Terence

TEHR-uns
Latin clan name
"soft; thresher"
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Terence Origin and Meaning

The name Terence is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "soft; thresher".

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.

# 925 in the US

Terence Rank in US Top 1000

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# 2755 on Nameberry

Terence Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

02004006008001000201220142015201620172018

Popularity of the name Terence

20 Names Similar to Terence

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

Famous People Named Terence

  • Terence
    ancient Roman playwright
  • Terence Stamp
    English actor
  • Terence Rattigan
    English playwright
  • Terence Trent D'Arby
    American singer,songwriter
  • Terence Blanchard
    American jazz trumpeter
  • Terence Young
    British film director
  • Terence McKenna
    American philosopher and psychonaut
  • Terence Richard McAuliffe
    72nd Governor of Virginia

The name Terence in Pop Culture

  • Terence Mann
    character in the film "Field of Dreams," played by James Earl Jones
  • Terence
    male fairy in movie "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"
  • Terence O'Connor
    main character in G. A. Henty's, With Moore and Corunna, and, Under Wellington's Command

International Variations of the name Terence

  • Terentino
    Greek
  • Terencio
    Spanish
  • Terrance
    French
  • Terentilo
    Greek
  • Theirry
    French
  • Tarantino
    Greek
  • Terenciano
    Italian
  • Terrence
    French
  • Terancio
    Italian
  • Terenz
    German

The name Terence in Nameberry Blog Posts