State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 54,208 Tennessee births in 1939 across 897 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#66Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#47Shelby#170 nationally
#78Rebaoutside the national top 200
#89Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#34Bobbie#141 nationally
#98Billieoutside the national top 200
#99Buddyoutside the national top 200
#50Billie#149 nationally
#90Luther#184 nationally
#73Faye#161 nationally
#73Hugh#160 nationally
#68Alma#150 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,734US #1
#2Betty1,245US #4
#3Barbara975US #2
#4Shirley827US #5
#5Dorothy557US #9
#6Martha508US #27
#7Peggy484US #34
#8Patricia458US #3
#9Nancy451US #7
#10Margaret449US #10
#11Carolyn412US #14
#12Joyce398US #12
#13Wanda392US #50
#14Linda361US #15
#15Helen334US #16
#16Virginia289US #21
#17Elizabeth275US #18
#18Doris269US #29
#19Norma261US #38
#20Patsy256US #56
#21Wilma256US #87
#22Frances247US #26
#23Ruby234US #67
#24Anna222US #43
#25Mildred210US #55
#26Jo192US #70
#27Sarah190US #68
#28Evelyn186US #40
#29Janice180US #24
#30Annie174US #54
#31Alice171US #31
#32Ruth165US #22
#33Sandra163US #13
#34Bobbie157US #141
#35Charlotte156US #66
#36Edna149US #81
#37Judith149US #8
#38Carol144US #6
#39Judy144US #28
#40Lois142US #35
#41Juanita141US #77
#42Phyllis136US #30
#43Emma132US #89
#44Ann130US #33
#45Thelma130US #88
#46Jean126US #32
#47Shelby126US #170
#48Sue124US #92
#49Sylvia123US #62
#50Billie121US #149
#51Clara118US #103
#52Willie117US #126
#53Hazel116US #118
#54Glenda114US #112
#55Beverly108US #25
#56Bonnie108US #61
#57Joan108US #11
#58Margie108US #113
#59Edith107US #102
#60Jane107US #46
#61Rebecca104US #134
#62Gladys99US #104
#63Louise97US #59
#64Marjorie97US #60
#65Marie96US #37
#66Bettye95
#67Marilyn95US #19
#68Alma94US #150
#69Joann93US #57
#70Julia91US #91
#71Sara91US #127
#72Laura90US #107
#73Faye89US #161
#74Gloria89US #36
#75Donna88US #20
#76Geraldine88US #41
#77Georgia85US #131
#78Reba85
#79Ella84US #132
#80Ethel84US #100
#81Eva83US #129
#82Mattie83US #164
#83Katherine80US #101
#84Nellie79US #157
#85Lillian76US #99
#86Delores71US #79
#87Eleanor69US #63
#88Loretta69US #65
#89Johnnie68
#90Rachel68US #160
#91Geneva67US #172
#92Bessie66US #158
#93Christine66US #124
#94Bertha65US #135
#95Brenda65US #86
#96Pauline65US #105
#97June64US #83
#98Jessie63US #155
#99Josephine62US #84
#100Minnie61US #165

Boys

#1James2,502US #2
#2William1,296US #4
#3Robert1,196US #1
#4Charles1,121US #6
#5John1,037US #3
#6Billy751US #24
#7Bobby676US #29
#8Jerry597US #16
#9Thomas494US #9
#10David467US #7
#11Donald467US #8
#12George467US #11
#13Joe430US #27
#14Jimmy360US #43
#15Kenneth345US #13
#16Richard342US #5
#17Paul333US #17
#18Harold304US #23
#19Larry283US #14
#20Willie266US #33
#21Roy262US #42
#22Edward252US #15
#23Johnny249US #62
#24Carl235US #30
#25Jack218US #26
#26Walter190US #25
#27Tommy188US #77
#28Raymond186US #22
#29Frank175US #20
#30Fred173US #40
#31Ronald166US #10
#32Ralph163US #35
#33Joseph160US #12
#34Wayne159US #39
#35Henry157US #31
#36Howard157US #47
#37Jackie148US #105
#38Don141US #56
#39Earl139US #50
#40Jimmie138US #80
#41Gerald136US #19
#42Ray132US #74
#43Albert130US #41
#44Samuel120US #63
#45Clyde118US #101
#46Clarence117US #60
#47Ernest116US #55
#48Harry112US #45
#49Arthur110US #32
#50Bill107US #67
#51Eugene107US #37
#52Glenn107US #87
#53Gene105US #69
#54Melvin102US #51
#55Eddie92US #81
#56Marvin87US #52
#57Charlie84US #112
#58Cecil83US #114
#59Franklin80US #106
#60Lee80US #78
#61Herbert79US #68
#62Glen78US #123
#63Herman77US #111
#64Alvin76US #103
#65Floyd75US #94
#66Johnnie74US #120
#67Douglas72US #58
#68Norman72US #44
#69Gary71US #21
#70Jesse69US #99
#71Lawrence69US #36
#72Michael68US #18
#73Hugh66US #160
#74Curtis65US #98
#75Jessie65US #154
#76Claude63US #141
#77Daniel63US #38
#78Leonard63US #54
#79Lloyd63US #95
#80Leon61US #86
#81Andrew59US #84
#82Alfred57US #70
#83Lewis57US #107
#84Stanley57US #57
#85Jim56US #75
#86Louis56US #49
#87Willard56US #147
#88Clifford55US #88
#89Ronnie55US #109
#90Luther54US #184
#91Leroy53US #61
#92Lonnie53US #150
#93Roger53US #28
#94Elmer52US #132
#95Bob51US #89
#96Allen49US #72
#97Oscar49US #159
#98Billie48
#99Buddy48
#100Freddie48US #138

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑63Judith#37
↑58Judy#39
↑32Glenda#54
↑20Julia#70
↑20Glen#62
↑18Marilyn#67
↑18Douglas#67
↑16Arthur#49

Falling

↓26Mattie#82
↓25June#97
↓25Minnie#100
↓25Elmer#94
↓24Billie#98
↓21Clifford#88
↓19Geraldine#76
↓18Jessie#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.