How popular is the baby name Tessa in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Tessa.

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Popularity of the baby name Tessa


Posts that mention the name Tessa

Baby names in the news: Aneurin, Casey, Suharsi

Some recent and not-so-recent baby names from the news…

Aneurin: A baby boy born in Wales on June 26, 2018 — days before the 70th anniversary of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), founded by Aneurin “Nye” Bevan — was named Aneurin. (South Wales Echo)

Carson*: A baby boy born in Pennsylvania in July of 2018 was named after Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. (CBS)

  • “Pennsylvania Hospital has also had several babies named Carson lately. And one girl named Kelce, spelled like Jason Kelce.” (ABC, Oct. 2018)

Casey: A baby boy born in Kentucky in August of 2018 was named Jaxon Casey, middle name in honor of Kentucky’s “Casey’s law,” which the parents credit for saving each of their lives. (Courier Journal)

Foles*: A baby born in Philadelphia in October of 2018 was named Layla Grace Foles, second middle name in honor of Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. (ABC)

Murren: A baby girl born in North Carolina in April of 2017 was named Tessa Murren, middle name in honor of the Swiss mountain village in which she was likely conceived. (The Local)

Suharsi: A baby girl born aboard the Indonesian hospital ship KRI Dr. Soeharso in October of 2018 was named Suharsi, “a feminine adaptation of Soeharso.” (Daily Mail)

Zeppelin: A baby boy born in the U.S. in December of 2016 was named Zeppelin after the zeppelin bend, inspired by the fact that his umbilical chord was knotted at birth. (USA Today)

  • Zeppelin is the son of actors Jensen Ackles and Danneel Harris. He has a twin sister named Arrow. (Danneel’s name was inspired by Danneel Street in New Orleans, btw.)

*Philadelphia hospitals are now preparing for a Super Bowl baby boom…

Baby names in the news: Ryder, Saynt, Crew

Some recent and not-so-recent baby names from the news…

Betsy and Emory: Twin baby girls born in January of 2018 to singer Hillary Scott were named Betsy Mack and Emory JoAnn. Their older sister Eisele was behind the debut of Eisele in 2014. (Taste of Country)

Crew: A baby boy born in June of 2018 to reality TV stars Joanna and Chip Gaines was named Crew. (Motherly)

Hayes: A baby boy born on the last day of 2017 to actress Jessica Alba was named Hayes. (People)

Marvel: A baby girl born in May of 2018 to musician Pete Wentz was named Marvel Jane. Her older brother Bronx was behind the rise of Bronx in 2009. (Business Insider)

Knight: A baby boy born in Vegas in during the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals was named Haizen Knight in part after the Vegas Golden Knights, who ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals. (KTNV Las Vegas [vid])

Riley: A baby girl born in Vegas on the day the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to the playoffs was named Riley after player Reilly Smith. Her parents were survivors of the Las Vegas shooting. (NY Post)

Ryder: A baby boy born in May of 2018 was named Ryder after the Ryder Cup. (Ryder Cup…and here’s the follow-up post that mentions several more babies named Ryder)

Saynt: A baby boy born in February of 2018 to Australian actress Tessa James was named Saynt — a respelling of Saint, which would have been illegal in Australia. (news.com.au)

Sheboygan: A baby boy born in April of 2018 to a Michigan couple already famous for being prodigious producers of sons was named Finley Sheboygan — middle name derived from the phrase “she is a boy again.” (Today)

Stormi: A baby girl born in February to reality TV star Kylie Jenner was named Stormi. (People)

The 4 children of Gavin Newsom

California politician Gavin Newsom — who has served as mayor of San Francisco (2004-2011), lieutenant governor of California (2011–2019), and governor of California (since 2019) — has four children with his wife Jennifer.

Their first baby, a girl born in 2009, was named Montana Tessa — Montana after the state in which they got married, and Tessa after Gavin’s late mother.

Their second, a boy born in 2011, was named Hunter — which was simply Jennifer’s favorite boy name.

Their third, a girl born in 2013, was named Brooklynn Stacia — “Brook-” after Jennifer’s sister Brooke, “-lynn” from Jennifer’s middle name Lynn, and Stacia after Jennifer’s late sister Stacia.

And their fourth, a boy born in early 2016, was named Dutch William — Dutch after the town of Dutch Flat, “where Newsom spent much of his childhood at his father’s home,” and William after Gavin’s father.

Sources:

[Latest update: Nov. 2023]

Roald Dahl named his baby after $20

twenty dollar bill

Children’s author Roald Dahl — famous for books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda — was born to Norwegian immigrant parents in Wales in 1916. He was named after Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.

After serving as a fighter pilot during WWII (and creating the fifinella gremlin), Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal in 1953. They had a total of five children together.

Their first baby was named Olivia Twenty. Why a number as a middle name?

Olivia Twenty was born in New York on April 20, 1955, and named after her mother’s favorite Shakespearean heroine, the date of her birth, and the fact that Roald had $20 in his pocket when he came to visit Pat in the hospital.

(Sadly, Olivia Twenty died of the measles in late 1962, at the age of seven, before a reliable measles vaccine had been developed.)

Their second child, born in 1957, was named Chantal Sophia. Soon after she was born and christened, the Dahls realized that “Chantal” rhymed with “Dahl,” so they began calling her by the nickname Tessa.

The last three Dahl children were named Theo Matthew (b. 1960), Ophelia Magdalena (b. 1964), and Lucy Neal (b. 1965). The name Ophelia could be another Shakespearean reference, while the middle names Sophia and Magdalena likely come from Dahl’s mother, Sofie Magdalene.

P.S. In April of 1964, Patricia Neal won the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in the 1963 movie Hud.

Sources:

  • Sturrock, Donald. Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.
  • Roald Dahl – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from $20 Federal Reserve Bank Note (1929) (public domain)

[Latest update: June 2023]