Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1936

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1936 were Mary for girls (1,790 babies) and James for boys (2,188). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 51,938 babies born in Tennessee in 1936 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1936

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: 59 babies, 8× the national rate
Birdie: 21 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Reba: 100 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Bettye: 103 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Jewell: 53 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Dorris: 16 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Joe: 32 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Peggie: 22 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Sammie: 18 babies, 5× the national rate
Bertie: 21 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Boys

Dorris: 15 babies, 16× the national rate
Hobert: 15 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Landon: 30 babies, 7× the national rate
Buford: 27 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Kyle: 15 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Loyd: 35 babies, 4× the national rate
Bobby: 743 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Billy: 805 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Bobbie: 59 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Dewey: 47 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1936

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	Mary	1,790	–	1
2	Betty	1,347	–	4
3	Shirley	1,112	–	2
4	Barbara	826	–	3
5	Dorothy	620	–	6
6	Peggy	479	↑3	35
7	Martha	474	↓1	24
8	Margaret	442	↓1	9
9	Helen	397	↓1	11
10	Joyce	359	–	12
11	Nancy	350	↑1	8
12	Virginia	311	↓1	14
13	Frances	308	–	19
14	Ruby	284	↑1	51
15	Doris	266	↓1	15
16	Patricia	259	–	5
17	Mildred	255	↑1	40
18	Wilma	255	↓1	78
19	Carolyn	253	↑3	23
20	Norma	237	↑7	29
21	Wanda	231	↑5	56
22	Anna	226	↓1	36
23	Elizabeth	226	–	18
24	Evelyn	224	–	34
25	Patsy	219	↑11	52
26	Bobbie	208	↓1	>100
27	Sarah	198	↑6	63
28	Edna	192	–	71
29	Jo	192	↑3	72
30	Annie	186	↓11	45
31	Ruth	182	↓11	16
32	Thelma	180	↑7	74
33	Billie	165	↓3	>100
34	Jean	164	↑1	20
35	Lois	164	↓4	26
36	Alice	160	↑5	27
37	Emma	151	↑3	85
38	Ann	146	↓4	28
39	Joan	142	↓2	7
40	Bonnie	141	↑7	65
41	Juanita	137	↓12	75
42	Willie	136	–	>100
43	Louise	130	↑1	46
44	Margie	124	↑1	>100
45	Gladys	123	new	84
46	Jane	116	new	42
47	Charlotte	114	new	61
48	Clara	112	↓10	91
49	Sue	110	new	>100
50	Bettye	103	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	James	2,188	–	2
2	William	1,251	–	4
3	Robert	1,243	↑1	1
4	Charles	1,126	↓1	6
5	John	994	–	3
6	Billy	805	–	22
7	Bobby	743	–	24
8	Joe	510	–	23
9	George	473	–	9
10	Thomas	438	–	8
11	Donald	398	–	7
12	Kenneth	340	↑3	14
13	Paul	334	↓1	15
14	David	329	↑2	10
15	Jimmy	327	↓2	46
16	Jerry	322	↑3	18
17	Harold	298	↓3	21
18	Richard	288	↓1	5
19	Jack	276	↓1	20
20	Edward	260	↑2	13
21	Willie	253	↓1	32
22	Roy	240	↓1	42
23	Walter	207	–	26
24	Carl	205	–	27
25	Frank	205	–	16
26	Raymond	198	↑2	17
27	Fred	180	↑3	36
28	Howard	171	↓1	40
29	Joseph	171	↑2	11
30	Johnny	170	↑3	72
31	Ralph	170	↓5	31
32	Clarence	151	↑4	52
33	Franklin	149	↑4	64
34	Tommy	145	↑7	91
35	Larry	144	new	25
36	Earl	143	↓2	47
37	Ray	131	↑5	65
38	Henry	128	↓6	28
39	Wayne	125	↑4	45
40	Albert	122	↓2	34
41	Eugene	122	↓12	29
42	Jimmie	122	↓7	71
43	Marvin	116	new	49
44	Clyde	115	↓5	89
45	Arthur	113	new	30
46	Ronald	107	↑1	12
47	Don	105	new	51
48	Gerald	105	new	19
49	Gene	104	new	66
50	Samuel	104	↓6	67

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