Terence is a male given name, derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

name

Terentius The gens Terentia was a plebs, plebeian family at ancient Rome. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Dionysius mentions a Gaius Terentilius Harsa, Gaius Terentius Arsa, Tribune of the Plebs, tribune of the plebs in 462 BC, but Livy calls him ''Terentilius'' ...

. The

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A ( abbreviated ) is a word-form ...

form is

Terry Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Ame ...

. Spelling variants include Terrence, Terrance, Terance and (in Scotland) Torrance.

Notable people with this name

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

(c. 195/185 - c. 159 BC), Latin playwright * Saint Terence, several people *

Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heaven & Hell ...

(born Terence Butler in 1949), British musician of

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

fame *

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in the Cabrini– ...

(1945–2012), American jazz and folk singer and guitarist *

Terry Crews Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom '' Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jefford ...

, American actor and TV presenter *

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, ''Introducing the Hardlin ...

(b. 1962), R&B musician *

Terry A. Davis Terrence Andrew Davis (December 15, 1969 – August 11, 2018) was an American programmer who created and designed TempleOS, a public domain operating system. Its development was an extremely complex, time-consuming and unusual undertaking for on ...

(1969 -2018), developer of TempleOS * Terence Dials (b. 1983), American basketball player *

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

(1958-1981), Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist *

Terence Garvin Terence Damian Garvin (born January 1, 1991) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for West Virginia, and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2013. College career As a freshman a ...

(b. 1991), American football player *

Torry Gillick Torrance Gillick (19 May 1915 – 16 December 1971) was a Scottish footballer who played as a winger for Rangers, Everton and Partick Thistle, and for the Scotland national team. Club career Born in Airdrie, Gillick was signed for Rangers in ...

(1915-1971), Scottish footballer *

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

, Italian actor *

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films '' Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema role ...

, American actor and singer *

Terrence Hughes In professional wrestling, TNT is a tag team consisting of twin brothers Terrell Hughes and Terrence Hughes (born February 25, 1995), the sons of Impact and WWE Hall of Famer Devon "D-Von Dudley" Hughes. Early lives Terrell and Terrence compe ...

, American professional wrestler *

Terrence Jenkins Terrence Jenkins (born April 21, 1982) is an American actor, television presenter, model and entertainment reporter best known as the host of BET's popular music video countdown show ''106 & Park'' from 2006 until 2012.MacCash, Doug. "Back in t ...

, American actor, TV personality, and model * Terrence Magee, American football player *

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenpl ...

, American filmmaker *

Terence MacSwiney Terence James MacSwiney (; ga, Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne; 28 March 1879 – 25 October 1920) was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He ...

(1879–1920), Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike during the Irish War of Independence *

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 ...

, American politician and businessman *

Terence McKenna Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist and mystic who advocated the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including ...

, American writer and philosopher *

, Canadian film producer *

Terence Millin Terence John Millin FRCSI FRCS LRCP (9 January 1903 - 1980) was a British-born Irish urological surgeon, who in 1945, introduced a surgical treatment of benign large prostates using the retropubic prostatectomy, later known as the Millin's pr ...

(1903–1980), Irish surgeon *

Terence Morris Terence Darea Morris (born January 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was twice the Israeli Basketball Premier League Defensive Player of the Year, in 2007 and 2008. He was an All-EuroLeague First Team selection i ...

(born 1979) NBA and

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

basketball player *

Terence Newman Terence Newman (born September 4, 1978) is a former American football cornerback. He played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and Vikings. He played college football at Kansas State, wh ...

, American football player *

Terence O'Neill Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC (NI) (10 September 1914 – 12 June 1990), was the fourth prime minister of Northern Ireland and leader (1963–1969) of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). A moderate unionist, who sought ...

, Ulster Unionist politician, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland *

Terence Parkin Terence Mike Parkin (born 12 April 1980 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) is a swimmer from South Africa, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 200m Breaststroke. Parkin, who is deaf, also competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics, as we ...

