State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 56,084 Tennessee births in 1940 across 924 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#69Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#58Shelby#187 nationally
#77Rebaoutside the national top 200
#95Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#95Doyleoutside the national top 200
#48Bobbie#147 nationally
#54Billie#149 nationally
#87Luther#177 nationally
#97Hubert#187 nationally
#65Alma#152 nationally
#92Geneva#178 nationally
#62Claude#145 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,782US #1
#2Betty1,160US #5
#3Barbara998US #2
#4Shirley721US #9
#5Linda539US #8
#6Patricia532US #3
#7Nancy520US #7
#8Dorothy516US #12
#9Peggy480US #37
#10Carolyn474US #15
#11Martha467US #26
#12Joyce439US #13
#13Wanda429US #52
#14Margaret421US #11
#15Helen353US #18
#16Doris282US #31
#17Elizabeth271US #20
#18Virginia266US #21
#19Frances264US #28
#20Patsy259US #57
#21Wilma255US #93
#22Norma236US #43
#23Judy234US #16
#24Sandra234US #10
#25Ruby223US #66
#26Brenda222US #42
#27Alice210US #32
#28Judith205US #4
#29Mildred204US #58
#30Charlotte200US #55
#31Ruth191US #24
#32Sarah191US #60
#33Anna184US #51
#34Janice180US #22
#35Phyllis175US #33
#36Annie174US #56
#37Evelyn174US #48
#38Lois172US #38
#39Jo166US #72
#40Ann163US #35
#41Carol161US #6
#42Juanita160US #78
#43Emma153US #94
#44Edna151US #86
#45Bonnie142US #39
#46Gloria136US #30
#47Jean135US #29
#48Bobbie132US #147
#49Rebecca132US #96
#50Thelma130US #101
#51Margie127US #114
#52Glenda124US #107
#53Jane120US #47
#54Billie117US #149
#55Willie114US #128
#56Hazel113US #123
#57Gladys112US #116
#58Shelby112US #187
#59Clara111US #111
#60Beverly109US #27
#61Geraldine107US #46
#62Joan106US #14
#63Sue101US #81
#64Louise99US #59
#65Alma96US #152
#66Sara96US #122
#67Sylvia94US #62
#68Marie92US #41
#69Bettye90
#70Joann90US #63
#71June89US #82
#72Donna88US #23
#73Lillian86US #97
#74Marilyn85US #25
#75Delores84US #83
#76Faye83US #153
#77Reba83
#78Edith82US #98
#79Laura82US #108
#80Marjorie82US #64
#81Christine78US #118
#82Mattie76US #163
#83Rose76US #44
#84Georgia75US #138
#85Katherine73US #92
#86Lillie73US #143
#87Eva72US #132
#88Nellie71US #161
#89Vivian71US #115
#90Maxine69US #137
#91Ethel68US #106
#92Geneva67US #178
#93Anne65US #84
#94Ida65US #144
#95Johnnie65
#96Bessie64US #162
#97Julia64US #91
#98Anita63US #87
#99Pauline62US #104
#100Bertha61US #141

Boys

#1James2,408US #1
#2William1,304US #4
#3Robert1,267US #2
#4Charles1,177US #6
#5John1,034US #3
#6Billy746US #27
#7Jerry689US #14
#8Bobby658US #30
#9Thomas561US #8
#10David539US #7
#11Donald452US #9
#12George433US #11
#13Joe418US #28
#14Kenneth396US #15
#15Richard375US #5
#16Paul349US #17
#17Larry346US #13
#18Jimmy341US #44
#19Harold299US #23
#20Roy289US #42
#21Willie264US #35
#22Johnny258US #51
#23Edward246US #16
#24Ronald223US #10
#25Carl222US #32
#26Jack216US #29
#27Walter207US #25
#28Joseph191US #12
#29Frank182US #20
#30Henry179US #31
#31Tommy178US #76
#32Ralph168US #37
#33Fred166US #40
#34Raymond166US #22
#35Wayne163US #39
#36Jackie152US #108
#37Howard150US #45
#38Clarence149US #64
#39Ernest144US #58
#40Earl143US #52
#41Ray141US #77
#42Albert136US #41
#43Eugene123US #38
#44Franklin119US #87
#45Jimmie119US #86
#46Clyde117US #102
#47Don116US #62
#48Eddie116US #81
#49Gene114US #70
#50Gary107US #19
#51Melvin105US #53
#52Samuel103US #65
#53Cecil101US #117
#54Harry100US #47
#55Glenn99US #83
#56Arthur97US #33
#57Norman96US #48
#58Gerald94US #21
#59Jesse91US #93
#60Lawrence90US #36
#61Bill89US #67
#62Claude87US #145
#63Charlie82US #111
#64Herbert81US #75
#65Marvin81US #63
#66Wendell81US #114
#67Floyd78US #103
#68Curtis77US #97
#69Leonard77US #54
#70Douglas76US #56
#71Herman76US #113
#72Michael75US #18
#73Lewis74US #107
#74Roger71US #26
#75Terry69US #73
#76Dennis68US #24
#77Ronnie67US #101
#78Glen66US #130
#79Lloyd66US #100
#80Daniel64US #34
#81Freddie64US #138
#82Hugh62US #157
#83Johnnie62US #129
#84Lee62US #80
#85Andrew61US #84
#86Alvin60US #106
#87Luther60US #177
#88Clifford59US #94
#89Alfred58US #69
#90Leroy58US #66
#91Lester58US #116
#92Elmer56US #144
#93Leon55US #89
#94Lonnie55US #153
#95Doyle54
#96Louis54US #50
#97Hubert53US #187
#98Milton53US #132
#99Phillip53US #79
#100Jim52US #78

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑69Brenda#26
↑28Gloria#46
↑26June#71
↑19Gary#50
↑19Roger#74
↑19Freddie#81
↑16Judy#23
↑15Geraldine#61

Falling

↓27Julia#97
↓24Lee#84
↓22Alvin#86
↓19Edith#78
↓18Sylvia#67
↓17Gerald#58
↓17Johnnie#83
↓16Marjorie#80

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.