Tellis
Tellis is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:Ashley J. Tellis, international relations scholar Gerard Tellis, business professor Tellis Frank, American basketball player Tellis of Sicyon, Ancient Greek athlete
Meaning & Origin of Tellis
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tellis is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:Ashley J. Tellis, international relations scholar Gerard Tellis, business professor Tellis Frank, American basketball player Tellis of Sicyon, Ancient Greek athlete
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Tellis
Tellis first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1919, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 25 Telliss were born — ranking #1,884 that year. As of 2026, Tellis ranks #12,153 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 295 Telliss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Tellis
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tellis is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tellis
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About the name Tellis
Tellis is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1919 and has accumulated 295 births in the dataset. Tellis's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #1,884. Use the chart and map above to compare Tellis's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1975 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.