State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 79,364 Tennessee births in 1956 across 1,063 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#58Patsy#192 nationally
#56Shelia#183 nationally
#63Jackie#164 nationally
#78Donnie#173 nationally
#49Glenda#134 nationally
#94Ruby#179 nationally
#97Jackie#180 nationally
#98Clyde#175 nationally
#38Rickey#112 nationally
#63Charlotte#133 nationally
#76Vicky#146 nationally
#82Melissa#150 nationally

Girls

#1Deborah1,295US #4
#2Mary1,208US #1
#3Linda1,064US #3
#4Patricia917US #6
#5Debra905US #2
#6Brenda796US #19
#7Sharon777US #13
#8Pamela748US #12
#9Kathy731US #20
#10Donna710US #10
#11Karen702US #7
#12Teresa676US #24
#13Barbara613US #9
#14Sandra597US #14
#15Susan572US #5
#16Cynthia489US #8
#17Judy477US #35
#18Carolyn468US #33
#19Janice452US #26
#20Nancy442US #11
#21Sherry392US #54
#22Betty391US #44
#23Rebecca374US #27
#24Connie360US #43
#25Wanda342US #61
#26Vickie334US #68
#27Beverly328US #40
#28Shirley322US #41
#29Cheryl317US #18
#30Cathy312US #36
#31Carol307US #16
#32Elizabeth302US #22
#33Janet302US #21
#34Joyce293US #30
#35Martha290US #59
#36Debbie287US #39
#37Sheila277US #55
#38Margaret257US #25
#39Rhonda252US #62
#40Lisa221US #31
#41Peggy221US #63
#42Vicki220US #57
#43Diane215US #15
#44Rita211US #79
#45Dorothy210US #72
#46Gloria195US #53
#47Marilyn192US #70
#48Phyllis190US #82
#49Glenda183US #134
#50Anita179US #83
#51Angela175US #93
#52Doris171US #109
#53Jacqueline159US #78
#54Paula157US #47
#55Robin157US #29
#56Shelia151US #183
#57Virginia149US #75
#58Patsy148US #192
#59Helen141US #90
#60Katherine140US #67
#61Frances137US #107
#62Catherine135US #28
#63Charlotte135US #133
#64Laura135US #34
#65Jo134US #69
#66Regina130US #125
#67Theresa129US #32
#68Alice128US #98
#69Darlene125US #71
#70Sarah124US #115
#71Gwendolyn122US #128
#72Terry117US #91
#73Denise115US #23
#74Gail115US #49
#75Tina112US #87
#76Vicky112US #146
#77Ann108US #46
#78Jane107US #50
#79Cindy104US #37
#80Jennifer103US #97
#81Evelyn102US #120
#82Melissa102US #150
#83Bonnie101US #51
#84Ruth94US #77
#85Diana92US #56
#86Vanessa92US #145
#87Joan90US #52
#88Anna89US #103
#89Kimberly89US #74
#90Marsha89US #129
#91Rose86US #64
#92Kathryn84US #60
#93Kim84US #38
#94Ruby82US #179
#95Joy81US #140
#96Kathleen81US #17
#97Jackie80US #180
#98Judith79US #45
#99Julia78US #131
#100Loretta78US #126

Boys

#1James2,241US #2
#2Michael1,652US #1
#3David1,514US #4
#4William1,477US #6
#5Robert1,392US #3
#6John1,171US #5
#7Charles1,064US #11
#8Larry812US #21
#9Gary764US #13
#10Richard683US #7
#11Kenneth662US #16
#12Terry627US #31
#13Thomas626US #9
#14Jerry613US #35
#15Mark593US #8
#16Ronald587US #15
#17Steven585US #10
#18Donald583US #14
#19Ricky532US #43
#20Danny469US #46
#21Randy431US #28
#22Billy422US #68
#23Dennis368US #26
#24Johnny368US #55
#25Paul365US #17
#26Bobby362US #77
#27Stephen361US #23
#28George349US #27
#29Timothy348US #19
#30Joseph329US #12
#31Anthony327US #30
#32Jimmy327US #78
#33Edward326US #25
#34Roger317US #41
#35Gregory300US #24
#36Ronnie294US #75
#37Steve268US #59
#38Rickey265US #112
#39Joe260US #63
#40Willie244US #58
#41Daniel242US #18
#42Randall237US #54
#43Jeffrey230US #20
#44Carl225US #48
#45Douglas206US #29
#46Stanley204US #70
#47Roy202US #62
#48Tony200US #85
#49Barry198US #69
#50Walter198US #53
#51Micheal184US #83
#52Samuel175US #74
#53Phillip172US #76
#54Jeffery168US #57
#55Eddie166US #93
#56Frank165US #38
#57Harold160US #72
#58Jack158US #66
#59Raymond156US #39
#60Darrell154US #88
#61Wayne152US #45
#62Bruce149US #33
#63Jackie146US #164
#64Tommy146US #115
#65Keith139US #36
#66Ralph131US #67
#67Gerald126US #49
#68Howard123US #84
#69Marvin121US #105
#70Melvin120US #101
#71Alan118US #44
#72Glenn118US #61
#73Kevin117US #22
#74Calvin116US #109
#75Henry114US #71
#76Christopher109US #47
#77Don109US #123
#78Donnie108US #173
#79Clarence106US #120
#80Philip106US #64
#81Russell106US #52
#82Mike103US #97
#83Fred99US #102
#84Lawrence99US #42
#85Curtis96US #80
#86Dale95US #50
#87Patrick94US #40
#88Dwight93US #139
#89Garry92US #153
#90Ray90US #113
#91Andrew87US #56
#92Lee87US #104
#93Joel86US #106
#94Ernest85US #94
#95Reginald85US #144
#96Allen83US #87
#97Albert82US #81
#98Clyde79US #175
#99Harry79US #95
#100Lonnie79US #155

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑20Regina#66
↑20Vicky#76
↑17Jeffery#54
↑17Kevin#73
↑16Darlene#69
↑16Don#77
↑15Lisa#40
↑14Robin#55

Falling

↓30Rose#91
↓20Judith#98
↓18Bonnie#83
↓18Albert#97
↓17Julia#99
↓17Ernest#94
↓16Jo#65
↓16Marsha#90

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.