State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1954 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 80,334 Tennessee births in 1954 across 1,066 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#52Shelia#190 nationally
#75Wilmaoutside the national top 200
#55Donnie#162 nationally
#50Patsy#155 nationally
#97Unknownoutside the national top 200
#98Emmaoutside the national top 200
#100Bobbieoutside the national top 200
#54Jackie#150 nationally
#85Melissa#170 nationally
#79Ruby#162 nationally
#43Glenda#114 nationally
#86Vivian#156 nationally

Girls

#1Deborah1,416US #3
#2Mary1,323US #1
#3Linda1,316US #2
#4Patricia1,198US #4
#5Brenda975US #18
#6Debra779US #6
#7Barbara742US #7
#8Donna725US #11
#9Pamela708US #12
#10Sandra677US #13
#11Kathy634US #23
#12Judy603US #29
#13Carolyn557US #27
#14Sharon552US #16
#15Nancy525US #9
#16Janice519US #25
#17Susan510US #5
#18Teresa506US #34
#19Betty442US #36
#20Karen433US #8
#21Wanda413US #58
#22Connie403US #39
#23Rebecca399US #26
#24Shirley399US #33
#25Beverly386US #31
#26Elizabeth380US #20
#27Janet370US #19
#28Cynthia356US #10
#29Sherry336US #62
#30Martha335US #46
#31Joyce320US #28
#32Marilyn307US #35
#33Margaret304US #21
#34Peggy289US #48
#35Vickie274US #69
#36Cathy269US #59
#37Carol267US #15
#38Sheila242US #60
#39Rita240US #67
#40Dorothy230US #55
#41Diane222US #17
#42Phyllis211US #75
#43Glenda210US #114
#44Vicki209US #50
#45Rhonda203US #71
#46Virginia195US #61
#47Jo191US #53
#48Gloria185US #42
#49Anita183US #96
#50Patsy173US #155
#51Helen172US #72
#52Shelia162US #190
#53Doris161US #93
#54Charlotte160US #113
#55Paula159US #38
#56Cheryl156US #22
#57Katherine150US #64
#58Jacqueline141US #68
#59Gwendolyn140US #122
#60Rose139US #54
#61Alice136US #81
#62Sarah134US #103
#63Debbie133US #92
#64Laura133US #45
#65Marsha130US #86
#66Judith128US #30
#67Jane125US #49
#68Bonnie124US #52
#69Theresa123US #47
#70Gail122US #37
#71Frances117US #83
#72Catherine116US #32
#73Evelyn116US #109
#74Lisa115US #73
#75Wilma115
#76Ann113US #44
#77Kathryn105US #51
#78Joan104US #40
#79Ruby103US #162
#80Ruth98US #66
#81Terry98US #88
#82Norma96US #128
#83Angela95US #118
#84Jennifer93US #108
#85Melissa93US #170
#86Vivian92US #156
#87Denise91US #24
#88Julia91US #127
#89Lois91US #110
#90Regina89US #137
#91Anna86US #105
#92Darlene86US #76
#93Sylvia85US #101
#94Diana84US #57
#95Robin82US #41
#96Constance81US #111
#97Sue80US #106
#98Emma78
#99Vanessa78US #142
#100Bobbie77

Boys

#1James2,512US #3
#2Michael1,607US #1
#3William1,595US #6
#4David1,550US #5
#5Robert1,480US #2
#6John1,340US #4
#7Charles1,195US #10
#8Larry990US #19
#9Gary922US #9
#10Richard800US #7
#11Thomas744US #8
#12Jerry728US #31
#13Donald629US #14
#14Terry615US #27
#15Ronald614US #15
#16Danny585US #42
#17Kenneth544US #17
#18Steven540US #11
#19Billy416US #65
#20Stephen408US #20
#21George385US #24
#22Roger377US #34
#23Johnny372US #54
#24Dennis363US #21
#25Paul363US #16
#26Bobby359US #72
#27Mark353US #12
#28Ricky344US #46
#29Ronnie344US #78
#30Jimmy333US #74
#31Joseph326US #13
#32Edward304US #22
#33Joe279US #67
#34Daniel278US #18
#35Randy267US #33
#36Willie260US #53
#37Anthony249US #32
#38Carl249US #47
#39Steve249US #76
#40Roy248US #56
#41Gregory217US #25
#42Timothy217US #26
#43Phillip216US #75
#44Stanley209US #58
#45Douglas206US #29
#46Harold205US #60
#47Walter203US #49
#48Eddie202US #91
#49Samuel192US #71
#50Rickey184US #113
#51Tommy184US #100
#52Barry177US #68
#53Randall177US #55
#54Jackie173US #150
#55Donnie169US #162
#56Tony168US #105
#57Jack167US #57
#58Frank161US #36
#59Micheal159US #88
#60Raymond155US #35
#61Howard150US #80
#62Darrell149US #95
#63Jeffrey146US #23
#64Wayne145US #41
#65Henry141US #59
#66Melvin138US #92
#67Gerald133US #44
#68Bruce125US #30
#69Ralph123US #61
#70Marvin122US #97
#71Calvin118US #117
#72Keith115US #45
#73Ray114US #118
#74Clarence111US #108
#75Fred107US #93
#76Curtis106US #84
#77Glenn104US #63
#78Andrew103US #70
#79Lawrence103US #39
#80Ernest102US #87
#81Allen99US #82
#82Patrick99US #38
#83Philip94US #62
#84Albert90US #73
#85Dale90US #50
#86Arthur89US #52
#87Alan88US #43
#88Jeffery88US #90
#89Earl86US #98
#90Harry86US #86
#91Lonnie86US #146
#92Clyde85US #161
#93Garry85US #138
#94Lee85US #96
#95Rodney83US #66
#96Russell82US #69
#97Unknown82
#98Eugene81US #77
#99Herbert81US #128
#100Kevin79US #28

On the move since 1953

Rising

↑24Debbie#63
↑23Keith#72
↑16Ray#73
↑15Shelia#52
↑14Patrick#82
↑13Connie#22
↑13Rhonda#45
↑13Cheryl#56

Falling

↓19Frances#71
↓18Eugene#98
↓17Albert#84
↓14Henry#65
↓13Catherine#72
↓13Lois#89
↓12Doris#53
↓11Joyce#31

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1953 rankings.