How popular is the baby name Tess 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 Tess.

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Popularity of the baby name Tess


Posts that mention the name Tess

Popular baby names in the Netherlands, 2018

Flag of the Netherlands
Flag of the Netherlands

According to the Netherlands’ Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Julia and Lucas.

Here are the Netherlands’ top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names (“Meisjesnamen”)
1. Julia, 797 baby girls
2. Emma, 704
3. Sophie, 677
4. Tess, 669
5. Zoë, 659
6. Mila, 632
7. Anna, 550
8. Sara, 541
9. Eva, 530
10. Noor & Nora, 516 each (tie)

Boy Names (“Jongensnamen”)
1. Lucas, 681 baby boys
2. Levi, 641
3. Finn, 634
4. Sem, 633
5. Noah, 624
6. Daan, 619
7. Luuk, 596
8. Bram, 571
9. Mees, 568
10. Milan, 558

In the girls’ top 10, Noor and Nora replaced Evi.

In the boys’ top 10, Mees (a diminutive form of Bartholomeus) replaced Jesse.

In 2017, the top two names were Emma and Noah.

Sources: De populairste meisjesnamen van 2018, De populairste jongensnamen van 2018

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Netherlands (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2017

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

According to Retraite Québec, the most popular baby names in Quebec in 2017 were (again) Emma and William.

Here are the province’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:

Girl Names
1. Emma, 614 baby girls
2. Lea, 554
3. Alice, 512
4. Olivia, 483
5. Florence, 482
6. Charlotte, 425
7. Charlie, 420
8. Rosalie, 384
9. Beatrice, 369
10. Zoe, 349

Boy Names
1. William, 710 baby boys
2. Logan, 671
3. Liam, 629
4. Noah, 573
5. Jacob, 571
6. Thomas, 561
7. Raphael, 498
8. Nathan, 496
9. Leo, 494
10. Alexis, 461

The girls’ top 10 contains the same names as in 2016, but in a different order.

In the boys’ top 10, Raphael and Leo replaced Felix (now 13th) and Gabriel (now 16th).

Some of the baby names used just once last year include:

  • Girls: Amberina, Benitha, Cassily, Delya, Elpis, Felia, Gwenia, Hajrah, Isalia, Jecolia, Kindia, Lagertha, Mimsy, Nolka, Odaluna, Posie, Rinnah, Sharbella, Tesseract, Ujarak, Vitalina, Wathahontha, Ysoo, Zanaelle
  • Boys: Arjo, Braveman, Clermont, Daxon, Ebbo, Floyd, Gideon, Holyver, Izai, Joah, Kephry, Lelio, Majorik, Nelligan, Orelsan, Plume, Ricardy, Syphax, Tayze, Uapeshkuss, Valerian, Witghy, Yanrick, Zarrar

This is the first time I’ve seen the geometry term “tesseract” used as a baby name. As Wikipedia puts it, “the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square.” It’s a hypercube, basically. The word was coined in the 1880s from the Greek words tessera, “four,” and aktis, “ray.” Definitely an unusual name…though it does conveniently shorten to Tess.

Sources: List of Baby Names – Retraite Québec, Tesseract – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

Popular baby names in the Netherlands, 2017

Flag of the Netherlands
Flag of the Netherlands

According to the Netherlands’ Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), the most popular baby names in the country in 2017 were Emma and Noah.

Here are the Netherlands’ top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:

Girl Names
1. Emma, 755 baby girls
2. Tess, 734
3. Sophie, 709
4. Julia, 696
5. Anna, 595
6. Mila, 580
7. Sara, 547
8. Eva, 533
9. Zoë, 522
10. Evi, 510

Boy Names
1. Noah, 635 baby boys
2. Sem, 631
3. Lucas, 629
4. Finn, 615
5. Daan, 614
6. Levi, 609
7. Milan, 583
8. Bram, 573
9. Luuk, 572
10. Jesse, 532

In the boys’ top 10, Bram replaced Max (now 18th).

In 2016, the top two names were Anna and Daan (both of which now rank 5th).

Source: Noah and Emma top the list of most popular Dutch baby names

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Netherlands (public domain)

Where did the baby name Tessibel come from in 1917?

The character Tessibel Skinner from the movie "The Secret of the Storm Country" (1917).
Tessibel from “The Secret of the Storm Country“

The name Tessibel has appeared only once in the U.S. baby name data, way back in 1917:

  • 1919: unlisted
  • 1918: unlisted
  • 1917: 7 baby girls named Tessibel [debut]
  • 1916: unlisted
  • 1915: unlisted

For a better picture of what usage looked like around this time, though, let’s check out data from the Social Security Death Index:

  • 1919: 2 people named Tessibell, 1 person named Tesibel
  • 1918: 1 person named Tessibel, 1 person named Tessibell
  • 1917: 4 people named Tessibel, 1 person named Tessibell, 1 person named Tessibelle
  • 1916: 3 people named Tessibel
  • 1900-1915: no one with any of these names

So where did the name Tessibel come from in the mid-1910s, and why were there a few extra Tessibels in 1917?

The inspiration was fictional character Tessibel Skinner, invented by author Grace Miller White and first introduced in the 1909 book Tess of the Storm Country. A second book featuring Tess, The Secret of the Storm Country, came out in 1917.

The first book was made into four different films (in 1914, 1922, 1932, and 1960) and the second was made into a single film the same year it was published.

My guess is that the name got a nudge in 1917 thanks to the release of the new story, which was also serialized in the now-defunct magazine Woman’s World. The marketing for the movie — which featured popular actress Norma Talmadge (who went on to star in The Heart of Wetona and Smilin’ Through) — could have been a factor as well.

Do you like the name Tessibel? Do you think it’s a good alternative to names like Isabel and Annabel?