State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 53,938 Tennessee births in 1938 across 873 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#63Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#64Rebaoutside the national top 200
#74Billie#191 nationally
#31Shelby#142 nationally
#95Robbieoutside the national top 200
#97Buddyoutside the national top 200
#78Hubert#178 nationally
#40Billie#139 nationally
#56Mattie#153 nationally
#54Alma#147 nationally
#35Bobbie#127 nationally
#86Luther#177 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,831US #1
#2Betty1,333US #4
#3Barbara1,076US #2
#4Shirley915US #5
#5Dorothy602US #8
#6Peggy491US #35
#7Nancy485US #7
#8Martha443US #26
#9Margaret442US #9
#10Carolyn416US #15
#11Joyce388US #11
#12Patricia370US #3
#13Helen351US #13
#14Doris322US #25
#15Wanda318US #49
#16Frances294US #23
#17Patsy263US #55
#18Virginia261US #22
#19Elizabeth248US #17
#20Norma243US #34
#21Linda231US #31
#22Ruby231US #61
#23Wilma219US #85
#24Anna212US #40
#25Mildred205US #52
#26Ruth194US #21
#27Alice193US #29
#28Annie193US #47
#29Evelyn192US #38
#30Jo192US #78
#31Shelby173US #142
#32Sarah170US #67
#33Edna166US #82
#34Ann164US #32
#35Bobbie160US #127
#36Janice156US #24
#37Lois150US #33
#38Charlotte149US #70
#39Thelma145US #86
#40Billie143US #139
#41Jean139US #27
#42Emma138US #96
#43Juanita132US #80
#44Sandra131US #14
#45Jane128US #44
#46Carol125US #6
#47Clara124US #98
#48Phyllis122US #28
#49Sylvia122US #56
#50Bonnie121US #65
#51Sue112US #104
#52Louise109US #59
#53Hazel104US #111
#54Alma103US #147
#55Willie103US #121
#56Mattie102US #153
#57Geraldine100US #45
#58Margie100US #109
#59Beverly99US #18
#60Sara97US #124
#61Edith96US #102
#62Joan96US #10
#63Bettye94
#64Reba94
#65Georgia93US #138
#66Rebecca93US #145
#67Gladys91US #103
#68Katherine90US #105
#69Nellie90US #152
#70Joann89US #68
#71Gloria86US #36
#72June85US #79
#73Ella84US #140
#74Marie83US #37
#75Minnie83US #161
#76Laura79US #108
#77Faye78US #162
#78Marjorie77US #53
#79Donna75US #20
#80Jessie74US #150
#81Lillie73US #132
#82Rosie73US #170
#83Ethel72US #94
#84Loretta72US #62
#85Marilyn72US #19
#86Glenda71US #123
#87Rose70US #39
#88Eva68US #126
#89Lillian67US #88
#90Julia66US #107
#91Anne64US #84
#92Bessie63US #155
#93Christine63US #129
#94Geneva63US #171
#95Robbie63
#96Cora62US #178
#97Judy62US #41
#98Bertha61US #131
#99Annette60US #119
#100Judith60US #12

Boys

#1James2,411US #2
#2William1,326US #4
#3Charles1,217US #6
#4Robert1,192US #1
#5John957US #3
#6Billy835US #24
#7Bobby701US #27
#8Thomas511US #9
#9Jerry477US #17
#10Donald468US #7
#11Joe462US #28
#12George426US #11
#13Jimmy394US #45
#14David391US #8
#15Kenneth358US #14
#16Harold305US #23
#17Richard299US #5
#18Paul293US #15
#19Roy249US #41
#20Willie243US #34
#21Edward240US #13
#22Jack226US #25
#23Carl225US #29
#24Larry215US #16
#25Joseph213US #12
#26Walter208US #26
#27Frank188US #18
#28Ronald187US #10
#29Howard174US #42
#30Raymond173US #20
#31Henry167US #30
#32Johnny163US #63
#33Fred162US #38
#34Ralph160US #35
#35Earl158US #50
#36Ray146US #72
#37Tommy146US #77
#38Wayne145US #40
#39Jackie139US #105
#40Eugene136US #33
#41Albert131US #37
#42Clarence130US #58
#43Don130US #52
#44Ernest128US #55
#45Jimmie122US #76
#46Gene114US #65
#47Eddie112US #79
#48Samuel110US #62
#49Marvin106US #53
#50Clyde105US #97
#51Glenn100US #83
#52Franklin99US #100
#53Harry99US #44
#54Herbert98US #68
#55Gerald97US #19
#56Lawrence97US #36
#57Charlie90US #112
#58Melvin89US #54
#59Norman89US #43
#60Floyd87US #96
#61Cecil86US #118
#62Herman86US #108
#63Bill81US #67
#64Jesse81US #107
#65Arthur78US #32
#66Gary76US #22
#67Clifford74US #89
#68Hugh74US #146
#69Elmer73US #130
#70Leonard70US #57
#71Claude69US #131
#72Leon67US #85
#73Alvin66US #98
#74Billie66US #191
#75Lee66US #80
#76Gordon65US #78
#77Curtis64US #101
#78Hubert64US #178
#79Louis64US #47
#80Johnnie63US #123
#81Sam63US #141
#82Glen62US #121
#83Jessie61US #163
#84Lewis60US #109
#85Douglas58US #60
#86Luther58US #177
#87Edwin57US #90
#88Homer57US #171
#89Lloyd57US #92
#90Vernon56US #103
#91Dan55US #156
#92Ronnie55US #113
#93Freddie54US #132
#94Willard54US #148
#95Oscar53US #158
#96Alfred52US #69
#97Buddy52
#98Lonnie51US #160
#99Roger50US #31
#100Stanley50US #59

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑34Janice#36
↑24Linda#21
↑21Elmer#69
↑20Sandra#44
↑19Curtis#77
↑18Reba#64
↑18Johnnie#80
↑17Faye#77

Falling

↓21Joan#62
↓20Marie#74
↓20Bertha#98
↓19Lillie#81
↓19Freddie#93
↓19Alfred#96
↓17Bill#63
↓15Arthur#65

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.