Tessa is a short form of Theresa, a name of uncertain Greek origin usually explained as "harvester" or "from Therasia", an island near Santorini. On its own Tessa has been popular in the Netherlands and the English-speaking world since the 20th century and feels fresh and unfussy. Tessa ranked 266th in 2000, peaked at number 190 in 2007 and stands at 311 among US girls' names in 2025.