Terence

A name that seems to hail from the old Irish neighborhoods of Boston and New York, Terence actually dates back a lot further, to the time of a famous second-century poet, who started life as a North African enslaved man in the house of a Roman senator and it was also borne by several early saints.

Out of style for several years, Terence might be due for a comeback, much like his Irish crony Patrick. Spellings Terrance and Terrence now outperform the original. Off the list for a decade, Terence reached as high as Number 241 in the 1960s.

Though the exact meaning of Terence is unknown, suggestions include "soft" or "one who threshes", from the Sabine word terenus or the Latin terens respectively. It could also be considered the anglicized form of the Irish Toirdhealbhach, meaning "instigator".

Actor Steve McQueen was born Terence Steven McQueen and Terence is also the birth certificate name of Monty Python's Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones.

Terence is also given to girls.

Pronounced TER-ens.

As of October 2026, Terence ranked #2753 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #241 in 1964.