The baby name Tess is just a single syllable, once short for longer, traditional choices, but now a possible independent choice.
Thanks to Anna and Sophie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
TESS of the D’URBERVILLES
Back in 1891, English novelist Thomas Hardy wrote Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It wasn’t exactly a hit at the time, but since then, it’s become widely read and often adapted.
Hardy’s Tess is virtuous, even brave, when circumstances continually turn against her. It’s a harrowing tale that ends on a sad note.
She’s the most enduring of the women named Tess, the one that appears on every list. But the baby name Tess has been used for countless women over the years. It’s just a bit tough to pin down exact numbers.
TERESA, THERESA, THERESE
Hardy’s tragic heroine is mostly addressed as just plain Tess, but at one point, she’s referred to as “Mistress Teresa d’Urberville.”
Likewise, many a Tess is actually named Theresa, Teresa, or Therese – or even Tessa, another nickname that now stands on its own. The names come from the Greek Therasia, meaning harvest – or possibly summer.
Tess might also be short for Esther, Estelle, and Estella; title name Contessa; and smoosh names like Tessalyn and Tessianne.
But could Tess work as an independent name?
Possibly.
After all, classic Theresa – a favorite of saints and royals aplenty – left the US Top 1000 after 2010. The French Therese last ranked in 1984. Teresa remains in use, but has been falling since the 1980s.
Former nickname go-tos Tracy, Tracey, and Tracie, as well as Terry, Terri, and Teri are also past their moment.
That opened the door to Tess. From 1983 through 2013, the baby name Tess ranked in the US Top 1000.
Today, it’s been eclipsed by Tessa. But it’s easy to imagine that plenty of girls out there still answer to the single-syllable name Tess – even if it’s not on their birth certificate.
BY the NUMBERS
In fact, just 107 girls were named Tess in 2022.
The name peaked in 1992, with 529 newborn girls called Tess.
But it’s been used in small numbers dating back to the late nineteenth century when national US data is first available.
The challenge is that, as a nickname, Tess won’t necessarily register on any popularity chart.
FICTIONAL CHARACTERS CALLED TESS
Plenty of fictional characters have answered to the name, including:
- Katharine Hepburn played Tess Harding in Woman of the Year.
- Tess Trueheart was the love interest, and eventually wife, of comic strip detective Dick Tracy.
- Working Girl gave us brainy Tess McGill, who got the job and the guy in the 1988 hit movie starring Melanie Griffith.
- The head angel on Touched by an Angel was called Tess.
- On Roswell, a prime time soap with an alien twist, Tess was one of the part-human hybrids.
- Shirley MacLaine wore the name in Guarding Tess, as fictional former First Lady Tess Carlisle.
- 2003’s Freaky Friday gave the name Tess to the mom, played by Jamie Lee Curtis.
- In the Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12 movies, Julia Roberts plays Tess Ocean, the wife of mastermind Danny, played by George Clooney.
- Kate Hudson was Tess in Fool’s Gold in 2008.
- 2010’s Burlesque gave us Cher as Tess Scali.
- Model Tess Holliday’s career took off in the 2010s, with campaigns for major brands, as well as her work with the body positive movement.
- The cast of Camp Rock included an aspiring singer called Tess.
- Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles series of young adult fantasy novels centers on Evie Greene, but Tess Quinn is part of the series’ universe.
- Speaking of young adult novels, Tess of the Road is a 2018 novel by Rachel Hartman. The character returned in a 2022 sequel.
- There’s a Tess in the video game The Last of Us. The character has also appeared in the television adaptation.
- Celebrated poet Tess Gallagher has received a National Endowment for the Arts award, as well as a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship.
The list is incomplete, especially if you factor in women named Theresa who answer to Tess.
Two of note: Baroness Rothschild, born Teresa but called Tess. After completing her education at Cambridge, she was recruited into counter-intelligence during World War II. She later married into the famous family.
There’s also Oscar-nominated actress Tess Harper, born Tessie.
TESSIE
Speaking of Tessie, it’s a name that brings Boston fans to their feet.
A 1902 song borrowed from a Broadway musical was originally sung by supporters of the Red Sox. In 2004, the Dropkick Murphys updated it, and it’s still a favorite anthem for fans.
THREE or FOUR
It is tempting to link Tess to the Greek tesseres – four. That’s folk etymology, though – the name simply doesn’t come from the word, at least not directly.
There’s also the Cornish Tressa – which literally means third.
BESS, JESS, and TESS
It’s also worth noting that Tess fits neatly into a long-standing format for a girl’s name.
Bess is short for Elizabeth, or possibly another B name.
Jess logically comes from Jessica.
Kess could also work, and names like Dessa, Essa, Essie, and Nessa are sometimes heard. Actor Fess Parker portrayed Davy Crockett on the Disney television series, and later played Daniel Boone, too.
