State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1917 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 44,227 Tennessee births in 1917 across 947 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#74Nelloutside the national top 200
#48Bonnie#171 nationally
#86Nannieoutside the national top 200
#88Ollieoutside the national top 200
#94Willoutside the national top 200
#97Loydoutside the national top 200
#62Maggie#161 nationally
#80Jimmie#176 nationally
#93Lorene#181 nationally
#78Jim#163 nationally
#58Lula#135 nationally
#51Horace#125 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,744US #1
#2Margaret482US #4
#3Dorothy459US #3
#4Ruth457US #5
#5Mildred434US #6
#6Ruby433US #27
#7Helen386US #2
#8Frances366US #9
#9Annie363US #35
#10Martha324US #22
#11Virginia318US #10
#12Louise314US #19
#13Elizabeth313US #8
#14Willie283US #72
#15Gladys280US #23
#16Edith271US #28
#17Hazel253US #31
#18Edna252US #20
#19Thelma252US #32
#20Anna242US #7
#21Pauline236US #33
#22Mattie227US #94
#23Evelyn222US #11
#24Sarah217US #52
#25Lucille207US #29
#26Lillian196US #15
#27Emma192US #46
#28Ethel190US #24
#29Irene185US #17
#30Katherine178US #49
#31Clara174US #41
#32Myrtle174US #58
#33Alice168US #13
#34Nellie161US #64
#35Grace158US #30
#36Minnie158US #75
#37Bessie150US #61
#38Georgia150US #105
#39Pearl145US #57
#40Marie143US #12
#41Lillie142US #86
#42Geneva136US #113
#43Ida135US #56
#44Beatrice133US #39
#45Jessie130US #70
#46Lena126US #85
#47Bertha125US #51
#48Bonnie125US #171
#49Elsie122US #50
#50Eva122US #54
#51Lois117US #43
#52Alma115US #71
#53Laura114US #65
#54Beulah113US #102
#55Fannie113US #115
#56Hattie109US #118
#57Ella108US #83
#58Lula108US #135
#59Sara101US #107
#60Christine99US #120
#61Carrie97US #109
#62Maggie97US #161
#63Juanita96US #87
#64Florence95US #14
#65Viola95US #59
#66Velma94US #99
#67Opal92US #95
#68Mamie90US #130
#69Julia86US #47
#70Josephine85US #21
#71Betty83US #34
#72Flora83US #145
#73Mabel83US #68
#74Nell83
#75Catherine82US #18
#76Ada80US #119
#77Mable80US #144
#78Gertrude79US #37
#79Wilma79US #82
#80Lucy78US #88
#81Nancy77US #98
#82Bernice76US #42
#83Marjorie75US #36
#84Vera75US #66
#85Cora73US #126
#86Nannie73
#87Mae72US #96
#88Ollie71
#89Agnes70US #48
#90Rose69US #16
#91Stella69US #62
#92Lola65US #143
#93Lorene65US #181
#94Rosa65US #121
#95Ann64US #44
#96Dora63US #125
#97Doris63US #25
#98Daisy62US #150
#99Eunice62US #111
#100Kathryn62US #60

Boys

#1James1,778US #3
#2William1,325US #2
#3John1,099US #1
#4Robert845US #4
#5Charles622US #7
#6George536US #6
#7Thomas430US #10
#8Willie292US #31
#9Joe272US #35
#10Walter270US #11
#11Paul258US #13
#12Henry241US #15
#13Edward237US #8
#14Frank234US #9
#15Fred224US #29
#16Joseph222US #5
#17Roy217US #33
#18Clarence197US #25
#19Carl176US #24
#20Charlie173US #67
#21Earl166US #32
#22Howard156US #26
#23Ernest152US #37
#24Raymond150US #16
#25Clyde148US #64
#26Albert146US #18
#27Jack142US #22
#28Richard140US #14
#29Ralph139US #21
#30Jesse138US #79
#31Samuel133US #42
#32Arthur125US #17
#33David122US #28
#34Eugene114US #39
#35Harry113US #19
#36Harold106US #12
#37Herbert97US #40
#38Woodrow94US #73
#39Cecil92US #83
#40Claude92US #98
#41Herman92US #58
#42Jessie90US #114
#43Leonard89US #41
#44Floyd87US #62
#45Hubert87US #115
#46Sam86US #72
#47Lawrence83US #36
#48Kenneth80US #27
#49Lee79US #85
#50Andrew78US #48
#51Horace77US #125
#52Willard77US #80
#53Hugh74US #110
#54Ray74US #74
#55Louis73US #23
#56Elmer72US #45
#57Luther71US #116
#58Marvin69US #68
#59Homer66US #102
#60Edgar65US #88
#61Johnnie65US #111
#62Lester65US #61
#63Lewis65US #70
#64Clifford64US #59
#65Alfred57US #43
#66Oscar57US #87
#67Leon56US #82
#68Alvin54US #81
#69Ben54US #129
#70Allen53US #100
#71Glenn53US #86
#72Lloyd51US #53
#73Daniel49US #54
#74Eddie49US #118
#75Virgil49US #103
#76Earnest47US #143
#77Guy46US #146
#78Jim46US #163
#79Bill45US #147
#80Jimmie45US #176
#81Vernon44US #71
#82Melvin43US #57
#83Gilbert42US #105
#84Leroy42US #60
#85Otis42US #145
#86Benjamin41US #76
#87Chester41US #56
#88Donald41US #20
#89Marion41US #108
#90Marshall41US #161
#91Harvey40US #90
#92Curtis38US #121
#93Edwin38US #55
#94Will38
#95Archie37US #142
#96Everett37US #94
#97Loyd37
#98Norman36US #46
#99Russell36US #52
#100Wilson36US #144

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑25Bonnie#48
↑22Viola#65
↑19Sara#59
↑19Nell#74
↑18Lloyd#72
↑16Florence#64
↑15Julia#69
↑14Allen#70

Falling

↓22Cora#85
↓21Stella#91
↓20Edwin#93
↓19Mae#87
↓19Elmer#56
↓19Luther#57
↓19Everett#96
↓16Mabel#73

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.