Girl · English (pet form of Teresa) · Christian
Tessa
TessaSay it TES-a
- Meaning today
- Harvester, reaper
- Original meaning
- "pet form of Teresa, of uncertain origin; possibly Greek therizō, 'to reap'" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G2325
- Say it
- TES-a
- Other spellings
- Tesa, Tessah
Tessa
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Tessa meaning
Tessa is a Christian girl's name of English origin (pet form of Teresa).
Meaning today
Harvester, reaper
Original English (pet form of Teresa) meaning
"pet form of Teresa, of uncertain origin; possibly Greek therizō, 'to reap'"
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G2325 · entry therizō · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Tessa started as an English pet form of Teresa and is now a name in its own right. Where Teresa comes from is uncertain. One common suggestion links it to Greek therizō, which Strong's Concordance defines as 'to harvest, to reap', and that is where the popular meaning 'harvester' comes from; another connects it with the Greek island of Thera. Neither can be proved, so the meaning is best treated as a possibility. For Christian families the name recalls two great saints, Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux, and in India also St Teresa of Kolkata. In India Tessa is used in Christian families as a short, modern-sounding name.
References: Strong's G2325, therizo (Bible Hub) · Wikipedia, Teresa
Popularity abroad
- #311 United States, girls 2025 (down 8 from 303 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #667 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Tessa · Tesa · Tessah