Terrance is a name of Latin origin that means "to cultivate" or "to tend to". It is derived from the Latin word "terrenus", which means earthy or relating to the land. Terrance has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, but it was not particularly common until the 20th century.
The name Terrance became more popular in English-speaking countries during the mid-20th century. In the United States, for example, its usage peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, with over 4,000 babies being named Terrance each year during those decades.
Today, Terrance is still used as a given name, but it has become less common than it was in previous generations. According to data from the Social Security Administration in the United States, only around 250 boys were named Terrance in 2020.
Some notable people with the name Terrance include Terrance Howard, an American actor and singer-songwriter born in 1969; Terrance Mann, an American baseball player born in 1989; and Terrance Hayes, an American poet and professor of English born in 1971.
Based on the statistics provided for the name Terrance in the United States, it's clear that its popularity has evolved over time. From 1895 to 1927, there were fewer than 50 births each year with this name, indicating that it was not widely used during this period.
However, starting from 1928, we see a notable increase in the number of births, reaching 45 in that year. This trend continued throughout the following decades, peaking in the late 1960s and early 1970s with over 1,000 births per year.
The name Terrance reached its peak popularity between 1970 and 1982, with more than 1,300 births each year during this period. This period of high popularity lasted for about two decades before gradually declining.
From the early 1990s onwards, there was a significant decrease in the number of births with the name Terrance. The total number of births fell below 500 per year and continued to decline steadily. Between 2010 and 2022, fewer than 300 births were recorded each year.
In conclusion, while the name Terrance was quite popular in the mid-to-late 20th century, it has seen a significant decrease in popularity since then. As of recent years, it is no longer among the most common names given to newborn boys in the United States.