Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1937

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1937 were Mary for girls (1,742 babies) and James for boys (2,262). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 52,309 babies born in Tennessee in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1937

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: 45 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Bobbye: 15 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Dorris: 18 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Bettye: 84 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Reba: 77 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Bobby: 24 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Bertie: 15 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Nannie: 25 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Peggie: 19 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Iva: 41 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Dorris: 25 babies, 19.5× the national rate
Kyle: 21 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Hobert: 15 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Buford: 33 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Hollis: 27 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Connie: 17 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Hershel: 21 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Billy: 840 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Billie: 72 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Bobby: 740 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	1,742	–	1
2	Betty	1,340	–	5
3	Barbara	1,006	↑1	2
4	Shirley	920	↓1	4
5	Dorothy	631	–	8
6	Peggy	465	–	31
7	Martha	458	–	24
8	Margaret	423	–	10
9	Nancy	416	↑2	7
10	Helen	365	↓1	12
11	Joyce	359	↓1	11
12	Patricia	359	↑4	3
13	Frances	286	–	19
14	Carolyn	285	↑5	20
15	Doris	281	–	22
16	Wilma	273	↑2	80
17	Virginia	272	↓5	16
18	Ruby	266	↓4	52
19	Elizabeth	257	↑4	17
20	Patsy	251	↑5	54
21	Wanda	247	–	55
22	Mildred	236	↓5	43
23	Norma	228	↓3	33
24	Evelyn	214	–	36
25	Annie	213	↑5	46
26	Anna	204	↓4	39
27	Shelby	195	new	>100
28	Bobbie	192	↓2	>100
29	Jo	184	–	73
30	Ruth	181	↑1	15
31	Alice	170	↑5	28
32	Ann	170	↑6	30
33	Edna	162	↓5	74
34	Sarah	160	↓7	65
35	Jean	158	↓1	23
36	Charlotte	146	↑11	67
37	Emma	146	–	89
38	Billie	144	↓5	>100
39	Thelma	141	↓7	78
40	Juanita	133	↑1	75
41	Joan	131	↓2	9
42	Lois	131	↓7	29
43	Louise	131	–	48
44	Willie	130	↓2	>100
45	Linda	121	new	49
46	Margie	121	↓2	>100
47	Sylvia	120	new	50
48	Clara	119	–	100
49	Bonnie	116	↓9	64
50	Hazel	115	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	James	2,262	–	2
2	William	1,256	–	4
3	Robert	1,239	–	1
4	Charles	1,093	–	6
5	John	1,014	–	3
6	Billy	840	–	22
7	Bobby	740	–	24
8	Donald	464	↑3	7
9	Joe	441	↓1	25
10	Thomas	438	–	9
11	George	421	↓2	10
12	Jerry	358	↑4	17
13	David	352	↑1	8
14	Jimmy	338	↑1	45
15	Kenneth	322	↓3	14
16	Paul	316	↓3	15
17	Harold	275	–	21
18	Willie	264	↑3	32
19	Richard	263	↓1	5
20	Roy	260	↑2	40
21	Edward	251	↓1	13
22	Carl	232	↑2	28
23	Jack	230	↓4	23
24	Walter	221	↓1	26
25	Fred	187	↑2	35
26	Raymond	183	–	19
27	Larry	182	↑8	16
28	Frank	180	↓3	18
29	Joseph	178	–	12
30	Henry	171	↑8	30
31	Ralph	171	–	34
32	Johnny	164	↓2	69
33	Howard	150	↓5	42
34	Earl	148	↑2	48
35	Eugene	144	↑6	33
36	Wayne	142	↑3	44
37	Ronald	140	↑9	11
38	Clarence	139	↓6	54
39	Tommy	137	↓5	84
40	Albert	132	–	37
41	Jimmie	128	↑1	72
42	Ray	128	↓5	71
43	Don	119	↑4	51
44	Ernest	116	new	53
45	Jackie	115	new	>100
46	Bill	111	new	64
47	Franklin	111	↓14	77
48	Clyde	107	↓4	93
49	Gerald	107	↓1	20
50	Arthur	104	↓5	31

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