Tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court.
Meaning & Origin of Tennis
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Tennis
The earliest SSA record of Tennis as a baby boy name dates back to 1913, when 6 babies received it. 1926 was its biggest year on record, with 14 newborns named Tennis — #2,186 in the national rankings. About 27% of every Tennis on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Tennis last appeared in the published SSA data in 1967, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 202 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Tennis
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tennis 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 Tennis
What does the name Tennis mean?
How popular is Tennis in 2026?
When was Tennis most popular?
In which U.S. states is Tennis most popular?
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About the name Tennis
Tennis is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 202 births in the dataset. Tennis's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #2,186. Use the chart and map above to compare Tennis's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1926 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.