State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,937 Tennessee births in 1936 across 867 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#50Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#55Rebaoutside the national top 200
#56Shelby#178 nationally
#82Bobbie#197 nationally
#100Robbieoutside the national top 200
#94Johnnie#193 nationally
#63Hubert#161 nationally
#26Bobbie#119 nationally
#74Billie#167 nationally
#98Horace#188 nationally
#76Rebecca#164 nationally
#33Billie#117 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,790US #1
#2Betty1,347US #4
#3Shirley1,112US #2
#4Barbara826US #3
#5Dorothy620US #6
#6Peggy479US #35
#7Martha474US #24
#8Margaret442US #9
#9Helen397US #11
#10Joyce359US #12
#11Nancy350US #8
#12Virginia311US #14
#13Frances308US #19
#14Ruby284US #51
#15Doris266US #15
#16Patricia259US #5
#17Mildred255US #40
#18Wilma255US #78
#19Carolyn253US #23
#20Norma237US #29
#21Wanda231US #56
#22Anna226US #36
#23Elizabeth226US #18
#24Evelyn224US #34
#25Patsy219US #52
#26Bobbie208US #119
#27Sarah198US #63
#28Edna192US #71
#29Jo192US #72
#30Annie186US #45
#31Ruth182US #16
#32Thelma180US #74
#33Billie165US #117
#34Jean164US #20
#35Lois164US #26
#36Alice160US #27
#37Emma151US #85
#38Ann146US #28
#39Joan142US #7
#40Bonnie141US #65
#41Juanita137US #75
#42Willie136US #108
#43Louise130US #46
#44Margie124US #102
#45Gladys123US #84
#46Jane116US #42
#47Charlotte114US #61
#48Clara112US #91
#49Sue110US #109
#50Bettye103
#51Phyllis102US #25
#52Sara102US #129
#53Eva100US #116
#54Marie100US #33
#55Reba100
#56Shelby100US #178
#57Hazel98US #96
#58Sylvia98US #53
#59Mattie97US #143
#60Georgia95US #128
#61Katherine94US #100
#62Marjorie93US #49
#63Joann92US #55
#64Carol90US #10
#65Bessie89US #136
#66Alma86US #137
#67Edith86US #87
#68June85US #62
#69Rose85US #37
#70Geraldine84US #41
#71Lillian84US #79
#72Lillie83US #124
#73Nellie83US #135
#74Janice82US #31
#75Jessie81US #140
#76Rebecca81US #164
#77Ethel78US #90
#78Linda77US #97
#79Gloria76US #32
#80Faye74US #162
#81Laura74US #106
#82Myrtle74US #160
#83Pauline74US #82
#84Geneva73US #153
#85Loretta72US #70
#86Marilyn72US #13
#87Elsie71US #123
#88Minnie71US #148
#89Bertha70US #122
#90Delores69US #58
#91Catherine68US #44
#92Ella67US #126
#93Christine65US #131
#94Johnnie65US #193
#95Lula65US #175
#96Velma65US #167
#97Bernice63US #95
#98Eleanor62US #47
#99Beverly60US #17
#100Robbie59

Boys

#1James2,188US #2
#2William1,251US #4
#3Robert1,243US #1
#4Charles1,126US #6
#5John994US #3
#6Billy805US #22
#7Bobby743US #24
#8Joe510US #23
#9George473US #9
#10Thomas438US #8
#11Donald398US #7
#12Kenneth340US #14
#13Paul334US #15
#14David329US #10
#15Jimmy327US #46
#16Jerry322US #18
#17Harold298US #21
#18Richard288US #5
#19Jack276US #20
#20Edward260US #13
#21Willie253US #32
#22Roy240US #42
#23Walter207US #26
#24Carl205US #27
#25Frank205US #16
#26Raymond198US #17
#27Fred180US #36
#28Howard171US #40
#29Joseph171US #11
#30Johnny170US #72
#31Ralph170US #31
#32Clarence151US #52
#33Franklin149US #64
#34Larry144US #25
#35Tommy144US #91
#36Earl143US #47
#37Ray131US #65
#38Henry128US #28
#39Wayne125US #45
#40Albert122US #34
#41Eugene122US #29
#42Jimmie122US #71
#43Marvin116US #49
#44Clyde115US #89
#45Arthur113US #30
#46Ronald107US #12
#47Don105US #51
#48Gerald105US #19
#49Gene104US #66
#50Samuel104US #67
#51Bill101US #61
#52Jackie101US #106
#53Ernest95US #55
#54Charlie94US #103
#55Harry93US #39
#56Glenn85US #80
#57Alvin83US #96
#58Leroy81US #57
#59Floyd80US #86
#60Eddie79US #79
#61Herbert79US #62
#62Jesse78US #104
#63Hubert76US #161
#64Lawrence76US #37
#65Melvin76US #53
#66Freddie71US #134
#67Gordon71US #75
#68Leonard71US #54
#69Louis71US #44
#70Johnnie70US #117
#71Claude69US #132
#72Lee68US #76
#73Herman67US #105
#74Billie66US #167
#75Cecil65US #114
#76Jessie65US #151
#77Lewis64US #101
#78Norman64US #43
#79Alfred63US #60
#80Clifford62US #90
#81Douglas61US #78
#82Bobbie59US #197
#83Homer59US #165
#84Sam59US #131
#85Elmer58US #121
#86Glen57US #119
#87Hugh57US #142
#88Leon57US #82
#89Lloyd56US #88
#90Luther56US #171
#91Andrew54US #83
#92Lester54US #115
#93Bob52US #77
#94Vernon51US #93
#95Wallace51US #130
#96Allen50US #81
#97Curtis50US #107
#98Horace50US #188
#99Jim49US #85
#100Ben47US #169

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑34Jane#46
↑32Hubert#63
↑27Sylvia#58
↑25Phyllis#51
↑24Larry#34
↑20Alfred#79
↑19Rose#69
↑18Alvin#57

Falling

↓31Minnie#88
↓31Ella#92
↓26Christine#93
↓25Nellie#73
↓25Curtis#97
↓24Herman#73
↓23Norman#78
↓21Geneva#84

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.