State roster

Top names in Tennessee

The names most likely to appear on 1961 Tennessee birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 75,615 Tennessee births in 1961 across 1,127 distinct names.

Distinctively Tennessee

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

#70Jackieoutside the national top 200
#60Shelia#189 nationally
#78Timmy#200 nationally
#82Donnieoutside the national top 200
#59Rickey#153 nationally
#66Glenda#159 nationally
#100Tammie#191 nationally
#84Doris#160 nationally
#75Charlotte#147 nationally
#39Vickie#107 nationally
#48Tommy#116 nationally
#77Reginald#144 nationally

Girls

#1Lisa1,128US #2
#2Mary874US #1
#3Teresa830US #18
#4Donna781US #7
#5Linda704US #4
#6Pamela630US #15
#7Karen622US #5
#8Brenda604US #11
#9Sandra582US #9
#10Patricia575US #6
#11Deborah562US #10
#12Sharon526US #17
#13Cynthia510US #8
#14Susan489US #3
#15Tammy487US #28
#16Angela462US #38
#17Kathy447US #25
#18Kimberly429US #22
#19Debra417US #13
#20Debbie384US #31
#21Sherry380US #53
#22Barbara378US #12
#23Elizabeth344US #19
#24Connie331US #50
#25Carolyn320US #42
#26Janet290US #32
#27Carol285US #24
#28Robin284US #27
#29Cindy278US #33
#30Sheila278US #59
#31Rhonda275US #46
#32Tina272US #41
#33Janice271US #52
#34Rebecca265US #44
#35Nancy264US #16
#36Jacqueline263US #37
#37Judy256US #58
#38Cheryl255US #20
#39Vickie246US #107
#40Beverly229US #66
#41Regina224US #98
#42Cathy223US #55
#43Betty220US #87
#44Laura219US #21
#45Jennifer209US #47
#46Melissa209US #95
#47Wanda199US #70
#48Anita191US #91
#49Joyce186US #62
#50Rita179US #105
#51Lori173US #14
#52Terri172US #51
#53Kim171US #36
#54Margaret168US #40
#55Martha161US #81
#56Shirley158US #85
#57Vicki157US #76
#58Penny155US #101
#59Paula153US #60
#60Shelia152US #189
#61Denise147US #30
#62Phyllis143US #120
#63Gloria140US #82
#64Carla132US #77
#65Julie130US #23
#66Glenda126US #159
#67Amy123US #69
#68Diane121US #26
#69Jackie120US #112
#70Stephanie119US #78
#71Peggy117US #88
#72Sarah114US #113
#73Katherine112US #86
#74Melinda112US #129
#75Charlotte111US #147
#76Valerie111US #67
#77Michelle109US #34
#78Darlene108US #80
#79Melanie107US #123
#80Marilyn103US #122
#81Catherine101US #48
#82Virginia100US #103
#83Theresa99US #35
#84Doris98US #160
#85Kelly98US #45
#86Dorothy97US #99
#87Gina96US #117
#88Belinda93US #141
#89Sherri93US #121
#90Helen92US #119
#91Anna91US #100
#92Pam91US #144
#93Terry89US #108
#94Vanessa87US #153
#95Annette86US #73
#96Becky84US #115
#97Frances84US #134
#98Julia82US #116
#99Leslie82US #84
#100Tammie80US #191

Boys

#1James1,930US #4
#2David1,488US #2
#3Michael1,478US #1
#4Robert1,143US #5
#5William1,128US #7
#6John1,056US #3
#7Mark889US #6
#8Charles855US #13
#9Timothy717US #15
#10Jeffrey646US #11
#11Terry621US #32
#12Kenneth593US #16
#13Ricky564US #44
#14Richard544US #8
#15Gary522US #21
#16Thomas515US #9
#17Jerry504US #37
#18Gregory454US #23
#19Anthony440US #25
#20Donald431US #22
#21Steven422US #10
#22Larry416US #30
#23Danny400US #54
#24Billy390US #68
#25Tony387US #53
#26Jeffery381US #50
#27Ronald376US #24
#28Randy373US #33
#29Johnny355US #70
#30Jimmy346US #71
#31Paul339US #18
#32Bobby333US #76
#33Roger302US #47
#34Joseph301US #12
#35Ronnie284US #91
#36Christopher270US #26
#37Kevin260US #14
#38Jeff255US #49
#39Stephen253US #27
#40Dennis248US #34
#41Steve236US #45
#42Barry234US #66
#43George231US #31
#44Randall230US #63
#45Keith226US #35
#46Mike217US #36
#47Phillip206US #69
#48Tommy195US #116
#49Daniel190US #17
#50Douglas189US #28
#51Edward189US #29
#52Carl187US #56
#53Darrell186US #101
#54Joe184US #60
#55Tim176US #65
#56Eddie172US #102
#57Willie154US #86
#58Scott153US #19
#59Rickey152US #153
#60Stanley150US #106
#61Micheal148US #103
#62Roy147US #83
#63Darryl146US #80
#64Harold144US #94
#65Eric141US #38
#66Samuel141US #89
#67Brian140US #20
#68Alan137US #51
#69Chris136US #57
#70Jackie123
#71Frank122US #41
#72Russell122US #55
#73Raymond119US #48
#74Walter115US #74
#75Allen114US #96
#76Curtis110US #75
#77Reginald108US #144
#78Timmy106US #200
#79Bruce103US #40
#80Andrew102US #52
#81Dale102US #58
#82Donnie99
#83Greg99US #77
#84Patrick99US #39
#85Gerald98US #62
#86Jack98US #90
#87Glenn96US #64
#88Rodney95US #72
#89Victor93US #99
#90Calvin90US #127
#91Joel87US #110
#92Dwayne85US #111
#93Henry85US #92
#94Howard85US #109
#95Marvin85US #120
#96Wayne85US #61
#97Tracy84US #119
#98Melvin82US #128
#99Ralph82US #95
#100Don80US #121

On the move since 1960

Rising

↑34Jacqueline#36
↑30Darryl#63
↑28Jackie#69
↑22Carla#64
↑19Jennifer#45
↑19Melanie#79
↑14Stephanie#70
↑14Christopher#36

Falling

↓27Marvin#95
↓20Terry#93
↓19Marilyn#80
↓19Dorothy#86
↓15Annette#95
↓15Gerald#85
↓14Joe#54
↓14Melvin#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1960 rankings.