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Terrilyn
How to Pronounce Terrilyn
Pronounced TERR-uh-lin /ˈtɛr.ə.lɪn/Medium
Meaning: Terrilyn is a compound name splicing Terri — a pet form of Teresa, from Greek roots often read as 'harvester' — with the fashionable -lyn/Lynn ending. It is a textbook example of the mid-century American habit of building fresh girls' names by welding a nickname to -lyn.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Terrilyn is a made-in-America blend, joining Terri to the ubiquitous mid-century suffix -lyn (from Lynn). Terri itself is a short form of Teresa, a name of Greek origin traditionally linked to the sense of 'harvester' or associated with the Aegean island of Therasia. The compound follows the same recipe as Sherilyn, Roselyn and Marilyn.
The name crested around 1958, at the height of the -lyn vogue, and faded as that fashion cooled. It reads clearly as a nineteen-fifties creation — feminine, three-beat and of its moment — and a Terrilyn today carries a distinctly mother-or-grandmother-era name with no notable modern comeback.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Terrilyn mean?
Terrilyn blends Terri — a short form of Teresa — with the -lyn ending, a common mid-century recipe.
How do you pronounce Terrilyn?
It's said TERR-uh-lin /ˈtɛr.ə.lɪn/ — three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Terrilyn a boy or girl name?
Terrilyn is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Terrilyn?
Terrilyn was an uncommon blended name that crested in the late nineteen-fifties and has been rare since.