Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1930

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1930 were Mary for girls (2,104 babies) and James for boys (2,352). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 51,987 babies born in Tennessee in 1930 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1930

Names given at least 15 times in Tennessee that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Dimple: 18 babies, 15.4× the national rate
Bulah: 15 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Rubye: 22 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Robbie: 52 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Reba: 102 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Bobbye: 18 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Jewell: 71 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Bettye: 95 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Peggie: 15 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Gracie: 51 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Boys

Kyle: 21 babies, 10.3× the national rate
Buford: 37 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Edd: 16 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Hobert: 16 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Hershel: 24 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Clay: 15 babies, 5× the national rate
Wiley: 24 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Coy: 23 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Wilburn: 25 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Riley: 16 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1930

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929	US rank
1	Mary	2,104	–	1
2	Betty	1,361	–	2
3	Dorothy	1,030	–	3
4	Helen	545	↑1	4
5	Margaret	512	↓1	5
6	Martha	443	–	27
7	Mildred	433	–	21
8	Virginia	402	–	12
9	Ruby	400	–	36
10	Frances	360	–	16
11	Ruth	342	–	10
12	Evelyn	302	↑3	19
13	Barbara	300	↑6	6
14	Doris	288	↓2	9
15	Annie	262	↓1	40
16	Elizabeth	250	↓3	15
17	Anna	242	↑1	23
18	Edna	238	↑3	51
19	Thelma	235	↓3	45
20	Wilma	235	↑5	68
21	Jean	232	↓1	14
22	Willie	230	↓5	87
23	Juanita	218	↑4	57
24	Peggy	218	↑7	67
25	Sarah	214	↑1	70
26	Louise	213	↓4	31
27	Hazel	205	↓3	71
28	Gladys	193	↓5	48
29	Nancy	183	↑9	24
30	Billie	179	↓2	79
31	Norma	179	new	25
32	Joyce	175	↑4	18
33	Clara	168	↓1	64
34	Lois	162	↓1	17
35	Pauline	156	↓5	52
36	Emma	151	↓1	73
37	Wanda	151	new	56
38	Marie	149	↓9	26
39	Edith	147	↓5	61
40	Katherine	143	–	85
41	Bobbie	141	↑2	>100
42	Nellie	140	new	>100
43	Georgia	139	↓2	>100
44	Alice	135	↓2	20
45	Alma	135	↓6	>100
46	Bonnie	135	new	78
47	Eva	133	↑3	86
48	Margie	131	new	>100
49	Mattie	131	↓12	>100
50	Christine	125	↓2	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929	US rank
1	James	2,352	–	2
2	William	1,475	–	4
3	Robert	1,297	–	1
4	Charles	1,160	↑1	6
5	John	1,076	↓1	3
6	Billy	639	–	20
7	Thomas	519	↑1	11
8	George	505	↓1	8
9	Joe	428	–	27
10	Jack	334	–	14
11	Paul	321	↑2	12
12	Bobby	316	↑9	41
13	Willie	283	↓1	29
14	Harold	264	↑2	18
15	Richard	264	↑4	5
16	Roy	264	↓1	33
17	Edward	255	↓3	10
18	Kenneth	255	↑8	17
19	Walter	255	↓2	19
20	Carl	245	–	26
21	David	240	↑2	15
22	Donald	230	↑6	7
23	Henry	220	↓1	22
24	Fred	219	↑1	32
25	Howard	214	↑8	31
26	Earl	206	↑6	38
27	Frank	205	↓9	13
28	Raymond	192	↓1	16
29	Herbert	191	↓18	35
30	Eugene	184	↓1	21
31	Joseph	180	↓7	9
32	Clarence	172	↓2	39
33	Ralph	171	↓2	25
34	Ray	150	↑2	57
35	Clyde	144	↑3	76
36	Ernest	138	↓1	43
37	Albert	137	↓3	24
38	Herman	132	↑3	78
39	Harry	128	↓2	28
40	Billie	120	↑5	>100
41	Charlie	118	↓2	91
42	Samuel	110	↓2	55
43	Arthur	109	↓1	23
44	Bill	106	↑6	59
45	Jesse	106	new	94
46	Jessie	103	↓2	>100
47	Floyd	102	↓4	61
48	Jimmie	98	new	86
49	Claude	97	new	>100
50	Jimmy	94	new	>100

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