How Many People Are Named Terry?
An estimated 392,854 people in the United States have the first name Terry. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #126 overall. It is used for both genders, with 81.4% male. The average bearer is 63 years old, and Terry peaked in popularity in 1955 with 20,939 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Terry as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Terry paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Terry has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
392,854
About 1 in 872 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
81.4% confidence
Average Age
63
years old
Peak Year
1955
20,939 births
Total Registered
521,274
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Terry
Terry is predominantly male (81.4%), though 96,944 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Terry as a male name
Ranked #1,186 in 2024
174 male births in 2024
Peak: 1957 (15,618 births)
Terry as a female name
Ranked #10,169 in 2024
10 female births in 2024
Peak: 1955 (5,353 births)
Terry: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Terry span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 183,918 babies were registered. Terry has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Terry by Decade
How has Terry tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 98 | 98 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 125 | 118 | 7 | |
| 1900s | 239 | 186 | 53 | |
| 1910s | 1,039 | 711 | 328 | |
| 1920s | 2,819 | 1,646 | 1,173 | |
| 1930s | 12,950 | 11,024 | 1,926 | |
| 1940s | 90,664 | 76,966 | 13,698 | |
| 1950s | 183,918 | 140,724 | 43,194 | |
| 1960s | 129,120 | 101,484 | 27,636 | |
| 1970s | 48,206 | 42,427 | 5,779 | |
| 1980s | 26,108 | 24,157 | 1,951 | |
| 1990s | 13,795 | 13,043 | 752 | |
| 2000s | 6,918 | 6,638 | 280 | |
| 2010s | 4,180 | 4,047 | 133 | |
| 2020s | 1,095 | 1,061 | 34 | |
Terry by State
Birth registrations for Terry span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Ohio. The lowest are in Rhode Island, Alaska, New Hampshire. On average, about 10,092 Terrys were registered per state.
Terry + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Terry as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Terry
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Terry: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Terry?
We estimate approximately 392,854 people named Terry are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 872 Americans share this first name.
Is Terry a common name?
Terry is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 521,274 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Terry most popular?
Terry reached peak popularity in 1955, when 20,939 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Terry is approximately 63 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Terry a male name?
Terry is predominantly male. 81.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Terry Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Terry Smith, Terry Johnson, Terry Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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