State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1920 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,395 Tennessee births in 1920 across 1,001 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#92Rebaoutside the national top 200
#92Gradyoutside the national top 200
#85Johnie#192 nationally
#48Bonnie#154 nationally
#98Nelloutside the national top 200
#70Maggie#172 nationally
#99Willoutside the national top 200
#100Addieoutside the national top 200
#93Johnny#184 nationally
#91Elbert#181 nationally
#79Lorene#167 nationally
#91Rebecca#175 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,076US #1
#2Dorothy691US #2
#3Margaret639US #4
#4Mildred549US #6
#5Ruby525US #26
#6Ruth520US #5
#7Helen508US #3
#8Frances463US #9
#9Virginia418US #7
#10Martha416US #23
#11Annie366US #35
#12Willie357US #74
#13Gladys355US #22
#14Elizabeth353US #8
#15Louise320US #19
#16Thelma307US #31
#17Evelyn286US #12
#18Hazel286US #34
#19Edna285US #27
#20Edith281US #32
#21Pauline265US #36
#22Anna263US #10
#23Lillian234US #18
#24Sarah217US #50
#25Marie213US #13
#26Alice212US #15
#27Lucille211US #29
#28Mattie205US #96
#29Irene191US #17
#30Lillie191US #90
#31Katherine190US #45
#32Emma188US #46
#33Ethel186US #30
#34Nellie171US #76
#35Clara169US #44
#36Minnie169US #87
#37Bessie164US #71
#38Juanita163US #61
#39Myrtle162US #68
#40Jessie157US #84
#41Eva154US #58
#42Geneva151US #106
#43Bertha147US #57
#44Betty147US #11
#45Georgia145US #113
#46Beatrice142US #41
#47Laura139US #63
#48Bonnie137US #154
#49Grace137US #37
#50Alma132US #80
#51Ella126US #88
#52Doris125US #14
#53Elsie125US #51
#54Sara124US #111
#55Mabel121US #83
#56Wilma117US #78
#57Nancy115US #95
#58Lula113US #139
#59Christine110US #118
#60Hattie110US #132
#61Lois110US #38
#62Pearl108US #62
#63Jean106US #33
#64Opal103US #101
#65Ida102US #66
#66Marjorie101US #24
#67Beulah99US #109
#68Lena98US #98
#69Mae97US #99
#70Maggie97US #172
#71Carrie96US #121
#72Catherine93US #21
#73Bernice92US #40
#74Cora92US #137
#75Mamie92US #142
#76Fannie91US #127
#77Lucy90US #94
#78Josephine89US #28
#79Lorene89US #167
#80Florence88US #16
#81Vera88US #75
#82Agnes86US #54
#83Jane86US #48
#84Kathleen84US #91
#85Ada83US #136
#86Viola83US #59
#87Nora81US #157
#88Velma81US #105
#89Stella79US #82
#90Gertrude78US #42
#91Rebecca78US #175
#92Reba77
#93Inez74US #122
#94Ann73US #49
#95Mable73US #148
#96Eula72US #169
#97Kathryn72US #67
#98Nell72
#99Dora71US #133
#100Addie70

Boys

#1James2,412US #4
#2William1,540US #2
#3John1,258US #1
#4Robert985US #3
#5Charles729US #5
#6George543US #6
#7Thomas490US #11
#8Henry336US #17
#9Willie333US #29
#10Edward325US #8
#11Walter283US #13
#12Joe279US #35
#13Paul268US #14
#14Roy264US #32
#15Frank245US #9
#16Fred235US #33
#17Joseph235US #7
#18Clarence218US #26
#19Carl215US #27
#20Raymond212US #15
#21Earl199US #31
#22Richard191US #10
#23Jack188US #20
#24Albert180US #19
#25Howard180US #24
#26Warren176US #39
#27David173US #25
#28Eugene164US #30
#29Harold159US #12
#30Charlie155US #70
#31Ralph153US #22
#32Clyde151US #68
#33Ernest147US #37
#34Harry145US #21
#35Arthur143US #18
#36Ray136US #67
#37Samuel125US #44
#38Cecil120US #77
#39Jesse120US #79
#40Claude116US #92
#41Leonard113US #38
#42Floyd112US #61
#43Herbert108US #41
#44Sam108US #84
#45Herman106US #66
#46Lawrence104US #36
#47Jessie101US #111
#48Elmer99US #45
#49Hugh99US #115
#50Kenneth98US #23
#51Andrew94US #49
#52Johnnie94US #99
#53Louis90US #28
#54Hubert88US #113
#55Luther83US #123
#56Horace82US #128
#57Marvin81US #62
#58Lee79US #82
#59Lewis75US #72
#60Willard72US #88
#61Alfred70US #42
#62Bill69US #121
#63Ben68US #137
#64Lloyd66US #58
#65Curtis65US #120
#66Oscar65US #90
#67Clifford64US #59
#68Donald63US #16
#69Edgar63US #89
#70Alvin62US #76
#71Lester62US #69
#72Homer61US #100
#73Leon60US #75
#74Vernon59US #65
#75Allen57US #94
#76Jimmie56US #147
#77Leroy56US #56
#78Russell56US #51
#79Chester55US #55
#80Douglas55US #106
#81Eddie54US #104
#82Melvin54US #54
#83Earnest53US #140
#84Wallace52US #93
#85Johnie51US #192
#86Glenn50US #80
#87Edwin49US #53
#88Virgil49US #101
#89Harvey48US #87
#90Benjamin46US #83
#91Elbert43US #181
#92Grady43
#93Johnny43US #184
#94Willis43US #133
#95Billy42US #132
#96Tom42US #131
#97Marion41US #109
#98Otis41US #146
#99Will41
#100Calvin40US #139

On the move since 1919

Rising

↑35Doris#52
↑35Nancy#57
↑26Curtis#65
↑25Betty#44
↑23Lewis#59
↑21Jimmie#76
↑19Bill#62
↑17Marvin#57

Falling

↓25Velma#88
↓20Earnest#83
↓19Eddie#81
↓18Ida#65
↓18Maggie#70
↓18Fannie#76
↓18Harvey#89
↓17Lois#61

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1919 rankings.