State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1941 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,025 Tennessee births in 1941 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.

#71Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#75Sammyoutside the national top 200
#85Rebaoutside the national top 200
#82Johnnie#192 nationally
#38Bobbie#145 nationally
#96Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#67Minnie#166 nationally
#99Hubert#196 nationally
#68Alma#163 nationally
#72Mattie#164 nationally
#59Billie#149 nationally
#78Nellie#167 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,926US #1
#2Betty1,099US #7
#3Barbara1,057US #2
#4Linda731US #5
#5Patricia725US #3
#6Shirley714US #10
#7Carolyn603US #11
#8Nancy523US #8
#9Peggy509US #39
#10Dorothy508US #14
#11Martha504US #25
#12Joyce474US #13
#13Margaret443US #12
#14Wanda434US #53
#15Sandra378US #9
#16Judy376US #16
#17Brenda358US #41
#18Patsy350US #52
#19Virginia318US #23
#20Helen304US #24
#21Doris279US #38
#22Elizabeth271US #21
#23Frances264US #31
#24Wilma241US #106
#25Janice234US #22
#26Judith232US #6
#27Norma231US #47
#28Ruby222US #69
#29Alice212US #34
#30Jo200US #66
#31Carol199US #4
#32Mildred197US #64
#33Anna194US #56
#34Charlotte189US #55
#35Evelyn187US #50
#36Sarah186US #60
#37Phyllis184US #35
#38Bobbie169US #145
#39Bonnie169US #33
#40Ann164US #37
#41Annie159US #59
#42Gloria159US #26
#43Ruth157US #28
#44Edna154US #89
#45Glenda148US #96
#46Rebecca148US #86
#47Lois136US #43
#48Emma125US #99
#49Joan123US #17
#50Juanita123US #84
#51Thelma122US #108
#52Willie119US #136
#53Geraldine114US #45
#54Margie112US #122
#55Beverly110US #29
#56Jean107US #32
#57Sue107US #75
#58Sylvia105US #65
#59Billie102US #149
#60Donna101US #20
#61Gladys98US #118
#62Joann97US #58
#63Louise97US #62
#64Hazel96US #131
#65Jane95US #46
#66Georgia94US #127
#67Minnie93US #166
#68Alma91US #163
#69Clara91US #111
#70Julia90US #88
#71Bettye89
#72Mattie89US #164
#73Faye87US #160
#74Eva81US #135
#75Katherine81US #85
#76Marilyn81US #30
#77Rose81US #49
#78Nellie80US #167
#79Vivian77US #113
#80Loretta76US #81
#81Sara76US #124
#82Johnnie74US #192
#83Edith72US #103
#84Laura72US #115
#85Reba72
#86Ella69US #141
#87Jessie69US #165
#88Delores68US #80
#89Eleanor67US #78
#90Ethel67US #116
#91Anne66US #82
#92Geneva66US #180
#93Lillian66US #104
#94Lillie66US #144
#95Bessie65US #173
#96Shelby65
#97June64US #90
#98Marie64US #42
#99Marjorie64US #71
#100Janet62US #18

Boys

#1James2,615US #1
#2William1,465US #4
#3Robert1,344US #2
#4Charles1,206US #6
#5John1,089US #3
#6Jerry763US #14
#7Billy725US #27
#8Bobby662US #35
#9Thomas603US #8
#10Larry541US #11
#11David535US #7
#12George469US #13
#13Jimmy453US #45
#14Donald441US #10
#15Kenneth435US #15
#16Joe423US #30
#17Richard360US #5
#18Paul359US #18
#19Ronald324US #9
#20Roy324US #39
#21Harold279US #24
#22Willie266US #36
#23Edward265US #17
#24Carl243US #29
#25Walter217US #26
#26Johnny215US #55
#27Joseph204US #12
#28Tommy198US #71
#29Jack196US #32
#30Ralph193US #38
#31Frank183US #21
#32Henry182US #28
#33Raymond169US #22
#34Wayne166US #37
#35Fred165US #43
#36Howard161US #47
#37Earl158US #58
#38Albert156US #40
#39Gary153US #19
#40Jackie151US #110
#41Gerald143US #20
#42Don141US #66
#43Samuel138US #65
#44Eddie135US #78
#45Clarence134US #62
#46Ronnie130US #79
#47Ray129US #83
#48Ernest123US #61
#49Franklin121US #98
#50Melvin118US #56
#51Eugene117US #42
#52Jimmie113US #89
#53Clyde107US #113
#54Bill105US #68
#55Gene103US #72
#56Arthur92US #33
#57Charlie92US #115
#58Harry92US #48
#59Alvin91US #107
#60Cecil87US #132
#61Lawrence87US #34
#62Terry87US #64
#63Glenn85US #86
#64Jesse85US #99
#65Herman84US #114
#66Daniel83US #31
#67Dennis83US #23
#68Herbert83US #76
#69Michael83US #16
#70Marvin82US #63
#71Douglas78US #53
#72Floyd78US #102
#73Phillip77US #77
#74Lee70US #81
#75Sammy69
#76Hugh68US #160
#77Roger68US #25
#78Norman67US #49
#79Lloyd66US #96
#80Clifford64US #94
#81Leroy64US #67
#82Curtis62US #100
#83Allen61US #73
#84Claude61US #151
#85Louis61US #50
#86Sam61US #150
#87Danny60US #120
#88Johnnie59US #131
#89Leon59US #93
#90Freddie58US #138
#91Jessie58US #162
#92Leonard58US #54
#93Calvin56US #133
#94Alfred55US #74
#95Glen55US #139
#96Lewis55US #109
#97Elmer53US #147
#98Steve53US #112
#99Hubert52US #196
#100Lonnie52US #148

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑31Ronnie#46
↑27Julia#70
↑27Alvin#59
↑26Phillip#73
↑18Georgia#66
↑17Gerald#41
↑14Daniel#66
↑13Joan#49

Falling

↓38Shelby#96
↓30Marie#98
↓26June#97
↓23Leonard#92
↓23Lewis#96
↓22Claude#84
↓21Norman#78
↓20Lillian#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.