State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1945 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 60,353 Tennessee births in 1945 across 900 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#81Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#76Mattie#191 nationally
#95Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#70Sammy#174 nationally
#87Alma#188 nationally
#100Rebaoutside the national top 200
#45Jackie#142 nationally
#55Bobbie#150 nationally
#35Wilma#128 nationally
#63Billie#152 nationally
#79Donnie#168 nationally
#71Janie#159 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,646US #1
#2Linda1,516US #2
#3Barbara871US #3
#4Betty861US #11
#5Patricia840US #4
#6Carolyn754US #12
#7Brenda730US #29
#8Shirley679US #14
#9Judy637US #13
#10Sandra570US #6
#11Joyce492US #18
#12Nancy484US #7
#13Dorothy449US #21
#14Martha447US #30
#15Wanda434US #58
#16Margaret398US #15
#17Peggy369US #45
#18Janice354US #24
#19Helen303US #31
#20Carol302US #5
#21Elizabeth286US #26
#22Patsy255US #84
#23Virginia255US #28
#24Doris234US #46
#25Glenda233US #92
#26Donna222US #17
#27Frances220US #34
#28Gloria220US #23
#29Judith219US #9
#30Sharon210US #8
#31Jo190US #60
#32Charlotte186US #55
#33Alice185US #41
#34Ruby184US #95
#35Wilma179US #128
#36Phyllis176US #40
#37Norma170US #74
#38Evelyn169US #57
#39Mildred165US #93
#40Annie159US #69
#41Sarah157US #76
#42Ruth156US #33
#43Susan152US #10
#44Beverly141US #37
#45Rebecca138US #85
#46Bonnie131US #35
#47Edna128US #119
#48Jane127US #36
#49Ann124US #39
#50Anna124US #73
#51Sue124US #66
#52Janet121US #20
#53Marilyn121US #27
#54Lois120US #48
#55Bobbie112US #150
#56Emma104US #123
#57Joan104US #25
#58Clara102US #136
#59Juanita99US #108
#60Diana96US #43
#61Jean96US #38
#62Geraldine95US #56
#63Billie94US #152
#64Katherine94US #82
#65Lynda92US #111
#66Connie91US #47
#67Karen88US #16
#68Willie87US #137
#69Georgia81US #116
#70Gwendolyn80US #151
#71Janie80US #159
#72Cheryl79US #32
#73Louise79US #78
#74Rita79US #59
#75Sylvia79US #83
#76Mattie76US #191
#77Pamela76US #42
#78Rose76US #54
#79Laura75US #77
#80Christine74US #62
#81Bettye73
#82Diane73US #22
#83Thelma73US #131
#84Ellen71US #61
#85Hazel71US #164
#86Vivian71US #118
#87Alma70US #188
#88Gladys69US #141
#89Carole68US #51
#90Julia68US #115
#91Faye66US #169
#92Loretta66US #107
#93Marie66US #49
#94Ella65US #158
#95Johnnie65
#96Anne64US #81
#97Eva64US #146
#98Edith63US #132
#99Delores62US #112
#100Reba62

Boys

#1James2,593US #1
#2William1,464US #4
#3Robert1,309US #2
#4John1,221US #3
#5Charles1,220US #7
#6Jerry815US #20
#7David722US #6
#8Larry687US #11
#9Thomas685US #8
#10Jimmy519US #41
#11Richard504US #5
#12Billy497US #42
#13Donald447US #12
#14George443US #15
#15Gary429US #13
#16Bobby417US #53
#17Kenneth389US #16
#18Ronald385US #10
#19Joe367US #36
#20Paul357US #17
#21Johnny341US #45
#22Roy318US #40
#23Michael300US #9
#24Willie287US #31
#25Edward272US #18
#26Harold248US #28
#27Tommy237US #75
#28Ronnie229US #67
#29Carl213US #39
#30Roger207US #22
#31Joseph203US #14
#32Walter195US #27
#33Danny186US #56
#34Frank185US #21
#35Terry183US #33
#36Raymond178US #23
#37Jack172US #32
#38Eddie170US #81
#39Wayne164US #35
#40Henry162US #37
#41Ernest157US #60
#42Howard156US #54
#43Dennis154US #19
#44Ralph144US #44
#45Jackie143US #142
#46Albert141US #49
#47Fred139US #51
#48Harry137US #47
#49Samuel137US #62
#50Ray132US #92
#51Douglas130US #29
#52Marvin117US #80
#53Eugene115US #50
#54Gerald113US #25
#55Don112US #73
#56Phillip110US #85
#57Clarence109US #82
#58Lawrence106US #30
#59Jimmie105US #102
#60Earl101US #71
#61Daniel94US #24
#62Dwight93US #126
#63Melvin93US #78
#64Clyde91US #121
#65Glenn90US #93
#66Stephen87US #26
#67Bill84US #66
#68Arthur83US #34
#69Steve80US #79
#70Sammy79US #174
#71Charlie78US #128
#72Stanley77US #59
#73Claude73US #159
#74Jesse73US #104
#75Floyd72US #114
#76Louis72US #55
#77Curtis71US #97
#78Herbert71US #94
#79Donnie69US #168
#80Lonnie69US #143
#81Franklin68US #119
#82Leroy68US #83
#83Tony68US #129
#84Freddie66US #145
#85Leonard62US #57
#86Norman62US #65
#87Andrew61US #86
#88Allen59US #74
#89Lee59US #87
#90Alvin58US #120
#91Clifford58US #99
#92Gene56US #100
#93Jessie56US #175
#94Lewis56US #123
#95Herman55US #146
#96Jim55US #68
#97Cecil54US #152
#98Sam52US #161
#99Vernon52US #118
#100Benny51US #187

On the move since 1944

Rising

↑38Dwight#62
↑33Karen#67
↑30Steve#69
↑26Janie#71
↑23Sammy#70
↑22Phillip#56
↑19Stephen#66
↑15Susan#43

Falling

↓30Eva#97
↓28Cecil#97
↓27Thelma#83
↓24Julia#90
↓22Edith#98
↓19Gladys#88
↓19Leonard#85
↓18Johnnie#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1944 rankings.