State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1946 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 73,285 Tennessee births in 1946 across 986 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#59Bobbie#171 nationally
#90Almaoutside the national top 200
#38Wilma#144 nationally
#98Rebaoutside the national top 200
#64Donnie#165 nationally
#72Sammy#170 nationally
#49Jackie#139 nationally
#85Hazel#175 nationally
#70Janie#158 nationally
#73Willie#159 nationally
#79Claude#163 nationally
#80Billie#164 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,875US #1
#2Linda1,826US #2
#3Patricia1,156US #3
#4Barbara1,151US #4
#5Brenda1,079US #24
#6Carolyn983US #12
#7Betty982US #14
#8Judy908US #11
#9Sandra737US #6
#10Shirley721US #18
#11Nancy636US #7
#12Wanda589US #59
#13Martha505US #32
#14Janice491US #22
#15Margaret484US #17
#16Joyce466US #20
#17Dorothy451US #23
#18Peggy416US #43
#19Carol414US #5
#20Patsy349US #85
#21Donna318US #13
#22Sharon312US #9
#23Judith309US #10
#24Elizabeth303US #25
#25Helen292US #36
#26Phyllis281US #41
#27Virginia276US #31
#28Glenda271US #99
#29Beverly255US #30
#30Susan248US #8
#31Doris247US #51
#32Frances246US #39
#33Gloria233US #26
#34Jo228US #53
#35Rebecca216US #68
#36Charlotte210US #64
#37Alice202US #44
#38Wilma185US #144
#39Anna171US #87
#40Evelyn167US #65
#41Sarah163US #92
#42Janet157US #21
#43Ruby155US #105
#44Marilyn154US #29
#45Mildred152US #103
#46Ruth152US #38
#47Ann151US #40
#48Bonnie149US #33
#49Norma147US #77
#50Connie142US #45
#51Joan140US #28
#52Annie139US #97
#53Sue138US #61
#54Cheryl135US #27
#55Sherry135US #73
#56Jane134US #35
#57Juanita133US #110
#58Sylvia132US #82
#59Bobbie121US #171
#60Edna116US #126
#61Diane115US #19
#62Karen115US #15
#63Lois114US #55
#64Diana111US #42
#65Jean110US #37
#66Pamela108US #34
#67Lynda107US #109
#68Katherine105US #78
#69Rita104US #56
#70Janie100US #158
#71Emma99US #131
#72Vivian98US #120
#73Willie98US #159
#74Thelma97US #150
#75Sheila96US #70
#76Anita95US #84
#77Geraldine95US #66
#78Rose89US #60
#79Clara87US #145
#80Billie85US #164
#81Sara83US #135
#82Delores82US #115
#83Jacqueline82US #62
#84Gail81US #49
#85Hazel81US #175
#86Julia81US #114
#87Margie81US #138
#88Suzanne80US #52
#89Laura78US #75
#90Alma77
#91Ellen76US #58
#92Gwendolyn75US #132
#93Carole74US #72
#94Louise74US #91
#95Marie72US #54
#96Cynthia70US #46
#97Lillie70US #178
#98Reba70
#99Georgia69US #123
#100Eva68US #161

Boys

#1James2,959US #1
#2William1,657US #4
#3Robert1,579US #2
#4John1,414US #3
#5Charles1,380US #9
#6Larry1,065US #11
#7Jerry1,024US #20
#8David978US #6
#9Thomas734US #8
#10Richard696US #5
#11Gary631US #12
#12Donald603US #13
#13Ronald585US #10
#14Billy569US #45
#15Jimmy523US #42
#16George519US #16
#17Kenneth491US #15
#18Bobby481US #53
#19Michael458US #7
#20Johnny453US #47
#21Paul436US #18
#22Joe392US #37
#23Ronnie388US #54
#24Danny320US #46
#25Roy318US #43
#26Joseph312US #14
#27Harold299US #33
#28Willie297US #40
#29Edward286US #19
#30Tommy272US #77
#31Terry255US #26
#32Roger243US #23
#33Walter241US #30
#34Carl235US #39
#35Raymond228US #25
#36Wayne210US #29
#37Frank201US #22
#38Dennis200US #17
#39Eddie195US #85
#40Fred193US #51
#41Jack186US #35
#42Howard179US #55
#43Ralph178US #48
#44Don175US #79
#45Samuel167US #70
#46Henry159US #41
#47Harry158US #50
#48Gerald156US #27
#49Jackie151US #139
#50Douglas149US #34
#51Bill136US #72
#52Albert135US #52
#53Clarence132US #89
#54Ray130US #95
#55Earl129US #82
#56Ernest129US #71
#57Arthur126US #36
#58Daniel123US #21
#59Stephen120US #24
#60Clyde118US #122
#61Glenn116US #81
#62Jimmie116US #104
#63Phillip115US #83
#64Donnie110US #165
#65Eugene108US #57
#66Melvin108US #86
#67Lee105US #91
#68Marvin105US #88
#69Steve105US #69
#70Lawrence102US #31
#71Leonard100US #67
#72Sammy99US #170
#73Tony94US #129
#74Floyd86US #121
#75Stanley86US #65
#76Freddie84US #151
#77Herbert82US #97
#78Cecil80US #159
#79Claude79US #163
#80Lonnie78US #136
#81Mike78US #64
#82Barry77US #68
#83Charlie77US #135
#84Jesse76US #109
#85Dwight75US #137
#86Alfred71US #94
#87Jim71US #73
#88Louis71US #63
#89Allen70US #74
#90Andrew69US #84
#91Anthony69US #44
#92Alvin68US #126
#93Lewis67US #118
#94Steven67US #28
#95Garry66US #162
#96Russell65US #66
#97Herman64US #152
#98Hugh64US #174
#99Norman64US #76
#100Johnnie63US #141

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑22Lee#67
↑21Diane#61
↑19Cecil#78
↑18Cheryl#54
↑17Sylvia#58
↑17Delores#82
↑16Connie#50
↑16Bill#51

Falling

↓30Georgia#99
↓23Dwight#85
↓22Gwendolyn#92
↓21Clara#79
↓21Louise#94
↓17Billie#80
↓16Marvin#68
↓15Emma#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.