State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1942 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 63,256 Tennessee births in 1942 across 943 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#84Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#75Mack#190 nationally
#85Johnnie#192 nationally
#94Rebaoutside the national top 200
#47Bobbie#151 nationally
#73Faye#175 nationally
#82Nellie#183 nationally
#90Donnie#191 nationally
#44Billie#143 nationally
#79Mattie#171 nationally
#100Rosie#189 nationally
#77Alma#165 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,867US #1
#2Betty1,134US #9
#3Barbara1,083US #2
#4Linda1,049US #4
#5Patricia762US #3
#6Carolyn753US #10
#7Shirley734US #12
#8Joyce579US #13
#9Martha532US #29
#10Dorothy525US #17
#11Nancy508US #8
#12Peggy499US #42
#13Brenda473US #40
#14Sandra451US #6
#15Wanda426US #54
#16Margaret406US #14
#17Judy383US #15
#18Elizabeth327US #22
#19Virginia315US #23
#20Patsy310US #57
#21Helen304US #26
#22Frances285US #30
#23Doris274US #41
#24Judith254US #7
#25Carol231US #5
#26Janice230US #25
#27Phyllis226US #37
#28Norma225US #52
#29Sarah221US #67
#30Wilma208US #114
#31Glenda207US #89
#32Mildred203US #71
#33Jo201US #65
#34Charlotte199US #51
#35Alice191US #39
#36Anna182US #59
#37Ruby180US #77
#38Evelyn177US #53
#39Annie176US #62
#40Bonnie175US #34
#41Donna160US #20
#42Ruth160US #33
#43Edna158US #99
#44Billie157US #143
#45Ann156US #38
#46Gloria156US #31
#47Bobbie154US #151
#48Rebecca148US #85
#49Beverly145US #32
#50Lois145US #44
#51Joan137US #18
#52Jane135US #46
#53Jean127US #36
#54Geraldine123US #47
#55Juanita122US #90
#56Thelma122US #121
#57Emma116US #108
#58Katherine110US #81
#59Sue110US #73
#60Clara109US #122
#61Margie105US #126
#62Willie104US #133
#63Marie103US #43
#64Hazel101US #139
#65Gladys100US #127
#66Louise99US #61
#67Rose99US #50
#68Sara97US #128
#69Georgia95US #123
#70Julia94US #95
#71Sylvia93US #72
#72Marilyn91US #27
#73Faye90US #175
#74Janet89US #19
#75Carole88US #35
#76Eva84US #140
#77Alma82US #165
#78Edith82US #113
#79Mattie81US #171
#80Minnie81US #161
#81Sharon81US #11
#82Nellie80US #183
#83Lynda78US #132
#84Bettye77
#85Johnnie76US #192
#86Ella75US #152
#87Joann75US #58
#88Vivian75US #125
#89Kay74US #75
#90Delores73US #86
#91Laura73US #115
#92Susan73US #21
#93Lillie72US #150
#94Reba71
#95Bessie67US #176
#96Rita67US #55
#97Diane66US #28
#98Lillian66US #111
#99Pauline66US #112
#100Rosie66US #189

Boys

#1James2,904US #1
#2William1,588US #4
#3Robert1,441US #2
#4Charles1,296US #7
#5John1,144US #3
#6Jerry871US #16
#7David671US #6
#8Billy652US #35
#9Thomas642US #8
#10Larry586US #12
#11Bobby556US #43
#12George499US #14
#13Donald468US #10
#14Jimmy449US #47
#15Joe426US #33
#16Richard405US #5
#17Kenneth387US #15
#18Ronald368US #9
#19Paul360US #19
#20Roy335US #42
#21Douglas321US #23
#22Harold313US #27
#23Johnny293US #55
#24Edward274US #17
#25Willie250US #37
#26Joseph246US #11
#27Carl219US #36
#28Jack216US #34
#29Raymond213US #24
#30Frank212US #21
#31Tommy200US #73
#32Walter194US #26
#33Fred188US #46
#34Gary188US #18
#35Henry187US #31
#36Ralph173US #38
#37Clarence171US #67
#38Wayne170US #41
#39Albert158US #40
#40Howard158US #49
#41Ronnie158US #78
#42Gerald156US #22
#43Earl154US #62
#44Michael151US #13
#45Jackie139US #119
#46Eddie138US #86
#47Samuel136US #59
#48Phillip130US #77
#49Don128US #72
#50Eugene128US #45
#51Ray125US #84
#52Clyde122US #109
#53Arthur121US #29
#54Harry112US #48
#55Franklin111US #103
#56Jimmie111US #94
#57Terry108US #52
#58Melvin107US #60
#59Marvin105US #66
#60Ernest104US #61
#61Herbert100US #83
#62Glenn97US #88
#63Bill95US #65
#64Leonard91US #57
#65Claude90US #149
#66Floyd90US #113
#67Jesse90US #100
#68Alvin89US #115
#69Daniel88US #28
#70Charlie87US #118
#71Gene86US #82
#72Lawrence84US #30
#73Lee84US #87
#74Cecil81US #131
#75Mack81US #190
#76Roger81US #25
#77Dennis80US #20
#78Leroy80US #69
#79Norman79US #53
#80Stanley79US #56
#81Freddie76US #140
#82Hugh75US #154
#83Lewis75US #112
#84Danny72US #111
#85Glen72US #144
#86Curtis70US #98
#87Leon66US #93
#88Lonnie65US #148
#89Louis65US #51
#90Donnie63US #191
#91Sam63US #152
#92Allen61US #71
#93Chester61US #137
#94Calvin60US #136
#95Vernon60US #114
#96Herman59US #122
#97Willard59US #159
#98Clifford58US #95
#99Elmer58US #158
#100Jessie58US #167

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑50Douglas#21
↑35Marie#63
↑28Leonard#64
↑26Janet#74
↑25Michael#44
↑25Phillip#48
↑19Donna#41
↑19Claude#65

Falling

↓31Herman#96
↓25Joann#87
↓18Clifford#98
↓16Gene#71
↓14Cecil#74
↓13Sylvia#71
↓13Minnie#80
↓13Bettye#84

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.