If you’re looking for traditional baby girl names that start with the letter T — like Tiffany, Tara, Tonya, and Taylor — you won’t find them here. Those T names are so popular that most people can just think of them off the top of their head. What you’ll find on this list are more unique names that start with T: bold, different, and in the sweet spot of being distinctive but still recognizable.
There are lots of reasons why someone might seek a specific letter to start their baby’s name. Maybe they want the first letter of the name to match the first letter of the last name. Maybe they want to honor a specific relative, but don’t want to use that person’s exact name. Or maybe they have other children whose names all start with that particular letter and they don’t want to deviate from the pattern. Whatever your reason, you’ve come here searching for names that start with the letter T — and we’ve got some very cute ones. You might even say they’re … totally terrific.
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Thalia
Image Credit: SheKnows The gorgeous Thalia has an equally cool meaning — it comes from the Greek thallo, which means “blossom”. In Greek mythology, Thalia was the name of one of the nine Muses who inspired the creations of art, literature, and music; specifically, she was the Muse of comedy, and was also associated with poetry about living in the country.
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Tegan
Image Credit: SheKnows Tegan comes from the Welsh teg, meaning “beautiful”. It’s often spelled Teagan, presumably to make sure people pronounce it TEE-gan — though the Welsh pronounce it TEH-gan.
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Thea
Image Credit: SheKnows Thea can be an adorable nickname for longer names like Theodora, Althea, and Dorothea — but it’s perfect as-is too! You can also spell it Theia, like the Greek goddess of light.
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Tallulah
It’s hard to pin down a meaning for Tallulah. It’s popularly thought to have originated in the Choctaw language and to mean “leaping water”; however, there are other sources that claim it’s from the Irish name Tuilelaith (meaning “lady of abundance”), which morphed into Tallula. Tallulah Falls is a landmark in Georgia. As a name, Tallulah lends itself well to some really cute and unique nicknames — Lulu and Tully, to name a few.
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Tia
Image Credit: SheKnows If you want to make your daughter’s life easier when she’s learning to write her name, you can’t get much better than the short-and-simple Tia! Its meaning varies, as it’s often a shorter form of longer names like Tatiana, Letitia, and Tiana.
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Taryn
Image Credit: SheKnows Taryn has an interesting meaning — it’s most likely a feminine version of Tyrone, which is an Irish place name derived from Tir Eoghain or “land of Eoghain”. It can make an adorable unisex name too!
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Tamsin
Image Credit: SheKnows You’d probably never guess the origins of the name Tamsin — unless you live in Cornwall, that is, because that seems to be where the name originated. It’s an abbreviated form of Thomasina, which means “twin”.
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Thora
Image Credit: SheKnows In Norse mythology, Thora was the wife of a Danish king named Ragnar Lodbrok. The name is most likely the feminine version of Thor, which means “thunder”.
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Tatum
Image Credit: SheKnows We have child actress Tatum O’Neal to thank for bringing this English surname new life as a first name. It was the character Tatum in the movie Scream, though, who really popularized it. Tatum’s meaning is from the Old English for “Tata’s homestead”.
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Tenley
Image Credit: SheKnows Another name that originated as an English surname, this one comes from the combination of the Old English elements tind (meaning “point”) and leah (meaning “clearing”). It can also be spelled in a variety of other ways, depending on your preferences: Tinley, Tinlee, etc.
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Tanis
Image Credit: SheKnows The exact meaning of Tanis is unclear — but we do know that it’s the Greek version of the name Tanith. In Phoenician mythology, Tanith was the goddess of not only fertility and love, but the moon and the stars as well.
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Tessa
Image Credit: SheKnows Tessa started out as a short form of Theresa, which comes from the Greek theros, meaning “summer”. But although Theresa was a popular choice once upon a time, Tessa has surpassed it in modern popularity.
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Trudy
Image Credit: SheKnows Trudy is a vintage pick that fits right in with the other vintage names currently experiencing a resurgence, like Ruby and Lucy. It’s actually short for Gertrude (meaning “spear of strength”). It could be shortened even further to the cute nickname Tru, or spelled with an i or an ie at the end instead of the y.
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Tula
Image Credit: SheKnows If you’re not quite sold on Tallulah, how about one of its nicknames — Tula! Its sound is perfect for today’s naming landscape, with similar names like Lola on the rise.
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Taisa
Image Credit: SheKnows Taisa is the short form of the Russian and Ukrainian Taisiya (also a pretty option!), which itself comes from debated origins. Some sources say it’s from the Greek name Thaïs, which is said to mean “bandage”, while others attribute it to a Coptic name derived from an ancient Egyptian name meaning “belonging to Isis”. Either way, it’s a gorgeous and unique choice.
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Tansy
Image Credit: SheKnows A name like Lily or Daisy is immediately recognizable as a flower name — but did you know that Tansy is one too? It’s a wildflower with vibrant yellow blooms and a part of the aster family. And its meaning is great; it comes from the Late Latin tanacita, which comes from the Greek athanasia meaning “immortal”. This name is sometimes spelled Tanzi as well.
