Given name
Tellie
“the wisest man”
Tellie is a variant of Telly. One Greek interpretation is “the wisest man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Tellie is a variant of Telly. One Greek interpretation is “the wisest man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Tellie is a variant of Telly. An origin associated with Telly is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tellie through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 57
- 5 boys · 52 girls
- Most popular year
- 1914
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 1976. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 112 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Tellie, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elzie
“from the nobleman's estate”
19% boys · 81% girls
Tillie
“one who is mighty in battle” · “the power of the people”
>99% girls
Celie
>99% girls
Elvie
“a friend of the elves” · “an elf warrior”
>99% girls
Bessie
“my God is bountiful” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls
Essie
“resembling a star” · “myrtle”
>99% girls
Sallie
“princess; lady” · “princess”
>99% girls
Nettie
“a woman graced with God's favor”
>99% girls