State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1916 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,800 Tennessee births in 1916 across 906 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Tennessee more than they say America.

#79Gradyoutside the national top 200
#73Bonnie#185 nationally
#89Johnieoutside the national top 200
#93Nelloutside the national top 200
#91Rufus#197 nationally
#95Jewelloutside the national top 200
#95Jessoutside the national top 200
#54Maggie#157 nationally
#100Bufordoutside the national top 200
#87Jimmie#179 nationally
#86Jim#177 nationally
#77Eula#164 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,723US #1
#2Margaret490US #4
#3Ruby469US #23
#4Ruth462US #5
#5Mildred403US #6
#6Dorothy383US #3
#7Helen342US #2
#8Annie338US #36
#9Elizabeth324US #8
#10Martha317US #24
#11Frances315US #9
#12Gladys312US #22
#13Virginia303US #10
#14Louise289US #18
#15Edna288US #19
#16Hazel266US #31
#17Anna255US #7
#18Thelma239US #29
#19Willie238US #73
#20Pauline235US #33
#21Edith199US #28
#22Evelyn193US #11
#23Sarah192US #52
#24Minnie185US #71
#25Ethel184US #25
#26Mattie183US #93
#27Lillian180US #16
#28Lucille180US #30
#29Bessie177US #56
#30Clara175US #39
#31Katherine167US #51
#32Marie166US #12
#33Alice159US #13
#34Irene155US #17
#35Grace154US #26
#36Jessie151US #68
#37Lillie148US #88
#38Georgia143US #108
#39Nellie142US #61
#40Emma132US #41
#41Myrtle131US #58
#42Pearl131US #57
#43Alma129US #70
#44Eva128US #55
#45Beatrice125US #38
#46Bertha122US #49
#47Beulah117US #97
#48Ella112US #81
#49Ida110US #54
#50Geneva108US #112
#51Lena106US #85
#52Opal106US #91
#53Fannie105US #116
#54Maggie103US #157
#55Laura100US #64
#56Lois100US #43
#57Mabel97US #65
#58Lula96US #127
#59Hattie95US #115
#60Carrie94US #103
#61Elsie93US #48
#62Mamie92US #129
#63Cora91US #114
#64Velma88US #99
#65Betty87US #44
#66Mable87US #136
#67Juanita86US #90
#68Mae86US #92
#69Catherine84US #20
#70Stella84US #63
#71Nancy83US #102
#72Christine82US #121
#73Bonnie79US #185
#74Wilma78US #82
#75Gertrude77US #35
#76Lucy77US #84
#77Eula76US #164
#78Sara75US #109
#79Rosa74US #120
#80Florence73US #14
#81Ada69US #117
#82Ann69US #40
#83Josephine69US #21
#84Julia69US #46
#85Kathleen68US #104
#86Agnes67US #50
#87Viola67US #59
#88Bernice66US #42
#89Sadie64US #133
#90Lucile63US #139
#91Blanche62US #89
#92Marjorie62US #37
#93Nell62
#94Rose62US #15
#95Jewell61
#96Susie61US #156
#97Esther60US #34
#98Jennie60US #79
#99Lorene60US #177
#100Dora59US #124

Boys

#1James1,647US #3
#2William1,300US #2
#3John1,079US #1
#4Robert759US #4
#5Charles538US #6
#6George491US #7
#7Thomas388US #10
#8Willie270US #30
#9Henry230US #14
#10Walter230US #11
#11Frank229US #9
#12Edward216US #8
#13Roy216US #33
#14Paul214US #12
#15Joe212US #35
#16Fred209US #29
#17Carl199US #23
#18Joseph198US #5
#19Clarence192US #24
#20Howard180US #25
#21Albert175US #17
#22Earl174US #32
#23Harry146US #19
#24Jack145US #26
#25Charlie142US #68
#26Raymond142US #16
#27Clyde140US #62
#28Richard139US #15
#29David136US #28
#30Woodrow135US #64
#31Ralph130US #21
#32Samuel126US #41
#33Arthur116US #18
#34Jesse113US #77
#35Ernest112US #36
#36Claude100US #93
#37Elmer100US #45
#38Luther93US #116
#39Eugene92US #39
#40Harold92US #13
#41Herman92US #56
#42Cecil89US #80
#43Willard89US #69
#44Jessie88US #117
#45Herbert87US #40
#46Hubert86US #113
#47Ray85US #73
#48Leonard84US #42
#49Floyd81US #60
#50Kenneth80US #27
#51Clifford77US #61
#52Andrew75US #46
#53Hugh71US #96
#54Sam71US #74
#55Lester70US #59
#56Lawrence68US #38
#57Homer67US #103
#58Lee67US #83
#59Lewis65US #71
#60Louis63US #22
#61Edgar62US #88
#62Marvin61US #66
#63Oscar61US #86
#64Horace57US #126
#65Johnnie56US #115
#66Vernon54US #75
#67Alvin51US #82
#68Alfred50US #43
#69Earnest50US #155
#70Leon49US #85
#71Melvin49US #57
#72Tom49US #139
#73Edwin48US #53
#74Eddie47US #114
#75Leroy47US #63
#76Daniel45US #55
#77Everett45US #91
#78Ben43US #119
#79Grady43
#80Chester42US #54
#81Curtis40US #120
#82Norman40US #48
#83Virgil40US #104
#84Allen39US #101
#85Glenn39US #84
#86Jim39US #177
#87Jimmie38US #179
#88Donald37US #20
#89Johnie37
#90Lloyd37US #58
#91Rufus36US #197
#92Bill35US #147
#93Bruce34US #162
#94Harvey34US #92
#95Jess34
#96Marion34US #110
#97Milton34US #72
#98Stanley34US #34
#99Oliver33US #127
#100Buford32

On the move since 1915

Rising

↑26Opal#52
↑21Leon#70
↑20Cora#63
↑20Betty#65
↑20Mable#66
↑18Ida#49
↑15Minnie#24
↑14Ada#81

Falling

↓27Florence#80
↓21Lloyd#90
↓20Bill#92
↓17Elsie#61
↓17Ben#78
↓17Jess#95
↓16Bernice#88
↓14Gertrude#75

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1915 rankings.