State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1937 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 52,309 Tennessee births in 1937 across 878 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#74Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#82Rebaoutside the national top 200
#70Billie#185 nationally
#96Johnnie#198 nationally
#99Bettieoutside the national top 200
#28Bobbie#122 nationally
#27Shelby#119 nationally
#72Hubert#164 nationally
#77Rebecca#166 nationally
#85Earnest#174 nationally
#38Billie#126 nationally
#94Horace#180 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,742US #1
#2Betty1,340US #5
#3Barbara1,006US #2
#4Shirley920US #4
#5Dorothy632US #8
#6Peggy465US #31
#7Martha458US #24
#8Margaret423US #10
#9Nancy416US #7
#10Helen365US #12
#11Joyce359US #11
#12Patricia359US #3
#13Frances286US #19
#14Carolyn285US #20
#15Doris281US #22
#16Wilma273US #80
#17Virginia272US #16
#18Ruby266US #52
#19Elizabeth257US #17
#20Patsy251US #54
#21Wanda247US #55
#22Mildred236US #43
#23Norma228US #33
#24Evelyn214US #36
#25Annie213US #46
#26Anna204US #39
#27Shelby195US #119
#28Bobbie192US #122
#29Jo184US #73
#30Ruth181US #15
#31Alice170US #28
#32Ann170US #30
#33Edna162US #74
#34Sarah160US #65
#35Jean158US #23
#36Charlotte146US #67
#37Emma146US #89
#38Billie144US #126
#39Thelma141US #78
#40Juanita133US #75
#41Joan131US #9
#42Lois131US #29
#43Louise131US #48
#44Willie130US #114
#45Linda121US #49
#46Margie121US #111
#47Sylvia120US #50
#48Clara119US #100
#49Bonnie116US #64
#50Hazel115US #106
#51Phyllis114US #27
#52Sue110US #101
#53Jane107US #42
#54Marie105US #35
#55Beverly103US #14
#56Carol100US #6
#57Gloria100US #32
#58Gladys98US #86
#59Georgia97US #132
#60Joann97US #58
#61Katherine96US #103
#62Lillie96US #131
#63Mattie96US #148
#64Sandra95US #26
#65Marjorie93US #57
#66Edith92US #96
#67Alma91US #138
#68Nellie91US #140
#69Ella90US #134
#70Janice90US #25
#71Ethel89US #88
#72Geraldine89US #44
#73June87US #71
#74Bettye84
#75Eva83US #117
#76Sara83US #130
#77Rebecca82US #166
#78Bertha79US #121
#79Bessie79US #143
#80Glenda79US #146
#81Pauline78US #87
#82Reba77
#83Geneva76US #158
#84Minnie75US #156
#85Jessie72US #144
#86Loretta72US #63
#87Lillian71US #84
#88Lucille71US #98
#89Laura70US #105
#90Rose69US #38
#91Eleanor68US #53
#92Bernice65US #104
#93Christine62US #135
#94Faye62US #160
#95Velma61US #164
#96Johnnie60US #198
#97Marilyn60US #13
#98Lula58US #182
#99Bettie56
#100Grace56US #94

Boys

#1James2,263US #2
#2William1,256US #4
#3Robert1,239US #1
#4Charles1,093US #6
#5John1,014US #3
#6Billy840US #22
#7Bobby740US #24
#8Donald464US #7
#9Joe440US #25
#10Thomas438US #9
#11George421US #10
#12Jerry358US #17
#13David352US #8
#14Jimmy338US #45
#15Kenneth321US #14
#16Paul316US #15
#17Harold275US #21
#18Willie264US #32
#19Richard263US #5
#20Roy260US #40
#21Edward251US #13
#22Carl232US #28
#23Jack230US #23
#24Walter221US #26
#25Fred187US #35
#26Raymond183US #19
#27Larry182US #16
#28Frank180US #18
#29Joseph178US #12
#30Henry171US #30
#31Ralph171US #34
#32Johnny164US #69
#33Howard150US #42
#34Earl148US #48
#35Eugene144US #33
#36Wayne142US #44
#37Ronald140US #11
#38Clarence139US #54
#39Tommy138US #84
#40Albert132US #37
#41Jimmie128US #72
#42Ray128US #71
#43Don119US #51
#44Ernest116US #53
#45Jackie115US #107
#46Bill111US #64
#47Franklin111US #77
#48Clyde107US #93
#49Gerald107US #20
#50Arthur104US #31
#51Floyd101US #80
#52Herbert94US #65
#53Herman94US #101
#54Samuel94US #66
#55Eddie93US #83
#56Harry93US #41
#57Jesse93US #102
#58Melvin92US #50
#59Marvin90US #49
#60Cecil88US #114
#61Charlie88US #110
#62Gene84US #61
#63Lawrence82US #38
#64Lee81US #78
#65Norman80US #43
#66Glenn77US #88
#67Hugh77US #143
#68Claude75US #137
#69Jessie74US #148
#70Billie72US #185
#71Leroy67US #56
#72Hubert64US #164
#73Sam62US #132
#74Freddie61US #134
#75Gary61US #29
#76Louis61US #46
#77Alfred60US #60
#78Leonard60US #58
#79Alvin58US #99
#80Gordon58US #75
#81Clifford57US #90
#82Daniel57US #39
#83Lloyd56US #91
#84Vernon56US #96
#85Earnest55US #174
#86Glen55US #122
#87Luther55US #169
#88Lewis53US #104
#89Stanley53US #57
#90Elmer52US #120
#91Roger52US #36
#92Allen51US #76
#93Douglas50US #74
#94Horace49US #180
#95Andrew48US #79
#96Curtis48US #109
#97Homer48US #165
#98Johnnie48US #118
#99Willard48US #135
#100Calvin47US #125

On the move since 1936

Rising

↑44Beverly#55
↑33Linda#45
↑29Shelby#27
↑23Ella#69
↑22Gloria#57
↑20Herman#53
↑20Hugh#67
↑15Cecil#60

Falling

↓28Johnnie#98
↓27Reba#82
↓24Bettye#74
↓24Sara#76
↓22Eva#75
↓22Alvin#79
↓21Rose#90
↓16Lillian#87

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1936 rankings.