to it in Swedish. Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, is the historical anchor. Tilda Swinton has made the short version look effortless.
- Origin: Spanish, English
- Meaning: Battle-strength
- Pronunciation: TIHL-Daa
- Variations: Tilde, Tylda
- Namesakes: Tilda Swinton, a British actress named by The New York Times as one of the greatest actors of the 21st-century in 2020. Tilda Thamar, an Argentine actress appearing in The Woman with the Orchid (1952).
- Popularity: Tilda ranked #6,806 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 17 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #1,377 in 1916.
Tillie
Tillie comes from the Old German Mahthilda, made of maht, meaning power, and hiltia, meaning battle. It is another door into Matilda, and it sounds like a name off a front-porch swing. It was an early-1900s regular that fell almost out of sight and is now climbing again, which is the classic vintage revival pattern.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Mighty in battle
- Pronunciation: TIHL-ee
- Variations: Tilly
- Namesakes: Tillie Ehringhaus, the First Lady of North Carolina from 1933 to 1937. Tillie Pierce, an American author of “At Gettysburg, or What A Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle: A True Narrative.”
- Popularity: SSA records put Tillie at #1,269 for U.S. girls in 2025 (177 births), against a high of #256 in 1914. Its rate per million births has recovered roughly 37 times over from a 1986 trough, the strongest revival on this list.
Timika
Timika is a variation of Tamika, meaning beautiful child in Japanese, with sweet in Swahili and flower of the rising sun trailing behind. It also names a city on the southern coast of Central Papua, Indonesia. The name had its American moment in the mid 1970s and has been quiet ever since.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: People
- Pronunciation: Tih-MIY-kah
- Variations: Tamika
- Popularity: By 1998, Timika had fallen to #16,418 in the SSA count, its final appearance. Its high point came in 1976, at #1,271.
Tina
Tina is the modern short form of Christina and of anything ending in -ina, from Bettina to Martina. God is abundance and God is my oath both live inside it. It was a top 20 American name in the late 1960s, and Tina Turner alone would have kept it in circulation.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: TIY-Nah
- Variations: Tinna, Teana, Teena
- Namesakes: Tina Turner, an American singer best known for the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” Tina Louise, an American actress known for the series Gilligan’s Island.
- Popularity: Tina counted 61 births among U.S. girls in 2025, good for #2,815. The SSA has tracked it since 1880, and its high point was #18 in 1968.
Tindra
Tindra means twinkle in Swedish, with to sparkle as the verb behind it. It is a modern Scandinavian coinage and the feminine counterpart to Tindur. It has barely registered on American birth certificates, which leaves it fresh.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: Twinkle
- Pronunciation: TIHN-Drah
- Variations: Tendra
- Popularity: Tindra’s only appearance in SSA data came in 2008, at #20,244.
Tinley
Tinley comes from the Old English tynan, meaning fence, and began life as a surname. It follows the pattern American parents keep returning to: a surname, two syllables, an -ley ending. It sits comfortably beside Finley and Kinley without being mistaken for either.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Hedge
- Pronunciation: TIHN-liy
- Popularity: Tinley counted 63 U.S. girl births in 2025, ranking #2,748, a step down from its 2016 high of #795.
Tinuviel
Tinuviel is elf-made, built from tinnu, meaning twilight, and a suffix for daughter. The Primitive Quendian tindomiselde gives the fuller reading of daughter of twilight. It is about as fantastical as names get here, and it will live or die on how much your household loves the books.
- Origin: Elvish
- Meaning: Nightingale
- Pronunciation: Tih-NUW-viy-Ahl
- Popularity: The SSA publishes a name only once at least five U.S. babies receive it in a year, and Tinuviel stays below that line, so it carries no American ranking.
Tippi
Tippi is a retro Swedish pet form of Tupsa, meaning sweetheart. In Greek the same sound refers to a golden horse. Tippi Hedren made it famous and it has stayed rare ever since, which keeps it feeling like a private nod to old Hollywood.
- Origin: Swedish
- Meaning: Sweetheart
- Pronunciation: TIHP-ee
- Variations: Tippee, Tippey, Tippie, Tippy
- Namesakes: Tippi Degré, a French explorer who hosted Around the World with Tippi from 2002 to 2003. Tippi McCullough, a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2019.
- Popularity: No SSA count has included Tippi since 1974, when it stood at #6,837. The name’s peak sits nearly a decade earlier, in 1965, at #3,934.
