State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1929 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 50,026 Tennessee births in 1929 across 907 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#53Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#73Rebaoutside the national top 200
#59Imogene#174 nationally
#93Deweyoutside the national top 200
#95Robbieoutside the national top 200
#43Bobbie#146 nationally
#98Loreneoutside the national top 200
#93Eula#191 nationally
#57Luther#145 nationally
#89Mamie#176 nationally
#44Jessie#129 nationally
#37Mattie#121 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,027US #1
#2Betty1,060US #2
#3Dorothy932US #3
#4Margaret571US #5
#5Helen556US #4
#6Martha449US #27
#7Mildred421US #18
#8Virginia395US #11
#9Ruby383US #36
#10Frances360US #16
#11Ruth347US #8
#12Doris289US #6
#13Elizabeth286US #15
#14Annie276US #37
#15Evelyn271US #19
#16Thelma258US #41
#17Willie254US #76
#18Anna223US #20
#19Barbara220US #7
#20Jean211US #12
#21Edna205US #51
#22Louise205US #31
#23Gladys202US #44
#24Hazel200US #64
#25Wilma194US #66
#26Sarah180US #68
#27Juanita176US #60
#28Billie169US #79
#29Marie164US #22
#30Pauline164US #50
#31Peggy161US #70
#32Clara160US #65
#33Lois157US #17
#34Edith155US #59
#35Emma153US #69
#36Joyce149US #23
#37Mattie146US #121
#38Nancy142US #32
#39Alma138US #106
#40Katherine136US #84
#41Georgia130US #115
#42Alice129US #21
#43Bobbie129US #146
#44Bessie125US #107
#45Marjorie124US #30
#46Ethel122US #56
#47Lillian122US #40
#48Christine121US #123
#49Geneva116US #130
#50Eva114US #83
#51Jessie114US #110
#52Margie113US #108
#53Bettye111
#54Ella111US #102
#55Wanda111US #61
#56Nellie110US #113
#57Ann109US #46
#58Bonnie107US #86
#59Imogene106US #174
#60Irene104US #29
#61Lucille104US #57
#62Laura102US #90
#63Minnie100US #124
#64Lillie99US #103
#65Norma98US #25
#66Velma93US #128
#67Jane92US #62
#68Bertha89US #93
#69Geraldine89US #43
#70Elsie87US #78
#71Ida87US #96
#72Opal87US #150
#73Reba87
#74Myrtle85US #117
#75Sara84US #133
#76Carolyn82US #77
#77Maxine82US #85
#78Vivian80US #81
#79Bernice79US #55
#80Catherine79US #34
#81June77US #48
#82Lena75US #138
#83Rosie74US #154
#84Patricia73US #10
#85Shirley72US #9
#86Beatrice71US #72
#87Jo70US #140
#88Mae70US #132
#89Mamie70US #176
#90Josephine69US #45
#91Charlotte68US #73
#92Viola68US #109
#93Eula67US #191
#94Pearl67US #114
#95Robbie67
#96Fannie66US #169
#97Julia66US #88
#98Lorene66
#99Vera66US #99
#100Dora65US #141

Boys

#1James2,308US #2
#2William1,520US #4
#3Robert1,244US #1
#4John1,099US #3
#5Charles1,013US #5
#6Billy525US #23
#7George496US #8
#8Thomas453US #11
#9Joe372US #30
#10Jack335US #14
#11Herbert320US #25
#12Willie313US #29
#13Paul305US #13
#14Edward274US #10
#15Roy272US #35
#16Harold246US #16
#17Walter241US #19
#18Frank240US #12
#19Richard230US #6
#20Carl228US #28
#21Bobby226US #50
#22Henry218US #21
#23David215US #17
#24Joseph203US #9
#25Fred200US #34
#26Kenneth200US #18
#27Raymond195US #15
#28Donald191US #7
#29Eugene186US #20
#30Clarence179US #37
#31Ralph173US #26
#32Earl171US #36
#33Howard165US #31
#34Albert156US #24
#35Ernest141US #43
#36Ray134US #57
#37Harry129US #27
#38Clyde128US #74
#39Charlie123US #87
#40Samuel115US #53
#41Herman113US #75
#42Arthur112US #22
#43Floyd105US #58
#44Jessie99US #129
#45Billie97US #122
#46Leonard94US #42
#47Sam92US #105
#48Curtis86US #99
#49Gene86US #68
#50Bill85US #63
#51Elmer84US #70
#52Johnnie84US #103
#53Cecil83US #101
#54Glenn82US #80
#55Claude81US #119
#56Jesse79US #93
#57Luther79US #145
#58Eddie78US #102
#59Lawrence78US #38
#60Melvin78US #49
#61Jimmie77US #98
#62Marvin75US #46
#63Alfred74US #41
#64Clifford74US #72
#65Hubert74US #124
#66Lee74US #85
#67Alvin72US #77
#68Hugh71US #139
#69Lloyd71US #62
#70Johnny70US #113
#71Jerry69US #61
#72Lewis69US #84
#73Jimmy68US #115
#74Leroy65US #51
#75Tommy61US #144
#76Wayne61US #69
#77Junior59US #120
#78Louis58US #32
#79Willard58US #114
#80Gerald57US #33
#81Vernon57US #71
#82Oscar55US #117
#83Andrew54US #59
#84Earnest54US #155
#85Edgar54US #116
#86Homer54US #141
#87Horace54US #153
#88Lester52US #88
#89Allen51US #86
#90Chester51US #96
#91Leon50US #81
#92Max49US #128
#93Dewey48
#94Edwin48US #66
#95Virgil48US #127
#96Russell44US #56
#97Gordon43US #79
#98Norman43US #40
#99Ben41US #159
#100Calvin41US #109

On the move since 1928

Rising

↑35Bobbie#43
↑26Curtis#48
↑25Glenn#54
↑21Bettye#53
↑21Maxine#77
↑20Sam#47
↑19Eddie#58
↑18Joyce#36

Falling

↓30Junior#77
↓26Louis#78
↓24Lucille#61
↓18Marvin#62
↓18Calvin#100
↓15Myrtle#74
↓15Alfred#63
↓15Hugh#68

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1928 rankings.