Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1940

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,783 babies) and James for boys (2,408). Social Security records list 56,083 babies born in Tennessee in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1940

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

Girls

Gearldine: 24 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Reba: 83 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Robbie: 44 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Jewell: 40 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Bettye: 90 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Shelby: 112 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Iva: 41 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Allie: 16 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Freddie: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Nannie: 21 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Boys

Kyle: 17 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Jere: 16 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Clay: 18 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Buford: 23 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Coy: 21 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Hollis: 21 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Hershel: 16 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Billy: 746 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Buddy: 44 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Bobby: 658 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,783	–	1
2	Betty	1,160	–	5
3	Barbara	998	–	2
4	Shirley	721	–	9
5	Linda	539	↑9	8
6	Patricia	532	↑2	3
7	Nancy	520	↑2	7
8	Dorothy	516	↓3	12
9	Peggy	480	↓2	37
10	Carolyn	474	↑1	15
11	Martha	467	↓5	26
12	Joyce	439	–	13
13	Wanda	429	–	52
14	Margaret	421	↓4	11
15	Helen	353	–	18
16	Doris	282	↑2	31
17	Elizabeth	271	–	20
18	Virginia	266	↓2	21
19	Frances	264	↑3	28
20	Patsy	259	–	57
21	Wilma	255	–	93
22	Norma	236	↓3	43
23	Judy	234	↑16	16
24	Sandra	233	↑9	10
25	Ruby	223	↓2	66
26	Brenda	222	new	42
27	Alice	210	↑4	32
28	Judith	205	↑9	4
29	Mildred	204	↓4	58
30	Charlotte	200	↑5	55
31	Ruth	191	↑1	24
32	Sarah	191	↓5	60
33	Anna	184	↓9	51
34	Janice	180	↓5	22
35	Phyllis	175	↑7	33
36	Annie	174	↓6	56
37	Evelyn	174	↓9	48
38	Lois	172	↑2	38
39	Jo	166	↓13	72
40	Ann	163	↑4	35
41	Carol	161	↓3	6
42	Juanita	160	↓1	78
43	Emma	153	–	94
44	Edna	151	↓8	86
45	Bonnie	142	new	39
46	Gloria	136	new	30
47	Jean	135	↓1	29
48	Bobbie	132	↓14	>100
49	Rebecca	132	new	96
50	Thelma	130	↓5	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	2,408	–	1
2	William	1,304	–	4
3	Robert	1,267	–	2
4	Charles	1,177	–	6
5	John	1,034	–	3
6	Billy	746	–	27
7	Jerry	688	↑1	14
8	Bobby	658	↓1	30
9	Thomas	561	–	8
10	David	539	↑1	7
11	Donald	451	↓1	9
12	George	433	–	11
13	Joe	418	–	28
14	Kenneth	396	↑1	15
15	Richard	375	↑1	5
16	Paul	349	↑1	17
17	Larry	346	↑2	13
18	Jimmy	341	↓4	44
19	Harold	299	↓1	23
20	Roy	290	↑1	42
21	Willie	264	↓1	35
22	Johnny	258	↑1	51
23	Edward	246	↓1	16
24	Ronald	223	↑7	10
25	Carl	222	↓1	32
26	Jack	216	↓1	29
27	Walter	207	↓1	25
28	Joseph	191	↑5	12
29	Frank	182	–	20
30	Henry	179	↑5	31
31	Tommy	178	↓4	76
32	Ralph	168	–	37
33	Fred	166	↓3	40
34	Raymond	166	↓6	22
35	Wayne	163	↓1	39
36	Jackie	152	↑1	>100
37	Howard	150	↓1	45
38	Clarence	149	↑8	64
39	Ernest	144	↑8	58
40	Earl	143	↓1	52
41	Ray	141	↑1	77
42	Albert	136	↑1	41
43	Eugene	123	new	38
44	Franklin	119	new	87
45	Jimmie	119	↓5	86
46	Clyde	117	↓1	>100
47	Don	116	↓9	62
48	Eddie	116	new	81
49	Gene	114	new	70
50	Gary	107	new	19

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