State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1921 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 53,148 Tennessee births in 1921 across 1,013 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#74Rebaoutside the national top 200
#87Bufordoutside the national top 200
#90Nelloutside the national top 200
#92Gradyoutside the national top 200
#93Woodrowoutside the national top 200
#97Loydoutside the national top 200
#98Willoutside the national top 200
#56Bonnie#151 nationally
#90Dewey#184 nationally
#99Elbert#193 nationally
#82Maggie#173 nationally
#85Eula#170 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,256US #1
#2Dorothy812US #2
#3Margaret661US #4
#4Mildred619US #7
#5Helen532US #3
#6Ruby506US #26
#7Ruth496US #5
#8Frances481US #9
#9Virginia443US #6
#10Martha420US #21
#11Annie394US #36
#12Elizabeth348US #10
#13Gladys326US #24
#14Evelyn307US #12
#15Edna303US #27
#16Louise298US #22
#17Willie295US #74
#18Hazel292US #34
#19Anna281US #11
#20Thelma274US #30
#21Sarah250US #54
#22Edith239US #33
#23Pauline236US #37
#24Marie233US #14
#25Lillian225US #19
#26Mattie202US #105
#27Juanita196US #57
#28Katherine194US #49
#29Alice187US #15
#30Emma186US #52
#31Irene182US #18
#32Ethel174US #32
#33Lucille169US #31
#34Lillie168US #94
#35Georgia161US #117
#36Geneva160US #113
#37Clara159US #45
#38Jessie157US #91
#39Betty153US #8
#40Nellie152US #80
#41Bessie150US #75
#42Myrtle150US #73
#43Eva146US #63
#44Minnie145US #96
#45Opal145US #103
#46Grace140US #35
#47Alma138US #78
#48Ella138US #89
#49Beatrice133US #41
#50Doris133US #13
#51Wilma132US #72
#52Christine129US #118
#53Ida127US #67
#54Sara126US #115
#55Bertha122US #59
#56Bonnie121US #151
#57Elsie120US #55
#58Lois120US #38
#59Marjorie120US #16
#60Pearl116US #65
#61Laura114US #71
#62Lula113US #143
#63Agnes108US #56
#64Lena108US #104
#65Beulah107US #116
#66Lucy107US #93
#67Velma107US #108
#68Nancy106US #87
#69Bernice104US #39
#70Margie100US #106
#71Mabel99US #85
#72Fannie98US #135
#73Josephine96US #28
#74Reba95
#75Florence94US #17
#76Catherine91US #23
#77Cora89US #140
#78Hattie89US #144
#79Mable88US #155
#80Jean85US #25
#81Rachel85US #152
#82Maggie84US #173
#83Geraldine81US #62
#84Ann80US #53
#85Eula79US #170
#86Vera79US #76
#87Jane77US #47
#88Julia75US #58
#89Mamie75US #150
#90Nell75
#91Lorene74US #172
#92Stella74US #86
#93Blanche73US #112
#94Kathleen73US #83
#95Nora73US #167
#96Flora72US #156
#97Kathryn72US #64
#98Mae72US #110
#99Rebecca71US #175
#100Viola71US #66

Boys

#1James2,486US #4
#2William1,693US #3
#3John1,222US #1
#4Robert1,021US #2
#5Charles808US #5
#6George523US #6
#7Thomas518US #11
#8Edward337US #8
#9Joe330US #36
#10Frank317US #9
#11Paul310US #14
#12Willie301US #34
#13Roy283US #32
#14Henry276US #17
#15Carl263US #30
#16Walter249US #15
#17Fred246US #33
#18Joseph240US #7
#19Howard222US #27
#20Jack219US #18
#21Warren215US #24
#22Clarence213US #28
#23Ralph198US #23
#24Raymond198US #16
#25Earl196US #31
#26Richard195US #10
#27Albert188US #20
#28Harold188US #12
#29David182US #25
#30Ernest170US #38
#31Harry167US #21
#32Clyde162US #69
#33Arthur150US #19
#34Eugene147US #26
#35Charlie143US #76
#36Herman143US #64
#37Claude134US #96
#38Samuel131US #44
#39Kenneth126US #22
#40Jesse120US #77
#41Ray119US #67
#42Herbert117US #42
#43Floyd114US #63
#44Cecil110US #79
#45Leonard108US #39
#46Elmer107US #48
#47Luther104US #123
#48Sam103US #85
#49Marvin100US #59
#50Lawrence99US #37
#51Clifford97US #62
#52Hugh97US #120
#53Hubert95US #115
#54Louis90US #29
#55Jessie87US #117
#56Homer85US #105
#57Lee83US #86
#58Willard81US #89
#59Johnnie78US #108
#60Billy77US #109
#61Lewis77US #71
#62Alfred76US #43
#63Alvin76US #73
#64Horace75US #129
#65Lloyd75US #58
#66Earnest74US #138
#67Donald72US #13
#68Oscar71US #92
#69Vernon71US #68
#70Chester70US #56
#71Andrew69US #51
#72Edgar69US #90
#73Allen64US #94
#74Lester64US #66
#75Virgil64US #98
#76Bill62US #121
#77Edwin61US #54
#78Leroy58US #55
#79Leon57US #74
#80Ben56US #139
#81Wallace56US #88
#82Eddie55US #118
#83Glenn55US #80
#84Marion55US #102
#85Daniel50US #49
#86Guy50US #140
#87Buford49
#88Melvin49US #53
#89Everett47US #95
#90Dewey46US #184
#91Tom46US #144
#92Grady45
#93Woodrow45
#94Douglas44US #111
#95Russell44US #52
#96Benjamin43US #82
#97Loyd43
#98Will43
#99Elbert42US #193
#100Johnny42US #175

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑35Billy#60
↑21Velma#67
↑19Opal#45
↑19Agnes#63
↑18Reba#74
↑17Earnest#66
↑16Mable#79
↑16Clifford#51

Falling

↓29Mae#98
↓20Andrew#71
↓18Hattie#78
↓17Jean#80
↓17Ben#80
↓17Russell#95
↓16Mabel#71
↓14Laura#61

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.