Given name & surname
Tera
Tera is a surname. It is used in Estonian and Icelandic.
Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Tera isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1885. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tera through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,918
- 0 boys · 9,918 girls
- Most popular year
- 1984
- 416 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −6%
- Steady
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 8 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 416 in 1984. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,809 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.
Tera’s family of names
Tera has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Teresa. In English usage, Tera has a related form in Tara.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Tera
- Tera de Marez OyensDutch composer1932–1996
- Tera van BeilenCanadian swimmer, Olympic athlete, Pan American Games silver medallistborn 1993
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tera, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tiara
“one who is crowned”
>99% girls
Tia
“an aunt” · “daughter born to royalty”
>99% girls
Taryn
“of the thunder” · “from the high, rocky hill”
7% boys · 93% girls
Talitha
“a maiden; young girl”
>99% girls
Cara
“beloved” · “one who is dearly loved”
>99% girls
Allegra
Allegra is a variant of Alegria. One Spanish interpretation is “one who is cheerful and brings happiness to others.”
>99% girls
Mayra
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Leandra
“resembling a lioness”
>99% girls