State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1948 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 77,436 Tennessee births in 1948 across 1,009 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#49Wilma#164 nationally
#71Bobbie#179 nationally
#60Donnie#162 nationally
#99Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#100Stellaoutside the national top 200
#78Janie#176 nationally
#50Jackie#147 nationally
#95Sammy#186 nationally
#88Billie#178 nationally
#79Willie#168 nationally
#92Gladys#173 nationally
#72Freddie#152 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,732US #1
#2Mary1,779US #2
#3Brenda1,367US #17
#4Patricia1,186US #4
#5Barbara1,103US #3
#6Judy901US #16
#7Carolyn883US #14
#8Betty863US #18
#9Sandra844US #6
#10Shirley668US #20
#11Nancy547US #7
#12Wanda540US #57
#13Janice500US #23
#14Martha491US #32
#15Joyce481US #21
#16Margaret453US #13
#17Peggy423US #38
#18Sharon413US #9
#19Dorothy405US #29
#20Donna395US #11
#21Susan365US #5
#22Carol359US #8
#23Elizabeth341US #26
#24Patsy297US #98
#25Beverly290US #31
#26Judith274US #15
#27Phyllis274US #46
#28Glenda256US #92
#29Helen255US #40
#30Rebecca250US #50
#31Virginia250US #36
#32Gloria247US #28
#33Frances235US #42
#34Doris232US #64
#35Pamela209US #22
#36Sherry207US #61
#37Alice206US #49
#38Connie206US #43
#39Jo202US #56
#40Charlotte201US #69
#41Deborah198US #30
#42Janet198US #24
#43Sarah185US #85
#44Bonnie184US #34
#45Karen178US #12
#46Evelyn175US #74
#47Ruby174US #114
#48Cynthia161US #27
#49Wilma161US #164
#50Cheryl155US #25
#51Anna149US #89
#52Marilyn146US #33
#53Lynda145US #84
#54Annie138US #97
#55Teresa134US #82
#56Rita132US #59
#57Sheila132US #71
#58Ann131US #44
#59Joan131US #37
#60Diane130US #19
#61Paula128US #52
#62Ruth128US #45
#63Mildred125US #120
#64Jane118US #39
#65Katherine114US #68
#66Lois114US #70
#67Diana107US #48
#68Kathy107US #55
#69Norma107US #103
#70Emma106US #138
#71Bobbie103US #179
#72Marsha103US #76
#73Jacqueline100US #58
#74Rose100US #62
#75Sue100US #78
#76Edna95US #139
#77Geraldine95US #83
#78Janie94US #176
#79Willie91US #168
#80Juanita90US #107
#81Clara87US #160
#82Dianne87US #86
#83Jean87US #47
#84Laura87US #73
#85Paulette86US #123
#86Gwendolyn85US #124
#87Sylvia85US #100
#88Billie84US #178
#89Vivian83US #126
#90Anita82US #102
#91Catherine82US #41
#92Gladys82US #173
#93Julia82US #118
#94Sara81US #142
#95Thelma80US #163
#96Christine79US #35
#97Suzanne78US #66
#98Delores77US #116
#99Shelia76
#100Stella76

Boys

#1James2,960US #1
#2William1,677US #4
#3Robert1,588US #2
#4John1,462US #3
#5Larry1,439US #11
#6Charles1,319US #9
#7David1,228US #5
#8Jerry1,033US #21
#9Thomas799US #8
#10Michael736US #6
#11Ronald736US #10
#12Gary706US #12
#13Richard600US #7
#14Donald580US #14
#15Kenneth559US #15
#16George544US #16
#17Billy504US #53
#18Jimmy495US #50
#19Bobby430US #62
#20Danny430US #39
#21Johnny413US #52
#22Ronnie412US #59
#23Joe391US #47
#24Paul381US #18
#25Roger371US #24
#26Terry343US #26
#27Roy321US #49
#28Joseph314US #13
#29Willie313US #40
#30Edward303US #19
#31Harold286US #36
#32Tommy279US #79
#33Dennis261US #17
#34Carl251US #42
#35Eddie243US #78
#36Stephen242US #20
#37Walter233US #35
#38Wayne212US #34
#39Ralph210US #51
#40Phillip196US #69
#41Frank195US #25
#42Raymond195US #27
#43Henry182US #45
#44Samuel175US #70
#45Daniel173US #22
#46Jack172US #43
#47Steve172US #60
#48Fred170US #66
#49Ernest157US #76
#50Jackie157US #147
#51Clarence156US #87
#52Harry155US #57
#53Douglas153US #33
#54Gerald148US #30
#55Ray142US #100
#56Steven138US #23
#57Howard137US #63
#58Earl133US #83
#59Melvin127US #81
#60Donnie124US #162
#61Tony124US #125
#62Arthur116US #44
#63Don112US #91
#64Allen111US #72
#65Lawrence110US #31
#66Albert108US #55
#67Eugene103US #61
#68Glenn103US #73
#69Jimmie102US #120
#70Stanley101US #65
#71Clyde99US #131
#72Freddie99US #152
#73Marvin98US #90
#74Bill97US #84
#75Leonard97US #71
#76Lonnie93US #135
#77Andrew91US #77
#78Calvin89US #117
#79Charlie89US #144
#80Jesse89US #108
#81Barry88US #74
#82Mike87US #68
#83Lee86US #93
#84Curtis84US #101
#85Alvin83US #124
#86Anthony82US #41
#87Herbert82US #103
#88Dwight81US #153
#89Randall80US #98
#90Floyd79US #134
#91Louis78US #64
#92Johnnie76US #150
#93Alfred75US #96
#94Claude73US #168
#95Sammy72US #186
#96Cecil71US #166
#97Randy70US #99
#98Mark69US #29
#99Clifford68US #105
#100Herman68US #146

On the move since 1947

Rising

↑28Deborah#41
↑25Paula#61
↑20Rose#74
↑18Allen#64
↑16Steven#56
↑15Rita#56
↑13Cynthia#48
↑12Sherry#36

Falling

↓20Sammy#95
↓19Thelma#95
↓15Jean#83
↓15Sylvia#87
↓15Billie#88
↓14Edna#76
↓14Floyd#90
↓12Ann#58

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1947 rankings.