So that strong “ess” sound clicks as a given name for many of us.
While the popularity of the name Tess is tough to gauge, with Tessa, Teresa, and other formal options all beyond the current US Top 100, it’s unlikely this name will feel too common.
If names like Kate and June appeal to you, vintage nickname Tess could belong on your list, too.
What do you think of the baby name Tess?
TESS
sweet & simple
Straightforward nickname for classic Teresa.
Popularity
unranked in the US as of 2022; Tessa is #332
Trend
decreasing in use
Origin
Greek; meaning either harvest or summer.
First published on August 29, 2011, this post was revised on January 9, 2024 and again on April 3, 2024.
I think of Tess the same way I think about Nan and Meg. Cute in a casual, retro way… but I’d prefer that it was short for Teresa or my preferred form of the name Theresia.
An acquaintance has a young Theresa — nicknamed Reese. Tess has a lot more spunk.
I know a Patrice who answers to Reece – interesting!
I’m not a big fan of Tess by itself as a first name (it’s an excellent nickname!), but it has been on my list of possible middles in the past.
I have a soft spot for Bess, too.
If I had had a girl, we would have named her Thessaly, with Tess as a nickname.
Oh I take it back – Thessaly ROCKS!
Tessa & Tess are absolutely gorgeous! My sister’s middle name is Theresa (first name is Sarah). She was named after our paternal great-grandmother who died shortly before she was born, back in ’88, so nice way to honor both of them. I prefer Tessa as the given name and then I could use Tess as a nickname.
Not so crazy about Teresa/Theresa though, but it’s still pretty.
Thumbs up! 🙂
I’m never sure about Tessa – I like it, but I’d be inclined to use Teresa. Or Theodora. Or Quintessence!
Correction: Great-grandmother was Regina Theresa, not just Theresa. I always thought it was Theresa until I took another look at my copy of the family tree. But my sister was still named after her. Our dad actually wanted to name her that, but my mom didn’t like it and wanted to name her Sarah (and I kept calling her “baby sister Sarah”. I was under 2 years old then, just turned 2 by the time she was born) so they stuck Theresa in the middle.
Regina runs in my dad’s family too. Paternal grandmother and great-grandmother, and one of my aunts were all Regina’s, except that unlike my great-grandma and aunt, my grandma was born Regina Joan.
I love Theodora too, but I’d be more likely to shorten it to Thea. Tessa works well for it too though, or Tess.
I also like the idea of Elizabeth, Elizaveta (Russian form of Elizabeth) or Elizabete (Latvian form) nn Tessa/Tess, but not crazy about the more obvious long forms like Theresa/Teresa/Therese.
Only as a nickname for Teresa. (And only spelled that way, even though I’m usually a traditionalist.)
This was on my list for a girl, but my husband vetoed.
I do like Teresa over Theresa – it is actually my confirmation name, in honor of Teresa of Avila.
One of my cousin’s has a daughter named Tessa Jean. So, while I love this name (Tess, Tessie, and even Tessa), I obviously can’t use it. They had Tessa had picked out when their oldest (who is a boy) was in utero, and I fell in love with it. Of course, little Tessa was almost Elsie, which I also adore. FYI, Tessa’s older siblings are Jude Adam and Millie Claire.
Millie and Tessa are really sweet together.
I agree – Jude, Millie, Tessa – nice sibset!
Well, as a partial Arabic speaker, my first thought about Tess is as a nn for Tesneem. I know a few Tesneems and one answers mostly to Tessie.
I find Tess a tad incomplete to stand alone, though I could see it work with a really long surname.
I actually like Tess and Tessa for Theresa. I file Theresa with Susannah and Magdalena: great Biblical names with good nicknames that everyone around me finds hopelessly dated 🙁
I like all of those names! And I have not one, but two acquaintances my age (20s) who answer to Susanna/h. They are classic names, not stuffy, IMO.
Theresa isn’t a Biblical name.
Thanks countrylizb, I always forget; because of Mother Theresa the name has a strong religious vibe for me.
@Lauren – it’s my mom (born in the late 50s) who has the most negative reactions to these names, esp Susannah. I guess she grew up with a lot of Susans/Susannahs and Theresas.
I would likely only use her as a short form of something else. Tess Daly is quite a well known presenter over here in the UK, but she was born Helen Elizabeth!
I know an older woman named Theodora, called Tessie. The full name-nn combo is so appealing!
Tess for Theodora is genius!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Tess — possibly because I know a lovely dog of the name as a child (yes, dog! but she was such a lovely girl!). I much prefer it to Teresa and even Tessa. I quite like the Greek Tethys or Thetis – or even the hippie Quintessence 😉 – as possible ‘long forms.’
Quintessence – that might be my new favorite!