Tess / Tessa

For which names could Tess / Tessa be a nn besides T(h)eresa or something awful like Contessa? Is there anything?

Tertia-Latin name meaning "third child"
Terentia- feminine form of Terence
Theora- Greek name meaning "watcher; contemplater'
Thera- greek name meaning "wild; untamed"
Thea- Greek name meaning "goddess"
Thirza- Hebrew name meaning "pleasantness"
Contessa _Italian for "countess"

I really like Tessa as a nn! Some of these might be a stretch...

Odessa
Odette
Treasa
Talia
Theodosia
Tulia
Talisa

Teresa
Contessa
Quintessa
Tressa
Tesla
Chester
Celeste
Estefani
Esther
Honesty
Latesha
Lester
Tanesha
Tempest
Tennessee

I love the name Tess (Tessa, too), and love them as names in and of themselves.

If you'd like it as a nickname, I was thinking that you could always give your baby T.S. initials (such as Tabitha Scarlett) as a way of reaching the Tess or Tessa. Another possibility could be a T first name paired with an Es middle, such as Estelle or Esme.


Good luck! :-)

Thessaly

This one is really pretty.

deirdre wrote:Thessaly

This one is really pretty.

Doesn't this remind you of Cecily with a lisp?

rollo wrote:

deirdre wrote:Thessaly

This one is really pretty.

Doesn't this remind you of Cecily with a lisp?

No, not for me. My only objection is that it is a modern name (for a person vs a place, that is), and I prefer names with deeper histories.