State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1931 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 50,590 Tennessee births in 1931 across 872 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#54Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#76Rebaoutside the national top 200
#82Imogeneoutside the national top 200
#96Elbertoutside the national top 200
#24Bobbie#124 nationally
#87Johnnie#187 nationally
#79Opal#171 nationally
#37Billie#128 nationally
#83Beulah#173 nationally
#41Mattie#130 nationally
#51Geneva#136 nationally
#79Earnest#162 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,042US #1
#2Betty1,486US #2
#3Dorothy886US #3
#4Helen537US #6
#5Margaret502US #7
#6Barbara470US #4
#7Martha465US #28
#8Mildred368US #26
#9Ruby349US #39
#10Frances347US #18
#11Virginia345US #12
#12Peggy331US #42
#13Ruth302US #11
#14Evelyn276US #24
#15Wilma273US #69
#16Annie256US #41
#17Doris253US #10
#18Elizabeth252US #16
#19Anna245US #25
#20Edna233US #52
#21Billie226US #81
#22Joyce218US #15
#23Thelma211US #53
#24Bobbie206US #124
#25Hazel195US #74
#26Nancy192US #17
#27Norma192US #22
#28Clara190US #61
#29Jean189US #13
#30Louise185US #33
#31Sarah185US #71
#32Willie185US #93
#33Wanda183US #54
#34Juanita178US #57
#35Emma169US #76
#36Gladys169US #55
#37Lois159US #20
#38Marie148US #27
#39Alice142US #21
#40Joan140US #5
#41Mattie139US #130
#42Ann136US #35
#43Edith131US #65
#44Bonnie130US #73
#45Pauline129US #56
#46Bessie124US #113
#47Jo123US #116
#48Alma122US #114
#49Carolyn120US #60
#50Marjorie120US #34
#51Geneva119US #136
#52Shirley116US #9
#53Lillie115US #112
#54Bettye113
#55Georgia113US #120
#56Sara110US #135
#57Margie109US #107
#58Nellie108US #119
#59Geraldine107US #38
#60Lillian107US #47
#61Ethel106US #67
#62Patricia103US #8
#63Christine102US #125
#64Jane102US #50
#65Eva101US #94
#66Bernice98US #63
#67Ella97US #110
#68Katherine93US #92
#69Irene90US #37
#70Jessie89US #122
#71Bertha88US #102
#72Minnie87US #129
#73Charlotte85US #75
#74Myrtle82US #134
#75Velma82US #131
#76Reba81
#77Sue81US #153
#78June80US #44
#79Opal80US #171
#80Lucille79US #62
#81Gloria78US #23
#82Imogene78
#83Beulah75US #173
#84Elsie75US #86
#85Vivian75US #82
#86Ida74US #100
#87Johnnie73US #187
#88Catherine69US #36
#89Julia67US #91
#90Vera67US #111
#91Lula66US #162
#92Agnes65US #103
#93Fannie65US #169
#94Laura65US #89
#95Grace64US #70
#96Bettie63US #177
#97Patsy63US #83
#98Cora62US #160
#99Rebecca62US #170
#100Rose62US #30

Boys

#1James2,280US #2
#2William1,342US #4
#3Robert1,234US #1
#4Charles1,137US #6
#5John1,074US #3
#6Billy726US #19
#7Thomas464US #10
#8Bobby437US #32
#9George432US #8
#10Joe393US #29
#11Jack335US #15
#12Paul328US #12
#13Edward304US #11
#14Richard279US #5
#15Roy258US #35
#16Kenneth254US #14
#17Willie254US #31
#18Harold253US #18
#19Carl251US #28
#20Donald233US #7
#21Walter217US #20
#22David209US #13
#23Fred207US #33
#24Joseph207US #9
#25Henry191US #22
#26Ralph190US #25
#27Raymond187US #17
#28Earl184US #40
#29Frank184US #16
#30Clarence183US #39
#31Howard171US #34
#32Eugene164US #21
#33Ernest151US #47
#34Clyde144US #77
#35Albert137US #24
#36Jimmy132US #89
#37Billie128US #128
#38Harry122US #30
#39Samuel118US #56
#40Herbert116US #41
#41Ray112US #60
#42Charlie109US #94
#43Floyd109US #66
#44Jerry109US #43
#45Bill106US #57
#46Arthur102US #23
#47Jimmie101US #81
#48Marvin95US #45
#49Cecil90US #102
#50Jesse90US #97
#51Tommy90US #115
#52Johnny89US #105
#53Lawrence89US #38
#54Claude88US #134
#55Leonard87US #48
#56Herman85US #83
#57Jessie84US #135
#58Gene81US #64
#59Clifford79US #75
#60Hubert78US #137
#61Johnnie78US #110
#62Sam78US #118
#63Hugh75US #131
#64Leroy72US #52
#65Andrew71US #65
#66Melvin70US #51
#67Elmer68US #82
#68Junior68US #150
#69Louis68US #37
#70Willard68US #124
#71Wayne67US #58
#72Glenn66US #72
#73Lee65US #90
#74Glen62US #112
#75Vernon62US #74
#76Curtis61US #108
#77Alfred60US #50
#78Alvin60US #80
#79Earnest59US #162
#80Eddie58US #95
#81Homer58US #144
#82Horace58US #160
#83Luther58US #156
#84Norman58US #36
#85Lewis56US #87
#86Leon55US #84
#87Lester55US #96
#88Don53US #59
#89Douglas53US #85
#90Oscar53US #129
#91Ben50US #163
#92Gerald49US #26
#93Allen48US #79
#94Edgar48US #122
#95Bobbie47US #178
#96Elbert47
#97Daniel46US #44
#98Milton43US #99
#99Ronald43US #27
#100Gordon42US #76

On the move since 1930

Rising

↑35Joan#40
↑25Ann#42
↑24Patricia#62
↑23Carolyn#49
↑23Geraldine#59
↑23Lawrence#53
↑22Tommy#51
↑20Charlotte#73

Falling

↓28Katherine#68
↓25Lucille#80
↓21Grace#95
↓20Glenn#72
↓18Eva#65
↓18Herman#56
↓17Imogene#82
↓17Laura#94

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1930 rankings.