State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1950 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 75,904 Tennessee births in 1950 across 997 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#47Wilma#171 nationally
#84Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#89Billieoutside the national top 200
#48Donnie#150 nationally
#98Bobbie#195 nationally
#52Jackie#140 nationally
#36Patsy#117 nationally
#85Janie#164 nationally
#95Rickey#173 nationally
#81Edna#157 nationally
#76Tony#149 nationally
#58Ruby#130 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,042US #1
#2Mary1,552US #2
#3Brenda1,337US #14
#4Patricia1,183US #3
#5Barbara904US #4
#6Judy814US #25
#7Sandra780US #8
#8Carolyn710US #20
#9Shirley680US #19
#10Betty659US #26
#11Deborah637US #7
#12Nancy544US #6
#13Wanda524US #52
#14Janice523US #22
#15Donna504US #13
#16Martha457US #32
#17Joyce448US #27
#18Sharon447US #11
#19Margaret426US #15
#20Susan403US #5
#21Carol376US #9
#22Peggy359US #41
#23Dorothy326US #35
#24Elizabeth303US #24
#25Pamela297US #17
#26Rebecca291US #36
#27Beverly290US #31
#28Phyllis274US #53
#29Kathy267US #38
#30Glenda260US #87
#31Charlotte255US #80
#32Karen245US #12
#33Gloria237US #30
#34Janet236US #18
#35Doris230US #74
#36Patsy229US #117
#37Sherry225US #62
#38Virginia225US #43
#39Connie221US #44
#40Helen218US #50
#41Judith211US #21
#42Frances188US #51
#43Diane182US #16
#44Alice174US #57
#45Jo170US #64
#46Marilyn170US #37
#47Wilma165US #171
#48Cathy164US #75
#49Sarah161US #88
#50Bonnie160US #33
#51Cynthia159US #23
#52Rita157US #56
#53Ann151US #45
#54Sheila145US #70
#55Katherine141US #58
#56Teresa140US #81
#57Cheryl139US #29
#58Ruby137US #130
#59Ruth137US #49
#60Catherine134US #34
#61Vicki134US #61
#62Vickie131US #108
#63Evelyn129US #86
#64Jane129US #39
#65Norma126US #104
#66Gwendolyn124US #113
#67Joan124US #40
#68Anna123US #93
#69Anita121US #99
#70Jacqueline120US #55
#71Marsha117US #68
#72Diana115US #47
#73Annie114US #106
#74Mildred104US #135
#75Laura102US #63
#76Delores100US #129
#77Paula97US #54
#78Gail95US #42
#79Kathleen94US #10
#80Vivian94US #138
#81Edna93US #157
#82Jean93US #48
#83Lois92US #83
#84Shelia90
#85Janie89US #164
#86Kathryn89US #46
#87Debra85US #59
#88Lynda85US #107
#89Billie83
#90Emma81US #154
#91Sylvia81US #97
#92Edith79US #150
#93Juanita79US #115
#94Rose79US #69
#95Christine78US #28
#96Julia78US #119
#97Sue78US #100
#98Bobbie77US #195
#99Constance73US #85
#100Regina73US #143

Boys

#1James2,835US #1
#2William1,674US #6
#3Robert1,569US #2
#4Larry1,388US #11
#5John1,385US #3
#6Charles1,370US #9
#7David1,224US #5
#8Michael1,029US #4
#9Jerry902US #24
#10Gary859US #10
#11Thomas766US #8
#12Ronald663US #12
#13Richard617US #7
#14Donald607US #14
#15Kenneth541US #15
#16Danny490US #39
#17Billy470US #57
#18George459US #20
#19Roger439US #27
#20Jimmy415US #55
#21Johnny385US #50
#22Terry380US #30
#23Paul379US #18
#24Ronnie370US #76
#25Bobby369US #65
#26Edward334US #22
#27Joe326US #54
#28Stephen326US #19
#29Dennis302US #17
#30Willie300US #42
#31Joseph295US #13
#32Steven264US #16
#33Roy259US #51
#34Harold248US #45
#35Carl247US #44
#36Walter245US #40
#37Phillip199US #64
#38Eddie193US #89
#39Tommy189US #94
#40Daniel182US #21
#41Frank179US #29
#42Samuel179US #62
#43Henry177US #47
#44Ralph177US #52
#45Raymond173US #31
#46Douglas168US #28
#47Wayne168US #35
#48Donnie159US #150
#49Steve156US #83
#50Howard153US #63
#51Jack151US #48
#52Jackie147US #140
#53Gerald144US #34
#54Clarence140US #95
#55Ernest140US #81
#56Marvin137US #93
#57Fred136US #84
#58Lawrence135US #33
#59Melvin133US #87
#60Stanley122US #60
#61Harry119US #61
#62Earl116US #92
#63Albert114US #56
#64Ray112US #111
#65Bruce110US #26
#66Jesse110US #114
#67Mark110US #23
#68Anthony109US #36
#69Eugene107US #58
#70Glenn107US #59
#71Arthur106US #46
#72Don105US #107
#73Calvin104US #105
#74Randall104US #70
#75Timothy103US #32
#76Tony101US #149
#77Clyde95US #136
#78Gregory95US #25
#79Herbert94US #112
#80Allen93US #71
#81Leonard92US #77
#82Lonnie90US #135
#83Alvin89US #121
#84Dale89US #49
#85Charlie85US #151
#86Dwight84US #146
#87Freddie81US #155
#88Micheal81US #104
#89Philip81US #53
#90Lee79US #91
#91Jimmie77US #141
#92Barry76US #74
#93Clifford76US #100
#94Ricky76US #128
#95Rickey74US #173
#96Andrew73US #68
#97Floyd73US #143
#98Louis72US #66
#99Randy72US #80
#100Curtis70US #97

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑37Vickie#62
↑20Anita#69
↑20Delores#76
↑20Jesse#66
↑18Cathy#48
↑18Gwendolyn#66
↑18Mark#67
↑16Bruce#65

Falling

↓25Floyd#97
↓24Bobbie#98
↓23Lois#83
↓23Lynda#88
↓22Annie#73
↓21Juanita#93
↓19Sue#97
↓18Barry#92

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.