Terry

The male first name Terry has been used since the beginning of the 20th century as a short and pet form of the English name Terence, which originally comes from the Roman family name Terentius of the 'gens Terentia'.

What does the name Terry mean?

The male first name Terry has been used since the beginning of the 20th century as a short and pet form of the English name Terence, which originally comes from the Roman family name Terentius of the 'gens Terentia'. Directly translated, it means 'the Smooth' or 'the Terentian'. The origin is not precisely clarified; it likely lies in Sabine, but it can be derived from the Latin word teres meaning 'polished' and 'smooth'. Furthermore, the female name Terry is considered a variant spelling of Terri and thus represents a pet form of Theresa. Its meaning then becomes 'the one descended from Thera', 'the huntress', 'the game', and also 'the harvest worker' or 'the summer'. The origin is not precisely clarified; the roots lie in Ancient Greek, most likely in the word Thḗrā (Θήρᾱ) for the Aegean island Thira, now Santorini in Greece. However, it may also stem from the expressions thēráō (θηράω) meaning 'to hunt' or thēríon (θηρίον) meaning 'the animal, the wild animal, the game animal' or therízo (θερίζω) meaning 'to harvest, to mow' or perhaps in théros (θέρος) meaning 'summer'. Additionally, it is believed that Terry was brought to England by the Normans in the Middle Ages and developed as a patronymic of the French name Thierry, which traces back to the Germanic first name Theodoric, originally derived from the Old Gothic Thiudareiks (Þiudareiks). The name means 'the ruler of the people' and 'the powerful in the people'. The origin of the name lies in the Old High German elements diot or thiot meaning 'the people' and rihhi meaning 'rich', 'powerful', 'the power', 'the rule', 'the ruler' or the Gothic expressions thiuda meaning 'the people' and reiks meaning 'the ruler'. The name became known through Terentius Maximus, a Roman who rebelled during the reign of Titus but was unable to prevail. Other variants include Terenzo, Terenzio, Terenz, Terencjusz, Terance, Terrence, Terrance, and Terrey. The female form Terentia is also used.

Where does the name Terry come from?

Etymology Terry is a male and female first name of Old High German and Latin origin with the meanings 'the Terentian' or 'the one descended from Thera'. Ancient Greek Old High German Latin

How do you pronounce Terry?

Terry is pronounced like 'Teri'.

When is the name day of Terry?

The name day of Terry is August 26, October 1, and October 15.

Popularity

Terry is a rare name in Germany. In 2022, it ranked 5,453rd in the list of the most common male baby names. Its best ranking was achieved in 2018 at 1,533rd place. In the last ten years, Terry has been given as a first name about 50 times, placing it 3,301st in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 3,511th.

Nicknames & pet names

Ry / RyRy / Ter

Similar first names

Famous people

• Sir Terry Pratchett (British fantasy author, Discworld)
• Terry Angus (British footballer)
• Terry Armstrong (footballer from Great Britain)
• Terry Atkinson (English artist)
• Terry Brooks (American fantasy author)
• Terry Clark (American baseball player)
• Terry Cooper (writer from England)
• Terry Cox (British drummer)
• Terry Deglau (American photographer)
• Terry Devon (English jazz musician)
• Terry Dowling (Australian writer)
• Terry Dyson (British footballer)
• Terry Ellis (American singer)
• Terry Farrell (American actress)
• Terry Felton (American baseball player)
• Terry Fox (baseball player from the USA)
• Terry Goodkind (American fantasy author)
• Terry Gordini (Italian boxer)
• Terry Gray (badminton player from Australia)
• Terry Gregory (American musician)