State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1928 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,010 Tennessee births in 1928 across 932 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#69Rebaoutside the national top 200
#74Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#97Jewelloutside the national top 200
#97Deweyoutside the national top 200
#63Imogene#163 nationally
#90Mable#180 nationally
#32Mattie#121 nationally
#78Bobbie#166 nationally
#60Luther#145 nationally
#40Geneva#124 nationally
#69Earnest#153 nationally
#94Mamie#178 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,116US #1
#2Dorothy1,025US #3
#3Betty903US #2
#4Helen521US #4
#5Mildred515US #15
#6Margaret510US #5
#7Martha491US #22
#8Frances443US #13
#9Virginia430US #9
#10Ruby426US #34
#11Ruth389US #6
#12Annie319US #37
#13Evelyn303US #17
#14Elizabeth294US #14
#15Doris273US #7
#16Anna269US #16
#17Louise259US #31
#18Willie256US #74
#19Gladys231US #41
#20Edna226US #45
#21Juanita223US #58
#22Sarah216US #64
#23Thelma215US #40
#24Hazel196US #59
#25Pauline188US #48
#26Wilma185US #69
#27Edith182US #56
#28Lois182US #18
#29Marie181US #21
#30Barbara177US #8
#31Jean174US #12
#32Mattie170US #121
#33Clara168US #65
#34Emma156US #67
#35Katherine156US #75
#36Billie151US #96
#37Lucille148US #51
#38Alice145US #19
#39Lillian145US #35
#40Geneva140US #124
#41Alma132US #107
#42Marjorie132US #29
#43Nancy132US #43
#44Peggy132US #76
#45Bonnie131US #89
#46Ethel130US #55
#47Georgia130US #115
#48Eva127US #79
#49Irene125US #28
#50Bessie124US #101
#51Christine124US #120
#52Minnie124US #118
#53Wanda121US #63
#54Joyce120US #30
#55Ella115US #100
#56Jessie115US #109
#57Lillie114US #104
#58Nellie112US #111
#59Myrtle104US #116
#60Velma104US #114
#61Laura103US #83
#62Sara103US #129
#63Imogene101US #163
#64Opal100US #146
#65Bernice99US #53
#66Margie98US #108
#67Norma98US #23
#68June96US #44
#69Reba96
#70Ann92US #54
#71Elsie90US #73
#72Beatrice88US #70
#73Bertha88US #81
#74Bettye88
#75Geraldine88US #50
#76Jane87US #62
#77Cora86US #155
#78Bobbie84US #166
#79Carolyn82US #91
#80Grace81US #52
#81Ida81US #87
#82Josephine79US #42
#83Catherine78US #33
#84Fannie77US #161
#85Lena76US #131
#86Rosa75US #125
#87Hattie74US #159
#88Pearl73US #110
#89Agnes72US #85
#90Mable72US #180
#91Patricia72US #11
#92Beulah71US #154
#93Lucy71US #112
#94Mamie71US #178
#95Kathleen70US #82
#96Vera68US #92
#97Jewell67
#98Maxine67US #84
#99Rose67US #24
#100Johnnie66US #182

Boys

#1James2,304US #3
#2William1,479US #4
#3John1,150US #2
#4Robert1,103US #1
#5Charles1,079US #5
#6George507US #8
#7Thomas485US #11
#8Billy414US #27
#9Joe373US #30
#10Jack334US #15
#11Edward321US #10
#12Herbert307US #25
#13Paul307US #13
#14Willie300US #29
#15Roy278US #34
#16Carl270US #28
#17Richard242US #6
#18Frank241US #12
#19Henry240US #21
#20Kenneth233US #17
#21Walter233US #18
#22Harold228US #14
#23Ralph217US #24
#24Joseph209US #9
#25Clarence205US #35
#26Raymond202US #16
#27Earl196US #37
#28Fred195US #36
#29Howard192US #31
#30Donald182US #7
#31Eugene179US #20
#32David172US #19
#33Albert152US #23
#34Samuel148US #52
#35Bobby142US #65
#36Floyd142US #54
#37Clyde136US #74
#38Harry133US #26
#39Arthur132US #22
#40Charlie132US #80
#41Ray129US #57
#42Ernest117US #43
#43Jessie99US #124
#44Marvin92US #46
#45Cecil91US #97
#46Claude88US #116
#47Junior88US #120
#48Alfred87US #33
#49Bill87US #64
#50Herman87US #78
#51Elmer86US #63
#52Louis85US #32
#53Hugh84US #129
#54Gene83US #62
#55Hubert83US #121
#56Lee83US #87
#57Jesse81US #91
#58Jimmie81US #100
#59Lawrence78US #38
#60Luther78US #145
#61Billie74US #133
#62Clifford72US #68
#63Leonard72US #42
#64Alvin71US #72
#65Johnnie71US #103
#66Melvin70US #48
#67Sam70US #109
#68Andrew67US #60
#69Earnest67US #153
#70Lewis66US #86
#71Homer65US #131
#72Johnny65US #117
#73Leroy65US #51
#74Curtis64US #101
#75Lloyd64US #59
#76Horace63US #147
#77Eddie62US #105
#78Allen60US #93
#79Glenn59US #76
#80Oscar59US #122
#81Jerry58US #79
#82Calvin57US #94
#83Chester57US #88
#84Edgar57US #114
#85Vernon56US #70
#86Wayne56US #69
#87Ben55US #156
#88Glen52US #115
#89Leon52US #81
#90Tommy52US #151
#91Jimmy51US #138
#92Willard48US #113
#93Harvey47US #90
#94Milton47US #92
#95Lester46US #89
#96Wallace46US #104
#97Dewey45
#98Everett45US #123
#99Arnold44US #98
#100Marion44US #118

On the move since 1927

Rising

↑36Junior#47
↑33Billie#36
↑32Jimmie#58
↑29Herbert#12
↑22Bobby#35
↑20Bobbie#78
↑20Allen#78
↑19Peggy#44

Falling

↓34Calvin#82
↓22Willard#92
↓21Bertha#73
↓20Alvin#64
↓20Vernon#85
↓19Everett#98
↓17Catherine#83
↓16Billie#61

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1927 rankings.