Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1942

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,867 babies) and James for boys (2,903). Social Security records list 63,258 babies born in Tennessee in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1942

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: 51 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Reba: 71 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Jewell: 48 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Nannie: 19 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Bettye: 77 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Frankie: 54 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Imogene: 27 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Delois: 21 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Peggie: 19 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Bobbie: 154 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Kyle: 23 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Buford: 31 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Donny: 16 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Clay: 18 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Hershel: 20 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Mack: 81 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Billy: 652 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Billie: 40 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Freddy: 30 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Coy: 17 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,867	–	1
2	Betty	1,134	–	9
3	Barbara	1,083	–	2
4	Linda	1,049	–	4
5	Patricia	762	–	3
6	Carolyn	753	↑1	10
7	Shirley	734	↓1	12
8	Joyce	579	↑4	13
9	Martha	532	↑2	29
10	Dorothy	525	–	17
11	Nancy	508	↓3	8
12	Peggy	499	↓3	42
13	Brenda	473	↑4	40
14	Sandra	452	↑1	6
15	Wanda	426	↓1	54
16	Margaret	406	↓3	14
17	Judy	383	↓1	15
18	Elizabeth	327	↑4	22
19	Virginia	315	–	23
20	Patsy	310	↓2	57
21	Helen	304	↓1	26
22	Frances	285	↑1	30
23	Doris	274	↓2	41
24	Judith	254	↑2	7
25	Carol	231	↑6	5
26	Janice	230	↓1	25
27	Phyllis	226	↑10	37
28	Norma	225	↓1	52
29	Sarah	221	↑7	67
30	Wilma	208	↓6	>100
31	Glenda	207	↑14	89
32	Mildred	203	–	71
33	Jo	201	↓3	65
34	Charlotte	199	–	51
35	Alice	191	↓6	39
36	Anna	182	↓3	59
37	Ruby	180	↓9	77
38	Evelyn	177	↓3	53
39	Annie	176	↑2	62
40	Bonnie	175	↓1	34
41	Donna	160	new	20
42	Ruth	160	↑1	33
43	Edna	158	↑1	99
44	Billie	157	new	>100
45	Ann	156	↓5	38
46	Gloria	156	↓4	31
47	Bobbie	154	↓9	>100
48	Rebecca	148	↓2	85
49	Beverly	145	new	32
50	Lois	145	↓3	44

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	2,903	–	1
2	William	1,588	–	4
3	Robert	1,441	–	2
4	Charles	1,296	–	7
5	John	1,144	–	3
6	Jerry	871	–	16
7	David	671	↑4	6
8	Billy	652	↓1	35
9	Thomas	642	–	8
10	Larry	586	–	12
11	Bobby	556	↓3	43
12	George	499	–	14
13	Donald	468	↑1	10
14	Jimmy	449	↓1	47
15	Joe	426	↑1	33
16	Richard	405	↑1	5
17	Kenneth	387	↓2	15
18	Ronald	368	↑1	9
19	Paul	360	↓1	19
20	Roy	335	–	42
21	Douglas	321	new	23
22	Harold	313	↓1	27
23	Johnny	293	↑3	55
24	Edward	274	↓2	17
25	Willie	251	↓2	37
26	Joseph	246	↑1	11
27	Carl	219	↓3	36
28	Jack	216	↑1	34
29	Raymond	213	↑4	24
30	Frank	212	↑1	21
31	Tommy	200	↓3	73
32	Walter	194	↓7	26
33	Fred	188	↑2	46
34	Gary	188	↑5	18
35	Henry	187	↓3	31
36	Ralph	173	↓6	38
37	Clarence	171	↑8	67
38	Wayne	170	↓4	41
39	Albert	158	↓1	40
40	Howard	158	↓4	49
41	Ronnie	158	↑5	78
42	Gerald	156	↓1	22
43	Earl	154	↓6	62
44	Michael	151	new	13
45	Jackie	139	↓5	>100
46	Eddie	138	↓2	86
47	Samuel	136	↓4	59
48	Phillip	130	new	77
49	Don	128	↓7	72
50	Eugene	128	–	45

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