Tearra
A feminine name of unknown origin with several suggested meanings including "earth", "Mother Earth", or "from the highlands".
Name Census estimates that about 732 living Americans carry the first name Tearra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tearra today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tearra births was 1989 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tearra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
732
~ 1 in 468,244 Americans
Peak year
1989
43 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2018 SSA rank
#17,888
Tracked since 1977
Census
Tearra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 572 people with the first name Tearra, which placed it at #18,742 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,742
National first-name rank
People counted
572
572 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
69.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tearra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tearra is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tearra described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tearra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.8% · 399
- White15.2% · 87
- Two or more races8.2% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
Popularity
Tearra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tearra from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 350 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tearra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tearra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tearras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, Alabama recorded the most babies named Tearra, while New York, Missouri, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tearra
The name Tearra is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across various cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the name Teras was used to describe a sign or omen, often associated with divine or supernatural occurrences. This Greek root eventually evolved into the Latin word "terra," meaning earth or land.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tearra gained popularity in parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong Celtic influences. It was believed to be a variation of the name Terra, which held significant meaning in Celtic mythology, representing the goddess of the earth and fertility. The name was embraced by many families as a way to honor their connection to the land and its bountiful abundance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tearra can be found in the chronicles of the 12th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a noblewoman from the region of Brittany, France. This particular Tearra was renowned for her wisdom and her advocacy for the rights of women during a time when such voices were often silenced.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tearra. In the 14th century, Tearra de Montfort was a prominent figure in the French court, known for her skills in diplomacy and her influential role in negotiating peace treaties during a period of political turmoil. Another Tearra, born in the late 16th century, was a renowned poet and playwright in Italy, whose works celebrated the beauty of nature and the human experience.
Moving forward in time, Tearra Browne (1665-1732) was an English botanist and explorer, whose expeditions to the Americas contributed significantly to the study of plant life and the preservation of indigenous knowledge. In the 19th century, Tearra Sinclair (1818-1892) was a Scottish suffragette and activist, tirelessly fighting for women's rights and advocating for educational reforms.
More recently, Tearra Pinson (1920-2005) was an acclaimed American artist, known for her vibrant and expressive paintings that captured the essence of rural life and the beauty of the natural world. Her works have been exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums across the United States, cementing her legacy as a pioneering figure in the world of art.
While the name Tearra may not be as common as some others, its rich history and diverse cultural influences have imbued it with a depth of meaning that transcends time and borders. From its ancient Greek roots to its modern-day adaptations, the name Tearra continues to captivate and inspire, serving as a reminder of our enduring connection to the earth and the boundless potential of the human spirit.
People
Tearra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tearra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tearra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tearra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 732 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tearra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 468,244 US residents.
Is Tearra a common name?
We classify Tearra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 758 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tearra most popular?
The single biggest year for Tearra was 1989, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tearra is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tearra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 572 people with the name Tearra, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,742 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tearra in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tearra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tearra appears almost entirely female. Of the 576 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tearra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tearra is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tearra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tearra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (399 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tearra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tearra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tearra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tearra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tearra in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tearra can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Tearra?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Tearra, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.