State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1953 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 77,571 Tennessee births in 1953 across 1,020 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#67Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#77Wilmaoutside the national top 200
#97Unknownoutside the national top 200
#96Janie#197 nationally
#100Claraoutside the national top 200
#46Jackie#145 nationally
#57Donnie#156 nationally
#45Patsy#141 nationally
#98Edna#190 nationally
#86Mildred#166 nationally
#75Ruby#150 nationally
#100Freddie#171 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,487US #2
#2Mary1,461US #1
#3Deborah1,380US #3
#4Patricia1,128US #4
#5Brenda1,073US #18
#6Barbara721US #6
#7Sandra717US #11
#8Judy654US #27
#9Kathy625US #23
#10Donna595US #13
#11Pamela579US #10
#12Carolyn577US #25
#13Debra575US #7
#14Nancy557US #8
#15Janice540US #22
#16Susan522US #5
#17Betty516US #33
#18Sharon497US #15
#19Shirley438US #29
#20Joyce413US #26
#21Wanda409US #57
#22Teresa405US #42
#23Rebecca397US #24
#24Karen386US #9
#25Martha354US #41
#26Margaret347US #20
#27Elizabeth334US #21
#28Beverly322US #34
#29Janet316US #19
#30Peggy307US #44
#31Cynthia296US #12
#32Carol284US #16
#33Sherry276US #70
#34Marilyn275US #36
#35Connie270US #47
#36Phyllis261US #69
#37Dorothy256US #49
#38Cathy242US #56
#39Sheila238US #60
#40Gloria222US #38
#41Doris219US #87
#42Rita218US #64
#43Virginia210US #53
#44Vickie203US #79
#45Patsy202US #141
#46Glenda190US #105
#47Helen188US #65
#48Diane180US #17
#49Jo178US #54
#50Charlotte169US #100
#51Katherine168US #63
#52Frances166US #72
#53Vicki164US #61
#54Paula162US #40
#55Alice149US #73
#56Jacqueline149US #58
#57Judith146US #30
#58Rhonda145US #85
#59Catherine141US #35
#60Anita140US #89
#61Gwendolyn140US #112
#62Evelyn139US #94
#63Bonnie137US #45
#64Marsha134US #83
#65Jane128US #43
#66Sarah125US #93
#67Shelia123
#68Rose122US #59
#69Cheryl119US #28
#70Ann118US #46
#71Ruth118US #62
#72Laura114US #51
#73Theresa114US #50
#74Norma110US #122
#75Ruby110US #150
#76Lois108US #91
#77Wilma108
#78Annie105US #143
#79Joan105US #37
#80Anna103US #98
#81Kathryn102US #48
#82Gail101US #39
#83Diana95US #55
#84Kathleen93US #14
#85Angela89US #120
#86Mildred85US #166
#87Debbie84US #119
#88Jennifer84US #116
#89Vivian81US #149
#90Delores79US #156
#91Julia79US #124
#92Regina79US #132
#93Victoria77US #82
#94Denise76US #31
#95Darlene75US #75
#96Janie75US #197
#97Unknown75
#98Edna73US #190
#99Yvonne73US #104
#100Clara72

Boys

#1James2,495US #2
#2Michael1,536US #3
#3William1,511US #6
#4Robert1,495US #1
#5David1,473US #5
#6John1,328US #4
#7Charles1,245US #9
#8Larry1,039US #18
#9Richard853US #7
#10Jerry811US #29
#11Gary797US #10
#12Thomas756US #8
#13Donald589US #14
#14Kenneth574US #17
#15Ronald542US #15
#16Terry506US #30
#17Danny458US #41
#18Steven441US #11
#19Roger438US #31
#20Billy416US #65
#21Dennis399US #19
#22Johnny385US #52
#23George383US #22
#24Bobby375US #74
#25Stephen369US #21
#26Joseph358US #13
#27Paul358US #16
#28Jimmy329US #72
#29Ronnie325US #79
#30Edward308US #23
#31Ricky273US #51
#32Mark262US #12
#33Joe261US #66
#34Willie247US #49
#35Randy243US #35
#36Roy243US #55
#37Walter230US #45
#38Carl227US #44
#39Daniel223US #20
#40Anthony218US #32
#41Eddie190US #97
#42Douglas188US #27
#43Steve188US #84
#44Samuel186US #70
#45Harold185US #56
#46Jackie182US #145
#47Phillip181US #76
#48Tommy180US #95
#49Timothy175US #26
#50Gregory171US #24
#51Henry164US #54
#52Stanley164US #62
#53Jack163US #57
#54Randall161US #64
#55Raymond161US #34
#56Frank159US #33
#57Donnie152US #156
#58Micheal150US #88
#59Rickey150US #113
#60Ralph147US #59
#61Wayne146US #40
#62Barry143US #73
#63Melvin139US #91
#64Tony139US #117
#65Clarence128US #108
#66Fred117US #92
#67Albert114US #69
#68Dwight113US #122
#69Marvin113US #94
#70Ernest112US #87
#71Howard112US #77
#72Jeffrey112US #25
#73Bruce111US #28
#74Darrell111US #103
#75Glenn109US #67
#76Andrew103US #68
#77Gerald103US #42
#78Calvin101US #111
#79Philip100US #61
#80Eugene96US #75
#81Allen94US #81
#82Curtis91US #86
#83Alan89US #43
#84Don88US #121
#85Earl88US #96
#86Garry88US #142
#87Harry88US #83
#88Lawrence85US #37
#89Ray84US #115
#90Arthur83US #50
#91Herbert82US #125
#92Lee82US #93
#93Dale77US #48
#94Leonard77US #85
#95Keith76US #47
#96Patrick76US #39
#97Clifford74US #102
#98Lonnie71US #147
#99Alvin70US #140
#100Freddie69US #171

On the move since 1952

Rising

↑25Jeffrey#72
↑24Rhonda#58
↑19Theresa#73
↑16Darrell#74
↑15Rose#68
↑14Tony#64
↑13Mark#32
↑13Andrew#76

Falling

↓27Arthur#90
↓16Gerald#77
↓16Lawrence#88
↓16Lonnie#98
↓14Julia#91
↓12Joan#79
↓12Harry#87
↓12Ray#89

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1952 rankings.