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Toby
Image Credit: SheKnows This name, once considered masculine, is now just as cute for girls. Though it’s great as a standalone, it’s technically a nickname for Tobias, meaning “God is good”.
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Trinity
Image Credit: SheKnows This name references the Christian belief that God is separated into three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The concept has been around for centuries, but only in the 20th century has it been used as a name. It comes with the cute nickname options of Trin or Trini.
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True
Image Credit: SheKnows There isn’t a sweeter virtue name than True, recently getting a boost in popularity when Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson chose it for their daughter in 2018. It comes from the Old English word trīewe, meaning “trusty” or “faithful”.
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Tahira
Image Credit: SheKnows The beautifully exotic Tahira is the feminine form of the Arabic name Tahir, which means “chaste” or “pure”. Fun fact: the names Agnes and Catherine also share this meaning.
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Tiana
Image Credit: SheKnows This short form of Christiana or Tatiana has gained popularity thanks to the 2009 Disney movie The Princess and the Frog, whose main character was named Tiana. As it’s technically a nickname, it doesn’t have a meaning on its own; if it’s a nickname for Tatiana, its meaning is unknown, and if it’s a nickname for Christiana, its meaning is “a Christian”.
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Taya
Image Credit: SheKnows The origin of the name Taya is unclear. Some sources say it comes from a Japanese word meaning “young” while others claim it’s a variant of Thaïs (like the name Taisa we discussed above!). It could be a fresher, more modern form of Taylor, meaning — you guessed it — “tailor”, or an alternative to the popular Maya or Kaya.
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Tuesday
Image Credit: SheKnows The name Wednesday is on the rise, so why not Tuesday? Tuesday Weld was a popular actress in the 1950s, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility as a name. It comes from the Old English tiwesdæg, which means “Tiw’s Day” … and the name Tiw comes from the Old Norse name Týr, the Norse god of war and justice. And if you’re looking for a name that’s almost impossible to shorten into a nickname, this is a great choice.
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Tove
Image Credit: SheKnows This name may look like it would rhyme with “clove”, but it’s actually two syllables: to-veh. It comes from the Old Norse name Þórfríðr, which means “beautiful” or “beloved”.
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Tierney
Image Credit: SheKnows This would be perfectly viable as a gender-neutral name, but on a girl, it sounds preppy and polished. It means “lord” — as in the noble title — and comes from the Old Irish name Tigernach or Tighearnach.
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Talisa
Image Credit: SheKnows Some sources say this is a more elaborate, feminized version of the Norwegian name Thale, meaning “noble”. But others say it’s simply a more modern invented name and therefore has no meaning. Actress Talisa Soto may have helped bring it into the spotlight, and a minor character on Game of Thrones, Talisa Stark, might have had a hand in boosting its popularity as well.
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Tennille
Image Credit: SheKnows Tennille (typically pronounced ten-EEL, and sometimes seen spelled with only one N) is another name with debatable roots. One thing we do know for sure is that it’s a surname that has been transferred to use as a first name. While most sources agree that it’s of French origin, the exact meaning is unclear; it’s been said to be everything from “thought” to “thanks” to “battle”.
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Tristyn
Image Credit: SheKnows This is the feminine version of the male name Tristan; you could spell it without the Y as a more unisex option. It comes from the Celtic root name Drust, which means “noise” — although some people associate it with the French triste, meaning “sad”.
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Tenzin
Image Credit: SheKnows This beautifully unique name is reminiscent of Tensley or Tamsin, but not used quite as much. It’s of Tibetan origin and is a unisex name meaning “upholder of teachings” — it’s actually the name of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.
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Takara
Image Credit: SheKnows This gorgeous gem of a name is of Japanese origin and means “treasure” or “jewel”. (See what we did there?!)
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Tali
Image Credit: SheKnows Falling right in line with the current hot trend of short-and-sweet baby names, we have Tali — which is a Hebrew name that means “dew”.
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Twyla
Image Credit: SheKnows This name was once very popular, falling into the top 1000 girl names from the 1920s to the 1960s; its alternate spelling, Twila, was actually in the top 1000 for much longer — from the 1880s through the 1970s. It has a couple of potential origins. First, the most desirable: it could be a variation of the word “twilight” or a nod to étoile, the French word for “star”. Or, a little less exciting, it may have come from the Middle English word twile, which indicates something woven with a double thread (it’s where we get the word “twill” from today!).
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Triana
Image Credit: SheKnows The name Triana is very popular in Spain; it’s the name of a vibrant district in the Spanish city of Seville, Barrio de Triana, that’s known for its ceramic tiles, bullfighters, and flamenco dancers (it’s popularly ascribed as the birthplace of flamenco). It is believed to stem from the Roman name Trajan, meaning “three rivers”.
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