Tressie

A diminutive of Theresa, with a sweet, sassy sound, Tressie loses out to Tess, Tessie, and Terri, perhaps because it rhymes with stressy, or because it reminds English speakers at least of a word for long hair (as in, "long tresses"). While it recent years have seen it given to very small handful of girls, it did appear in the US Top 1000 from 1880 to 1939. Notable bearers include Tressie Souders, the first (known) African American woman to direct a feature film, and Tressie McMillan Cottom, a sociologist, writer, and professor.

Pronounced TRES-ee.

As of October 2026, Tressie ranked #17070 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #402 in 1901.