Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1939

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,734 babies) and James for boys (2,503). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 54,214 babies born in Tennessee in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1939

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

Girls

Reba: 85 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Robbie: 46 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Sammie: 19 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Bettye: 95 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Callie: 17 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Imogene: 46 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Jewell: 33 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Shelby: 126 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Virgie: 29 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Peggie: 21 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Dorris: 16 babies, 14.9× the national rate
Prentice: 20 babies, 13.6× the national rate
Buford: 28 babies, 7× the national rate
Coy: 21 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Hollis: 22 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Billy: 751 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Junior: 47 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Kennith: 15 babies, 4× the national rate
Bobby: 677 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Buddy: 48 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,734	–	1
2	Betty	1,245	–	4
3	Barbara	975	–	2
4	Shirley	827	–	5
5	Dorothy	557	–	9
6	Martha	508	↑2	27
7	Peggy	484	↓1	34
8	Patricia	458	↑4	3
9	Nancy	452	↓2	7
10	Margaret	449	↓1	10
11	Carolyn	412	↓1	14
12	Joyce	398	↓1	12
13	Wanda	392	↑2	50
14	Linda	361	↑7	15
15	Helen	334	↓2	16
16	Virginia	289	↑2	21
17	Elizabeth	275	↑2	18
18	Doris	269	↓4	29
19	Norma	261	↑1	38
20	Patsy	257	↓3	56
21	Wilma	256	↑2	87
22	Frances	247	↓6	26
23	Ruby	234	↓1	67
24	Anna	222	–	43
25	Mildred	210	–	55
26	Jo	192	↑4	70
27	Sarah	190	↑5	68
28	Evelyn	186	↑1	40
29	Janice	180	↑7	24
30	Annie	174	↓2	54
31	Alice	171	↓4	31
32	Ruth	165	↓6	22
33	Sandra	163	↑11	13
34	Bobbie	157	↑1	>100
35	Charlotte	156	↑3	66
36	Edna	149	↓3	81
37	Judith	149	new	8
38	Carol	144	↑8	6
39	Judy	144	new	28
40	Lois	143	↓3	35
41	Juanita	141	↑2	77
42	Phyllis	136	↑6	30
43	Emma	132	↓1	89
44	Ann	130	↓10	33
45	Thelma	130	↓6	88
46	Jean	126	↓5	32
47	Shelby	126	↓16	>100
48	Sue	124	new	92
49	Sylvia	123	–	62
50	Billie	121	↓10	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	2,503	–	2
2	William	1,296	–	4
3	Robert	1,196	↑1	1
4	Charles	1,121	↓1	6
5	John	1,037	–	3
6	Billy	751	–	24
7	Bobby	677	–	29
8	Jerry	597	↑1	16
9	Thomas	494	↓1	9
10	Donald	468	–	8
11	David	467	↑3	7
12	George	467	–	11
13	Joe	430	↓2	27
14	Jimmy	360	↓1	43
15	Kenneth	345	–	13
16	Richard	342	↑1	5
17	Paul	333	↑1	17
18	Harold	304	↓2	23
19	Larry	283	↑5	14
20	Willie	266	–	33
21	Roy	262	↓2	42
22	Edward	252	↓1	15
23	Johnny	249	↑9	62
24	Carl	235	↓1	30
25	Jack	218	↓3	26
26	Walter	190	–	25
27	Tommy	188	↑10	77
28	Raymond	186	↑2	22
29	Frank	175	↓2	20
30	Fred	173	↑3	40
31	Ronald	166	↓3	10
32	Ralph	163	↑2	35
33	Joseph	160	↓8	12
34	Wayne	159	↑4	39
35	Henry	157	↓4	31
36	Howard	157	↓7	47
37	Jackie	148	↑2	>100
38	Don	141	↑5	56
39	Earl	139	↓4	50
40	Jimmie	138	↑5	80
41	Gerald	136	new	19
42	Ray	132	↓6	74
43	Albert	130	↓2	41
44	Samuel	120	↑4	63
45	Clyde	118	↑5	>100
46	Clarence	117	↓4	60
47	Ernest	116	↓3	55
48	Harry	112	new	45
49	Arthur	110	new	32
50	Bill	107	new	67

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