Tessa is a distinctive choice, ranked #667 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Tessa in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#667
US Rank #311
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About the Name Tessa
Tessa has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 119 places in five years. It was most popular in 1996 at #410 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Tessa is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Tessa in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #303, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Tessa
Tessa Niles — Tessa Margaret Niles is an English singer, best known as a backing singer for a wide variety of contemporary artists.
Tessa Fowler — Tessa Fowler is a Vanuatuan former politician.
Tessa Ía — Tessa Ía González Norvind, known as Tessa Ía, is a Mexican actress best known for her starring role in After Lucia.
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 Tessa
Unlikely. With around 56 UK babies named Tessa per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Tessa in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Tessa has been fairly steady, ranked #667 in 2025 against #589 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #410 in 1996.
Tessa is more popular in the US (#303) than in the UK (#708). 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 Tessa include: Tessa Niles, Tessa Fowler and Tessa Ía. Short summaries for each appear below.
Tessa appears in the US top 500 at #303 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
56
UK babies named Tessa (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 78 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Tessa
Almost certainly the only Tessa in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Tessa
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Tessa Jane Helen Douglas Jowell, Baroness Jowell, was a British Labour Party politician and life peer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dulwich and West Norwood, previously Dulwich, from 1992 to 2015.