Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1938

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,831 babies) and James for boys (2,411). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 53,937 babies born in Tennessee in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1938

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

Girls

Rubye: 24 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Robbie: 63 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Reba: 94 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Birdie: 19 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Dorris: 19 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Jewell: 51 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Peggie: 24 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Bettye: 94 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Joe: 29 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Imogene: 50 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Boys

Dorris: 18 babies, 17.7× the national rate
Kyle: 18 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Buford: 37 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Jere: 16 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Everette: 15 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Billy: 835 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Buddy: 52 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Billie: 66 babies, 4× the national rate
Coy: 20 babies, 4× the national rate
Hershel: 16 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,831	–	1
2	Betty	1,333	–	4
3	Barbara	1,076	–	2
4	Shirley	915	–	5
5	Dorothy	603	–	8
6	Peggy	491	–	35
7	Nancy	485	↑2	7
8	Martha	443	↓1	26
9	Margaret	442	↓1	9
10	Carolyn	416	↑4	15
11	Joyce	388	–	11
12	Patricia	370	–	3
13	Helen	351	↓3	13
14	Doris	322	↑1	25
15	Wanda	318	↑6	49
16	Frances	293	↓3	23
17	Patsy	262	↑3	55
18	Virginia	261	↓1	22
19	Elizabeth	248	–	17
20	Norma	243	↑3	34
21	Linda	231	↑24	31
22	Ruby	231	↓4	61
23	Wilma	219	↓7	85
24	Anna	212	↑2	40
25	Mildred	205	↓3	52
26	Ruth	194	↑4	21
27	Alice	193	↑4	29
28	Annie	193	↓3	47
29	Evelyn	192	↓5	38
30	Jo	192	↓1	78
31	Shelby	173	↓4	>100
32	Sarah	170	↑2	67
33	Edna	166	–	82
34	Ann	164	↓2	32
35	Bobbie	160	↓7	>100
36	Janice	156	new	24
37	Lois	150	↑5	33
38	Charlotte	149	↓2	70
39	Thelma	145	–	86
40	Billie	143	↓2	>100
41	Jean	139	↓6	27
42	Emma	138	↓5	96
43	Juanita	132	↓3	80
44	Sandra	131	new	14
45	Jane	128	new	44
46	Carol	125	new	6
47	Clara	124	↑1	98
48	Phyllis	122	new	28
49	Sylvia	122	↓2	56
50	Bonnie	121	↓1	65

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	2,411	–	2
2	William	1,326	–	4
3	Charles	1,217	↑1	6
4	Robert	1,192	↓1	1
5	John	957	–	3
6	Billy	835	–	24
7	Bobby	701	–	27
8	Thomas	511	↑2	9
9	Jerry	477	↑3	17
10	Donald	468	↓2	7
11	Joe	462	↓2	28
12	George	426	↓1	11
13	Jimmy	395	↑1	45
14	David	391	↓1	8
15	Kenneth	358	–	14
16	Harold	305	↑1	23
17	Richard	299	↑2	5
18	Paul	293	↓2	15
19	Roy	249	↑1	41
20	Willie	243	↓2	34
21	Edward	240	–	13
22	Jack	226	↑1	25
23	Carl	225	↓1	29
24	Larry	215	↑3	16
25	Joseph	213	↑4	12
26	Walter	208	↓2	26
27	Frank	188	↑1	18
28	Ronald	187	↑9	10
29	Howard	174	↑4	42
30	Raymond	173	↓4	20
31	Henry	167	↓1	30
32	Johnny	163	–	63
33	Fred	162	↓8	38
34	Ralph	160	↓3	35
35	Earl	158	↓1	50
36	Ray	146	↑6	72
37	Tommy	146	↑2	77
38	Wayne	145	↓2	40
39	Jackie	139	↑6	>100
40	Eugene	135	↓5	33
41	Albert	131	↓1	37
42	Clarence	130	↓4	58
43	Don	130	–	52
44	Ernest	128	–	55
45	Jimmie	122	↓4	76
46	Gene	114	new	65
47	Eddie	112	new	79
48	Samuel	110	new	62
49	Marvin	106	new	53
50	Clyde	105	↓2	97

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