Tess

English, diminutive of Theresa

"to harvest"

Tess Origin and Meaning

The name Tess is a girl's name of English origin meaning "to harvest".

Cosy and warm but with plenty of substance and strength, Tess is a literary diminutive that works perfectly well as a stand-alone name. Stylish in the Netherlands, it currently sits outside the Top 1000 in the US, where Tessa and Teresa are currently preferred.

Perhaps the most iconic and memorable Tess is the heroine of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the moral center of the tragic novel. Typically derived from Theresa, the name is associated with harvest time, though it may also be used as a nickname sunny Welsh Tesni, aristocratic Contessa, and rare Otessa.

The name ranked in the US and UK charts back in the 2000s and 2010s, but has since been displaced by longer form Tessa, but we could easily see it returning to the charts in coming years. Chosen by fashion writer Plum Sykes in 2010 and by actor Luke Macfarlane in 2023, other notable bearers include writer Tess Gerritsen and presenter Tess Daly.

International alternatives include Swedish Tessan and Dutch Tessel.

Tess Rank in US Top 1000

# 998 in the US

Tess Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 269 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Tess

• 269 Nameberry 2025
• 784 Unique 2024
• 999 England 2017
• 11 Netherlands 2024

20 Names Similar to Tess

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Tess.

• Libby
• Heidi
• Gwen
• Margo
• Nellie
• Della
• Maggie
• Darcy
• Lucie
• Laurel
• Bridget
• Josie
• Liv
• Maxine
• Simone
• Marnie
• Nina
• Lucille
• Meredith
• Fiona

Famous People Named Tess

• Tessie Jean "Tess" Harper American actress
• Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly English model and TV presenter
• Tess Amber Taylor American model and reality TV personality ("Pretty Wild")
• Tess Holliday (born Ryann Maegen Hoven) American plus size model
• Tess Uriza Holthe Filipina American novelist
• Tess Slesinger American novelist and screenwriter
• Tess Gaerthe Dutch singer
• Tess Walker youngest daughter of Elle Walker, co,founder of YouTube channel "whatsupmoms"
• Tess Gerritsen American novelist
• Tess Mattisson Swedish pop singer
• Tess Wiley American singer,songwriter
• Therese "Tess" Gardella American stage actress
• Tess Gallagher American author; wife of author Raymond Carver
• Tess Mallos (born Anastasia Calopades) Australian cookbook author and chef

The name Tess in Pop Culture

• Tess Durbeyfield main character in Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles"
• Tess Trueheart character in Dick Tracy comics
• Tessa "Tess" Gray character in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy
• Tess Quin character in Kresley Cole's "The Arcana Chronicles"
• Tess McGill main character in film "Working Girl"
• Teresa "Tess" Bell character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
• Tess Carlisle character in 1994 film "Guarding Tess"
• Tess Carroll character in film and book "Charlie St. Cloud"
• Tess Coleman character in film "Freaky Friday"
• Tess Finnegan character in film "Fool's Gold"
• Tess Harding character in film "Woman of the Year"
• Tess Ocean character in the Ocean's Eleven film series
• Tess character in 2010 film "Burlesque"
• Tess Tyler character in film "Camp Rock"
• Tess Harding character on TV's "Roswell"
• Tess character in Lily Tomlin's sketches, sometimes called "Trudy"
• Tess character in Marie Lu's "Legend"
• Tess character on TV's "Ravenswood"
• Tess Bateman character on British TV series "Casualty"
• Tess Skinner main character in 1922 silent film "Tess of the Storm Country"
• Tess Struan character in "Tai,Pan" and "Gai,Jin" by James Clavell
• Tess Doerner character on TV's "The 4400"
• Tess character in 'Fallen In Love' by Lauren Kate
• Tess Foster main character in Canadian TV series "Life With Boys"
• Tess Nichols character in 2008 film "27 Dresses"
• Tess Harris character on British soap "Emmerdale"
• Tess Adamson character on New Zealand soap "Shortland Street"
• Tess Fontana character on TV's "Eureka"
• Tess Silverman McLeod character on Australian series "McLeod's Daughters"
• Tess Mercer also known as Lutessa Lena Luthor, character in DC Universe
• Tess Ramsey character on American soap opera Port Charles
• Tess Smith an alternate personality of Jessica Buchanan on American soap "One Life to Live"
• Tess character on TV's "Touched by an Angel"
• Tess Morgan character on TV's "The Flash"
• Tess character in the Jak and Daxter video game series
• Tess character in the video game The Last of Us
• Tess Wintory character in the video game Test Drive Unlimited 2
• Tess Churchmouse mouse character in the Redwall series
• Tess Clark character in Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted
• Tess Pearson character on TV's "This Is Us"
• Tess character in the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comic book series
• Therese "Tess" Dombegh main character of Rachel Hartman's "Tess of the Road"
• Tess Tyler main character in movie "Billboard Dad"