Tirza
Tirza means delight in Hebrew, with pleasing and cypress tree close by. It is a biblical name, borne by one of the daughters of Zelophehad, and it also named an ancient city. Very few American girls carry it now, so it is about as unclaimed as a name with 3,000 years of history can be.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Delight
- Pronunciation: TIHYR-Zaa
- Variations: Thirza, Tirzah
- Popularity: Tirza ranked #17,060 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 5 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #4,476 in 1965. That makes it the rarest of the names here that the SSA still ranks, at about one girl in 333,333.
Titania
Titania is the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is a strong opening credit for any name. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses the Titanias are daughters of Titans, a race of giants. Tania and Tatiana orbit the same fairy queen idea, so it keeps good company.
- Origin: Greek, Russian
- Meaning: Land of giants
- Pronunciation: Taey-TEY-niy-Ah
- Variations: Titaniah
- Namesakes: Titania McGrath, an American radical poet and bestselling author of Woke: A Guide to Social Justice.
- Popularity: Titania stands at #13,079 among U.S. girls in 2025, a name with just 7 births, well down from its 1972 high of #2,308.
Tivka
Tivka comes from the Hebrew tiqwah, meaning hope. It barely registers among female names that start with T. That is the entire argument for it: a short, hopeful word nobody else has claimed.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Hope
- Pronunciation: TIHV-kah
- Variations: Tivkah
- Popularity: Tivka never shows up in U.S. federal birth data; like any name given to fewer than five babies a year, it falls below the SSA’s publication line.
Toby
Toby means God is good, from the Hebrew Toviah, built on tov, meaning good. Shakespeare gave it a comic streak with Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. It leans male, so on a girl it reads as easy and a little sly.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is good
- Pronunciation: TOW-Biy
- Variations: Tobi, Tobie
- Popularity: Toby is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #979 in 2025. Girls kept 101 newborns that year, at #1,923.
Tomeka
Tomeka is the feminine answer to Tomek, the Polish form of Thomas. It had a genuine American run in the mid 1970s and has all but vanished since. If you want a name that sounds familiar and belongs to almost nobody now, this is one of the strongest candidates here.
- Origin: Polish
- Meaning: Twin
- Pronunciation: TOW-meh-Kah
- Variations: Tamika
- Namesakes: Tomeka Reid, an American composer who performed with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Tomeka Butler, the mayor of Eudora, Arkansas, since 2020.
- Popularity: Tomeka has not appeared in the SSA’s U.S. data since 1996, when it ranked #7,543. Its best year was #476 in 1976.
Tone
Tone means storm in Norwegian and reads as new Thor in Old Norse, since he owns the thunder. Slovene uses the same spelling as a boys’ nickname for Anton. Two syllables, unexpected in English, and it arrives with its own explanation attached.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: New thunder
- Pronunciation: TUWN-ah
- Namesakes: Tone Fossum, a Norwegian racing cyclist and winner of the 1990 Norwegian National Road Race Championship. Tone Tingsgård, a Swedish member of the Riksdag from 2002 to 2010.
- Popularity: Tone last appeared in SSA data in 2015, at #13,856, and has not charted since.
Toni
Toni means flower and flourishing, and it serves as the diminutive of Antoinette and Antonia. It was a mid-century American favorite, peaking in 1968, and never climbed that high again. Toni Collette and Toni Basil keep it from sounding like anybody’s grandmother.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Beyond praise
- Pronunciation: TOW-Niy
- Variations: Toney, Tonie, Tony
- Namesakes: Toni Basil, an American singer/choreographer best known for the 1980s hit single “Mickey.” Toni Collette, an Australian actress known for Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
- Popularity: Toni sits at #2,274 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 20,000, after peaking at #145 in 1968.
Topaz
Topaz originated with the Greek topazos, meaning to seek. It is the birthstone for November and a golden gem by definition. Marvel handed the name to a sorceress, so it has a comic-book life running alongside the jewelry.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Golden gem
- Pronunciation: TOW-paaz
- Variations: Topazz
- Namesakes: Topaz Winters (pen name of Priyanka Aiyer), a Singaporean writer and the youngest Singaporean nominee for the Pushcart Prize.
- Popularity: Topaz dropped off the SSA’s list after 2023, when it ranked #13,338. Its best showing came far earlier, in 1989, at #5,276.
