Tess (given name)

Tess
Gender	Female
Origin
Word/name	Greek
Meaning	"Harvester; to reap," "Summer," "Star"
Other names
Related names	Theresa, Therese, Tessa, Esther, Hester

Last updated July 31, 2025

Tess is a feminine given name, typically a diminutive form of Theresa or Tessa. It is occasionally a diminutive form of Esther or Hester.

People

Tess Amorim (born 1994), Brazilian actress
Tess Annique, American model
Tess Broussard (born 1972), American model and actress
Tess Daly (born 1969), British television presenter
Tess Frazer, American actress
Tess Gaerthé (born 1991), Dutch singer
Tess Gallagher (born 1943), American writer
Tess Gardella (1894–1950), American actress and vaudeville performer
Tess Gerritsen (born 1953), American novelist
Tess Harper (born 1950), American actress
Tess Haubrich (born 1990), Australian actress
Tess Henley (born 1987), American singer-songwriter
Tess Holliday (born 1985), American model and blogger
Tess Jaray (born 1937), British painter and printmaker
Tess Joffroy (born 1994), Réunionese singer-songwriter
Tess Kingham (born 1963), British politician and one-term Member of Parliament
Tess Lambe, Irish vaccine development scientist
Tess Ledeux (born 2001), French freestyle skier
Tess Mattisson (born 1978), Swedish singer
Tess Merkel (born 1970), Swedish singer
Tess Oliveira (born 1987), Brazilian water polo goalkeeper
Tess Olofsson (born 1988), Swedish football referee
Tess Rafferty, American writer, comedian, and actress
Tess Richey (1994–2017), Canadian murder victim
Tess Rothschild (1915–1996), British counter-intelligence officer and magistrate
Tess Routliffe (born 1998), Canadian Paralympic swimmer
Tess Taylor (born 1972), American poet, academic, and CNN contributor
Tess Wiley (born 1974), American singer-songwriter

Tess Skeffington, in Murder By Death, played by Eileen Brennan
Tess Carlisle, in Guarding Tess, played by Shirley MacLaine
Tess Carroll, in Charlie St. Cloud, played by Amanda Crew
Tess Coleman, in Freaky Friday, played by Jamie Lee Curtis
Tess Durbeyfield/D'Urberville, in Tess, based on Thomas Hardy's novel, played by Nastassja Kinski
Tess Finnegan, in Fool's Gold (2008), played by Kate Hudson
Tess Harding, in Woman of the Year, played by Katharine Hepburn
Tess McGill, in Working Girl, played by Melanie Griffith
Tess Nichols, in 27 Dresses, played by Malin Åkerman
Tess Ocean, in Ocean's Eleven (2001) and the sequel Ocean's Twelve, played by Julia Roberts
Tess Tyler, in the television movie Camp Rock and Billboard Dad, played by Meaghan Jette Martin
Tess Scali, in Burlesque , played by Cher

Tess Adamson, on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street
Tess Bateman, on the British medical drama Casualty, played by Suzanne Packer
Teresa Bell, on the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Tess Doerner, on the American science fiction series The 4400, played by Summer Glau
Tess Fontana, on the American series Eureka
Tess Foster, protagonist of the Canadian sitcom Life with Boys
Tess Harding, on the series Roswell, played by Emilie de Ravin
Tess Silverman McLeod, on the Australian series McLeod's Daughters, played by Bridie Carter
Tess Mercer, on the American series Smallville
Tess O’Malley, on the Disney Channel series Raven's Home
Tess Ramsey, on the American soap opera Port Charles, played by Kelly Monaco
Tess Smith, an alternate personality of the character Jessica Buchanan on the American soap opera One Life to Live, played by Bree Williamson
Tess, on the television series Touched by an Angel , played by Della Reese

Tess Durbeyfield/D'Urberville, in the novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Tess Clark, in Chuck Palahniuk's novel Haunted
Tess Trueheart, in the Dick Tracy comic strip series
Tess Turbo, in the Bloom County comic strip