Terry is a distinctive choice, ranked #1705 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Terry in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1705
US Rank #975
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About the Name Terry
Terry has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 1114 places in five years. It was most popular in 1997 at #301 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Terry is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Terry in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #975, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Terry
Terry Fox — Terrance Stanley Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist.
Terry Gross — Terry Gross is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR.
Michael Grant Terry — Michael Grant Terry is an American actor, known for his recurring role as Wendell Bray on the Fox series Bones.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Terry
Unlikely. With around 15 UK babies named Terry per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Terry in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Terry is declining: down 555 places since 2020, to #1,705 in 2025. It peaked at #301 in 1997.
Terry is more popular in the US (#975) than in the UK (#2264). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Terry include: Terry Gross, Michael Grant Terry and Todd Terry. Short summaries for each appear below.
Terry does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Terrys in the wild.
15
UK babies named Terry (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 555 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Terry
Almost certainly the only Terry in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2022)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Terry
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Terry Gross is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR.
Saunders Terrell, known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and occasionally imitations of trains and fox hunts.