Tova
Tova means good and pleasing in Hebrew and links to the Old Norse Tofa in Sweden, where it reads as beautiful Thor. Two traditions, one short name, and no obvious nickname required. It is soft-sounding without being frilly.
- Origin: Swedish, Hebrew
- Meaning: Good, pleasing
- Pronunciation: TOW-Vaa (Hebrew), TUW-Vah (Swedish)
- Variations: Tovah, Tovva
- Namesakes: Tova Magnusson, a Swedish actress in the Danish-Swedish series The Bridge (2013). Tova Sanhadray, an Israeli member of the Knesset from 1959 to 1974.
- Popularity: Tova ranked #2,643 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 66 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #1,750 in 1984.
Tracy
Tracy derives from the Irish treasach, meaning fighter, with more powerful and superior alongside it. It was a top 10 American girls’ name around 1970 and has been quiet for decades since. Tracy Chapman keeps the sound serious rather than dated.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: War-like
- Pronunciation: TREY-Siy
- Variations: Tracey, Traci, Tracie
- Namesakes: Tracy Chapman, an American singer-songwriter best known for her song “Fast Car.” Tracy Looze, an Australian-Dutch track-and-field athlete who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Tracy counted 86 U.S. girl births in 2025, ranking #2,171, far below its 1970 high of #10.
Treasure
Treasure runs back through the Latin thesaurus to the Greek thesauros, meaning treasury. The word names a group of precious objects, which is a transparent thing to call a daughter and none the worse for it. Word names are having a long moment, and this one is warmer than most.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Highly-valued possession
- Pronunciation: TREH-Sher
- Variations: Treasur
- Popularity: Treasure holds #809 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, about one birth in 4,762, down from its 2021 peak of #688.
Tressa
Tressa is another form of Teresa, with long hair and third both claimed for it. The Tressa river in Tuscany carries the same name. It is familiar to the ear and rare on paper, which is a useful combination.
- Origin: English, Cornish
- Meaning: Long hair
- Pronunciation: TREH-Saa
- Variations: Teressa
- Popularity: Tressa held #14,783 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 6 births. It has appeared on the federal lists since 1880, peaking at #762 in 1969.
Trivina
Trivina keeps its meaning to itself. The nearest relative is Travinia, read as Italian, and beyond that the record simply runs out. Some parents will find that frustrating; others will find it liberating.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: Trih-VEEN-ah
- Variations: Trevina
- Popularity: No U.S. ranking exists for Trivina, since the SSA lists only names given to five or more babies in a single year.
Trinity
Trinity means triad and points straight at the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It gained real ground from the 1980s through the 2000s. It also makes a strong middle name for girls when the first name is doing something quieter.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Triad
- Pronunciation: TRIHN-ih-Tee
- Variations: Trinitee, Trinitie, Trinytie, Trynitey, Trynyty
- Namesakes: Trinity Rodman, an American soccer player for the Washington Spirit. Trinity Baptiste, an American basketball player for the Indiana Fever.
- Popularity: SSA records put Trinity at #428 for U.S. girls in 2025 (725 births), against a high of #48 in 2004.
Trisha
Trisha is the short form of the Latin Patricia, meaning noble, and it is also a Hindi name meaning desire and thirst. It peaked in the late 1970s, close enough to feel nostalgic and far enough away to be usable again. Trish is right there when she wants it shorter.
- Origin: Latin, English
- Meaning: Noble, patrician
- Pronunciation: TRIH-Shaa
- Variations: Trish, Tricia
- Namesakes: Trisha Goddard, an English TV host of the talk show Trisha (1998 to 2010). Trisha Yearwood, an American singer and TV food personality who hosts Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.
- Popularity: Trisha holds #3,511 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, about one birth in 37,037, down from its 1979 peak of #159.
Trixie
Trixie means she who brings happiness. It works as the playful end of Beatrice, Beatrix, or Patricia and refuses to take itself seriously. Give her a formal middle name if you want to leave an exit.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Bringer of joy
- Pronunciation: TRIYK-siy
- Variations: Trixi
- Namesakes: Trixie Gardner, an Australian-British member of the House of Lords and the most senior Life peer member. Trixie Tagg, a Dutch-Australian soccer coach of the Australia women’s national football team.
- Popularity: Trixie ranked #9,415 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 11 births. The SSA has tracked it since 1893, and its best year was 1915, at #1,517.
