State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1951 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 77,744 Tennessee births in 1951 across 1,019 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#79Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#65Wilma#178 nationally
#83Bobbie#192 nationally
#95Unknownoutside the national top 200
#72Janie#176 nationally
#48Donnie#150 nationally
#47Jackie#133 nationally
#38Patsy#121 nationally
#88Edna#170 nationally
#73Ruby#140 nationally
#100Rickey#166 nationally
#86Mildred#146 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,831US #1
#2Mary1,547US #2
#3Brenda1,382US #14
#4Patricia1,352US #3
#5Deborah1,094US #4
#6Barbara870US #5
#7Sandra825US #9
#8Judy747US #26
#9Carolyn693US #22
#10Shirley591US #27
#11Betty589US #29
#12Donna567US #12
#13Janice542US #21
#14Nancy512US #7
#15Sharon493US #13
#16Wanda467US #52
#17Joyce450US #28
#18Susan423US #6
#19Kathy411US #35
#20Martha410US #38
#21Pamela406US #16
#22Rebecca394US #32
#23Margaret375US #17
#24Elizabeth347US #23
#25Peggy332US #40
#26Carol326US #11
#27Karen295US #8
#28Phyllis293US #57
#29Dorothy286US #42
#30Beverly276US #33
#31Charlotte269US #84
#32Connie260US #44
#33Teresa255US #63
#34Debra254US #18
#35Janet250US #19
#36Glenda249US #89
#37Gloria236US #31
#38Patsy235US #121
#39Helen232US #54
#40Virginia221US #47
#41Cynthia219US #20
#42Sherry216US #70
#43Doris213US #80
#44Rita199US #61
#45Cathy190US #71
#46Judith186US #25
#47Frances185US #59
#48Alice179US #62
#49Diane177US #15
#50Marilyn177US #41
#51Jo174US #67
#52Bonnie167US #37
#53Katherine166US #55
#54Sheila162US #69
#55Sarah160US #91
#56Vicki160US #58
#57Vickie157US #87
#58Jacqueline151US #56
#59Anita145US #96
#60Evelyn142US #88
#61Joan139US #39
#62Paula136US #51
#63Rose132US #65
#64Diana130US #50
#65Wilma122US #178
#66Cheryl120US #30
#67Gwendolyn118US #112
#68Jane118US #43
#69Catherine116US #34
#70Annie115US #113
#71Ann114US #46
#72Janie114US #176
#73Ruby112US #140
#74Anna110US #94
#75Gail109US #36
#76Kathleen109US #10
#77Kathryn109US #45
#78Lois109US #85
#79Shelia108
#80Laura103US #60
#81Marsha100US #76
#82Rhonda100US #111
#83Bobbie97US #192
#84Lynda97US #116
#85Ruth92US #53
#86Mildred91US #146
#87Jean89US #49
#88Edna88US #170
#89Delores85US #141
#90Christine84US #24
#91Sylvia84US #97
#92Norma83US #107
#93Julia82US #127
#94Kay82US #120
#95Unknown82
#96Theresa81US #64
#97Sue78US #106
#98Vivian78US #138
#99Dianne77US #90
#100Juanita76US #126

Boys

#1James2,676US #1
#2William1,653US #6
#3Robert1,623US #2
#4David1,349US #5
#5Larry1,323US #11
#6John1,309US #3
#7Charles1,285US #9
#8Michael1,231US #4
#9Jerry887US #24
#10Gary826US #10
#11Thomas808US #8
#12Richard748US #7
#13Donald662US #15
#14Ronald641US #12
#15Kenneth548US #16
#16Danny501US #41
#17George467US #22
#18Billy447US #64
#19Jimmy402US #62
#20Bobby394US #77
#21Stephen392US #19
#22Johnny391US #50
#23Roger391US #29
#24Terry389US #30
#25Paul360US #18
#26Edward348US #23
#27Joseph339US #14
#28Steven332US #13
#29Dennis329US #17
#30Ronnie326US #82
#31Carl276US #43
#32Roy262US #52
#33Willie254US #45
#34Joe239US #57
#35Harold235US #46
#36Eddie220US #89
#37Daniel215US #21
#38Phillip202US #79
#39Tommy196US #94
#40Samuel193US #67
#41Walter193US #42
#42Douglas190US #27
#43Henry186US #47
#44Raymond186US #32
#45Steve182US #86
#46Frank181US #31
#47Jackie180US #133
#48Donnie170US #150
#49Wayne167US #37
#50Jack160US #48
#51Ralph160US #51
#52Stanley158US #54
#53Anthony146US #34
#54Randall145US #66
#55Mark144US #20
#56Gerald141US #36
#57Howard138US #74
#58Bruce136US #26
#59Barry135US #71
#60Randy130US #56
#61Clarence128US #98
#62Glenn127US #58
#63Albert125US #60
#64Allen122US #72
#65Arthur121US #44
#66Timothy121US #28
#67Ernest120US #83
#68Lawrence119US #33
#69Marvin119US #96
#70Fred115US #87
#71Micheal114US #97
#72Ricky112US #102
#73Melvin111US #88
#74Harry110US #70
#75Gregory107US #25
#76Eugene104US #65
#77Don102US #117
#78Earl101US #95
#79Herbert98US #112
#80Andrew95US #69
#81Curtis93US #91
#82Lonnie92US #139
#83Calvin91US #106
#84Ray85US #114
#85Alvin84US #121
#86Alan81US #40
#87Dwight80US #134
#88Lee80US #92
#89Clyde79US #132
#90Floyd79US #140
#91Jesse78US #115
#92Tony78US #141
#93Louis77US #76
#94Garry76US #154
#95Dale75US #49
#96Darrell74US #109
#97Charlie73US #153
#98Clifford71US #101
#99Philip70US #55
#100Rickey70US #166

On the move since 1950

Rising

↑53Debra#34
↑39Randy#60
↑33Barry#59
↑31Rose#63
↑23Teresa#33
↑22Ricky#72
↑20Randall#54
↑19Curtis#81

Falling

↓27Norma#92
↓26Ruth#85
↓25Jesse#91
↓20Ray#84
↓18Wilma#65
↓18Ann#71
↓18Vivian#98
↓16Earl#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1950 rankings.