Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1931

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1931 were Mary for girls (2,042 babies) and James for boys (2,279). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 50,589 babies born in Tennessee in 1931 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1931

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

Girls

Robbie: 61 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Bettye: 113 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Bobbye: 23 babies, 6× the national rate
Rubye: 17 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Dorris: 23 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Reba: 81 babies, 5× the national rate
Billy: 19 babies, 5× the national rate
Bobby: 29 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Georgie: 29 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Birdie: 17 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Boys

Dorris: 16 babies, 15.9× the national rate
Ottis: 15 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Hobert: 17 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Buford: 26 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Hollis: 26 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Billie: 128 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Noah: 16 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Thurman: 24 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Elbert: 47 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Billy: 726 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1931

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1930	US rank
1	Mary	2,042	–	1
2	Betty	1,486	–	2
3	Dorothy	886	–	3
4	Helen	537	–	6
5	Margaret	502	–	7
6	Barbara	470	↑7	4
7	Martha	465	↓1	28
8	Mildred	368	↓1	26
9	Ruby	349	–	39
10	Frances	347	–	18
11	Virginia	345	↓3	12
12	Peggy	331	↑12	42
13	Ruth	302	↓2	11
14	Evelyn	276	↓2	24
15	Wilma	273	↑5	69
16	Annie	256	↓1	41
17	Doris	253	↓3	10
18	Elizabeth	252	↓2	16
19	Anna	245	↓2	25
20	Edna	233	↓2	52
21	Billie	226	↑9	81
22	Joyce	218	↑10	15
23	Thelma	211	↓4	53
24	Bobbie	206	↑17	>100
25	Hazel	195	↑2	74
26	Nancy	192	↑3	17
27	Norma	192	↑4	22
28	Clara	190	↑5	61
29	Jean	189	↓8	13
30	Louise	185	↓4	33
31	Sarah	185	↓6	71
32	Willie	185	↓10	93
33	Wanda	183	↑4	54
34	Juanita	178	↓11	57
35	Emma	169	↑1	76
36	Gladys	169	↓8	55
37	Lois	159	↓3	20
38	Marie	148	–	27
39	Alice	142	↑5	21
40	Joan	140	new	5
41	Mattie	139	↑8	>100
42	Ann	136	new	35
43	Edith	131	↓4	65
44	Bonnie	130	↑2	73
45	Pauline	129	↓10	56
46	Bessie	124	new	>100
47	Jo	123	new	>100
48	Alma	122	↓3	>100
49	Carolyn	120	new	60
50	Marjorie	120	new	34

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1930	US rank
1	James	2,279	–	2
2	William	1,342	–	4
3	Robert	1,234	–	1
4	Charles	1,137	–	6
5	John	1,074	–	3
6	Billy	726	–	19
7	Thomas	464	–	10
8	Bobby	437	↑4	32
9	George	432	↓1	8
10	Joe	393	↓1	29
11	Jack	335	↓1	15
12	Paul	328	↓1	12
13	Edward	304	↑4	11
14	Richard	279	↑1	5
15	Roy	258	↑1	35
16	Kenneth	254	↑2	14
17	Willie	254	↓4	31
18	Harold	253	↓4	18
19	Carl	251	↑1	28
20	Donald	233	↑2	7
21	Walter	217	↓2	20
22	David	209	↓1	13
23	Fred	207	↑1	33
24	Joseph	207	↑7	9
25	Henry	191	↓2	22
26	Ralph	190	↑7	25
27	Raymond	187	↑1	17
28	Earl	184	↓2	40
29	Frank	184	↓2	16
30	Clarence	183	↑2	39
31	Howard	171	↓6	34
32	Eugene	164	↓2	21
33	Ernest	151	↑3	47
34	Clyde	144	↑1	77
35	Albert	137	↑2	24
36	Jimmy	132	↑14	89
37	Billie	128	↑3	>100
38	Harry	122	↑1	30
39	Samuel	118	↑3	56
40	Herbert	116	↓11	41
41	Ray	112	↓7	60
42	Charlie	109	↓1	94
43	Floyd	109	↑4	66
44	Jerry	109	new	43
45	Bill	106	↓1	57
46	Arthur	102	↓3	23
47	Jimmie	101	↑1	81
48	Marvin	95	new	45
49	Cecil	90	new	>100
50	Jesse	90	↓5	97

← Tennessee 1930 Tennessee: all years · US 1931 Tennessee 1932 →