Trudy
Trudy is the friendly form of the German Gertrude, meaning ruler of the spear, and of the rarer Ermintrude, read as wholly beloved. Universal strength is the shorthand. It sounds like competence and good baking, in the best possible way.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Universal strength
- Pronunciation: TRUW-Diy
- Variations: Trudey, Trudie
- Namesakes: Trudy Groenman, a Dutch tennis player and a three-time Netherlands champion. Trudy Larkin Forster, an American writer known for Los Gatos del Casino.
- Popularity: In 2025, 25 U.S. girls were named Trudy, putting it at #5,225. Its best showing was #238, back in 1946.
True
True is a word before it is a name, meaning factually correct and legitimate, from the Old English triewe. It also carries loyalty, which is the reading most parents actually have in mind. Short, modern, and hard to argue with.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Real, genuine
- Pronunciation: TRUW
- Variations: Tru
- Popularity: True is used mostly for boys in the U.S., where it ranked #1,050 in 2025. Girls kept 158 newborns that year, at #1,387.
Truth
Truth names honesty and integrity outright, with no etymology to hide behind. As an Indian name it refers to a blessed and fragrant person. Virtue names have been climbing for years, and this is one of the bolder ones on the shelf.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Of fact, reality
- Pronunciation: TRUWTH
- Popularity: Truth ranked #1,662 among U.S. girls in 2025, when 101 newborns were given it. Its best showing was #1,303 in 2021.
Tsifira
Tsifira means crown in Hebrew, with diadem alongside it, an ornament for someone who is crowned. It is a mouthful with a genuinely beautiful sound. Almost nobody has it, so the field is entirely clear.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: Tsah-FIYR-Ah
- Variations: Tsifeera, Tsifirah, Tsifyra, Tsiphira, Tsiphyra
- Popularity: The SSA publishes a name only once at least five U.S. babies receive it in a year, and Tsifira stays below that line, so it carries no American ranking.
Tsisana
Tsisana comes from the Georgian tsis, meaning of the sky, and stretches to the heavens as well. Georgians use the same word for the forget-me-not flower. It is lyrical, unfamiliar in English, and worth the two seconds it takes to teach.
- Origin: Georgian
- Meaning: Heavenly
- Pronunciation: Tsee-SAAH-Nah
- Namesakes: Tsisana Tatishvili, a Georgian opera singer who performed at the Tbilisi Opera from 1963 to 2000.
- Popularity: No U.S. federal birth record exists for Tsisana. The SSA only publishes names that reach five babies in a year, and this one has not.
Tuesday
Tuesday derives from the Old English tiwesdaeg, the day of Tiu, a Germanic god of the sky and war who answers to the Norse Tyr. Names taken from the days of the week trace back through Latin-named planets to the gods, so there is more weight here than first appears. It reads as cool rather than cute.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Tiu’s Day
- Pronunciation: TUWZ-Dey
- Variations: Tuesdae, Tuesdai, Tuesdaye
- Namesakes: Tuesday Knight, an American actress known for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Tuesday Middaugh, an American synchronized swimmer who competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Tuesday sits at #6,808 among U.S. girls in 2025, with 17 births, down from its 1966 peak of #1,261.
Tulip
Tulip means turban in Turkish, named for the shape of the springtime flower. It comes through the Persian tulipan, and Sultan Suleyman I was known to hand tulips to important visitors. It is a flower name with an actual story rather than just a scent.
- Origin: Turkish, Persian
- Meaning: Spring flower
- Pronunciation: TUW-Lahp
- Variations: Tullip, Tullop
- Namesakes: Tulip Joshi, an Indian actress appearing in Matrubhoomi (2003). Tulip Siddiq, a British member of Parliament since 2015.
- Popularity: Tulip sits at #6,095 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, roughly one girl in 83,333, after peaking at #4,449 in 2018.
Tulla
Tulla is a variation of the Spanish Tulia, read as strength and peak. Spelled Tula it picks up the Hindi word for Libra and a Scandinavian sense of little girl, which is probably the cutest reading of the set. Round, soft, and almost unused in English.
- Origin: Spanish, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Round hill
- Pronunciation: TUW-lah
- Variations: Tula
- Namesakes: Tulla Blomberg Ranslet, a Norwegian sculptor with works at the St. Göran children’s hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Popularity: Tulla is absent from U.S. federal birth data altogether, staying under the SSA’s five-baby-a-year publication threshold.