, deaf South African swimmer and the most decorated Deaflympic athlete in history *

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comic fantasy, comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchet ...

, English author *

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wa ...

, British dramatist *

Terence Sanders Terence Robert Beaumont Sanders (2 June 1901 – 6 April 1985) was a British rower who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, a lecturer in engineering at Cambridge, an army officer engaged in countering the V2 threat, civil servant and High She ...

(1901–1985), British rower *

Terence Stamp Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. Stamp is known for his sophisticated villain roles. He was named by '' Empire Magazine'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades in ...

, British actor *

Terence Steele Terence Steele (born June 4, 1997) is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech. Early years Steele attended Byron P. Steele High School. As a ...

(born 1997), American football player *

Terence Tao Terence Chi-Shen Tao (; born 17 July 1975) is an Australian-American mathematician. He is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he holds the James and Carol Collins chair. His research includes ...

, Australian mathematician winner of a Fields Medal *

Terrence Watson Terrence Watson (born March 3, 1987) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Premier League. A forward, he played college basketball for Mott Community College, University of Mississippi and Ba ...

(born 1987), American-Israeli basketball player *

Terrence Wilcutt Terrence Wade Wilcutt (born October 31, 1949) is a United States Marine Corps officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Wilcutt was NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, until his retirement from ...

, American astronaut *

Terence Winter Terence Patrick Winter (born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and producer of television and film. He is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–14). Before creating ''Boardwalk ...

, American television and film writer * Terence Wilson, also known as Astro, former British singer and member of British band

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

Terence Young (director) Shaun Terence Young (20 June 1915 – 7 September 1994) was an Irish film director and screenwriter who worked in the United Kingdom, Europe and Hollywood. He is best known for directing three James Bond films, including the first two films ...

, British film director *

Terence Young (politician) Terence Hart Young (born July 24, 1952) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2008 to 2015 who represented the riding of Oakville. Previously, Young was a Progressive Conser ...

(b. 1952), Canadian politician * Terence Kelly, many people

Fictional characters

* Terence or Terrence (Terry) Granchester (or Grandchester), male character in ''

Candy Candy is a Japanese series created by Kyoko Mizuki. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardley is a blonde girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long hair, worn in pigtails with bows. ''Candy Candy'' first appeared as a mang ...

'' (manga, anime and Final Story) *

Terence the Tractor This article is about the characters that have appeared in the books of ''The Railway Series'' by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry and Christopher Awdry. Unless otherwise stated on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Wilbert ...

in ''

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. T ...

'' and ''

Thomas and Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' * Terence, the large red bird from the ''

Angry Birds ''Angry Birds'' is a Finnish action-based media franchise created by Rovio Entertainment. The game series focuses on the eponymous flock of angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs. Inspired by the game '' Crush the Castl ...

'' video game series * Terence, a pixie dust sparrow-man from ''

Disney Fairies ''Disney Fairies'' is a Disney franchise created in 2005. The franchise is built around the character of Tinker Bell from Disney's 1953 animated film ''Peter Pan'', subsequently adopted as a mascot for the company. In addition to the fictional fai ...

'' * Terence, a bath toy crocodile in ''

Rubbadubbers ''Rubbadubbers'' is a 2003 British stop-motion children's television series produced by HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series aired from 15 January 2003 to 3 November 2005 on BBC2 in the UK. Created by Peter Curtis, it features seven ...

'' * Terence (Terry) Morris, a character in the '' X-Files'' TV series, episodes "Dreamland" and "Dreamland II" * Terrance and Phillip, a duo of characters in the animated TV series, '' South Park'' * Terrence (Terry) McGinnis, the main character of ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

'' * Terrence, Mac's older brother, in ''

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' (also known as ''Foster's Home'', or simply ''Foster's'' for short) is an American animated television series created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios a ...

References

{{given name, Terence, nocat English masculine given names it:Terenzio (nome) pl:Terencjusz (imię) ru:Терентий

Notable people with this name

Fictional characters

See also

References