Termaine
A masculine name of English origin meaning "the end" or "boundary".
Name Census estimates that about 672 living Americans carry the first name Termaine. It is a predominantly male name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Termaine today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Termaine births was 1982 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Termaine. 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
672
~ 1 in 510,051 Americans
Peak year
1982
51 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2018 SSA rank
#8,159
Tracked since 1971
Census
Termaine in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 430 people with the first name Termaine, which placed it at #22,949 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
#22,949
National first-name rank
People counted
430
430 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Termaine
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Termaine is Black at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (1.9%). 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 Termaine 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 Termaine at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.0% · 404
- Two or more races3.5% · 15
- White1.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Termaine
Termaine leans heavily male at 98.1% of total registrations, but 13 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Termaine as a male name
- Ranked #11,981 in 2018
- 6 male births in 2018
- Peak: 1982 (43 births)
Termaine as a female name
- Ranked #8,159 in 1982
- 8 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1982 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Termaine leans strongly male. 400 people counted with this name were male (93.5%), compared with 28 female bearers (6.5%).
Popularity
Termaine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Termaine from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 281 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Termaine 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 Termaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Termaines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Louisiana, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Termaine, while New York, Florida, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Termaine
The name Termaine has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "terminus," which means "boundary" or "limit." It is believed to have been used as a name during the height of the Roman Empire, around the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Termaine can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a soldier by that name in his work "Annals." Although the details surrounding this individual are scarce, it is a significant early reference to the name's existence.
During the Middle Ages, the name Termaine appeared to have fallen out of common usage, likely due to the decline of Latin as a primary language. However, it resurfaced in the Renaissance period, when there was a renewed interest in classical Roman culture and literature.
One notable bearer of the name Termaine was a French scholar and humanist who lived in the 16th century. Born in 1522, Termaine de La Rochelle was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time, known for his contributions to the fields of philosophy and literature.
In the 18th century, a German composer and musician named Termaine Gottfried Schütz gained recognition for his work in the Baroque era. Born in 1707, he composed numerous operas and concertos, and his works were highly regarded by his contemporaries.
Another individual of historical significance was Termaine Rousseau, a French revolutionary who played a role in the events of the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Born in 1754, Rousseau was a vocal advocate for democratic ideals and participated in various political activities during that tumultuous period.
In the 19th century, a British explorer named Termaine Burton embarked on several expeditions to Africa and the Middle East. Born in 1828, Burton's travels and writings contributed significantly to the understanding of different cultures and regions during that era.
While the name Termaine may not have achieved widespread popularity throughout history, it has been borne by individuals who have made notable contributions in various fields, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and epochs in which the name has been used.
People
Termaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Termaine 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
Termaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Termaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 672 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Termaine 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 510,051 US residents.
Is Termaine a common name?
We classify Termaine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 701 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Termaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Termaine was 1982, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Termaine is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Termaine in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 430 people with the name Termaine, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,949 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 Termaine 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 Termaine?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Termaine leans strongly male. 400 people counted with this name were male (93.5%), compared with 28 female bearers (6.5%). 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 Termaine?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Termaine is Black at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (1.9%). 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 Termaine most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Termaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (404 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 Termaine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Termaine a male name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Termaine in the SSA data are male. 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 Termaine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Termaine 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 Termaine 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 Americans are named Termaine?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Termaine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.