Tully
Tully began as an Irish surname from the Gaelic O’Taithligh, meaning descendant of Taithleach. Flood and hill also sit in its range. It is rarely used for girls, which is exactly the appeal for parents shopping outside the obvious.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Peaceful
- Pronunciation: TUH-Lee
- Variations: Tuley, Tuli, Tulley, Tulli, Tuly
- Namesakes: Tully Bevilaqua, an Australian basketball player for the San Antonio Stars. Tully Jensen, an American model appearing on the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines.
- Popularity: Tully stayed rare for U.S. girls in 2025, when 21 newborns received it, ranking #5,896.
Turkessa
In the original Persian, Turkessa was given to the one who comes from Turkey. France used it for a while and then let it go, and it is close to extinct today. It reads less like a name than a title, which is not the worst thing to hand a girl.
- Origin: French, Persian
- Meaning: From Turkey
- Pronunciation: Tuhr-KESS-ah
- Variations: Turquessa
- Popularity: Turkessa’s SSA history ends in 1987 at #11,236. Its strongest year came earlier, in 1975, at #1,021.
Tuulikki
Tuulikki grows out of the Finnish root tuuli, meaning wind. She is a Finnish forest goddess and the daughter of Tapio, which gives the name a mythical streak. Four syllables of pure Finland, and a spelling your daughter will be reciting for life.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Little wind
- Pronunciation: Tuw-YEW-liy-Kee
- Namesakes: Tuulikki Laesson, an Estonian chess player and two-time winner of the Womens’ Estonian Chess Championship. Tuulikki Pyykkönen, a Finnish cross-country skier and bronze medalist at the 1997 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
- Popularity: The SSA has never published a count for Tuulikki; fewer than five American babies a year receive it, which keeps it off the federal list.
Twiggy
Twiggy had its moment as the nickname of the British model who defined the look of 1966. Slender and delicate are still the meanings attached to it. It is a nickname pretending to be a name and entirely unbothered about it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Slender
- Pronunciation: TWIHG-iy
- Variations: Twiggi, Twiggie
- Namesakes: Lesley Lawson (known as Twiggy), a British model named “The Face of 1966” by the Daily Express.
- Popularity: Twiggy appears in SSA data for a single year, 1967, at #4,042.
Twyla
Twyla is an artsy short form of twilight. Spelled Twila, it picks up the Hebrew reading of light in the dark places. Twyla Tharp gave it a dancer’s posture, which is a good inheritance for any name.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Twilight
- Pronunciation: TWAEY-Laa
- Variations: Twila
- Namesakes: Twyla Tharp, an American dancer with the American Ballet Theater. Twyla Herbert, an American songwriter known for “Lightnin’ Strikes.”
- Popularity: In 2025, 56 U.S. girls were named Twyla, ranking it #2,995. Its best showing, #750, came in 1964.
Tyberia
Tyberia points to the river Tiber running through Rome. It began as the Roman family name Tiberius and was reshaped for women as Tiberia and Tyberia. Grand, unhurried, and completely uncontested.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: The river Tiber
- Pronunciation: Tih-BIYR-iy-Ow
- Variations: Tiberia
- Popularity: Tyberia does not turn up anywhere in U.S. federal birth data, since it stays below the five-births-a-year line the SSA requires for publication.
Tyla
Tyla originally described a worker of roof tiles. It is a rarely used variant of Tyler with a softer landing and a more feminine feel. Short, current-sounding, and easy to spell once heard.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Roof tile maker
- Pronunciation: TAEY-Laa
- Namesakes: Tyla Flexman, a Canadian field hockey player for the Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey Team from 2004 to 2012. Tyla Hanks, an Australian rules footballer for Melbourne.
- Popularity: Tyla holds #1,510 in the U.S. girls’ rankings for 2025, about one birth in 11,364, down from its 1999 peak of #1,397.
Tyler
Tyler was an English occupational surname for a maker of tiles, influenced by the French tieulier, and it once described a tavern owner too. It ran through the American top 10 in the 1990s and is still far more common for boys. A girl named Tyler is making a deliberate choice, and it tends to suit her.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Maker of tiles
- Pronunciation: TAEY-Lehr
- Variations: Tylor, Tylar
- Popularity: Boys overwhelmingly carry Tyler in the U.S., where it ranked #220 in 2025. Girls kept 101 that year, at #1,924.
