Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1949

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1949 were Linda for girls (2,289 babies) and James for boys (2,849). Social Security records list 76,764 babies born in Tennessee in 1949 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1949

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, 6.6× the national rate
Unknown: 49 babies, 5× the national rate
Reba: 45 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Jewell: 26 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Wilma: 167 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Wanda: 575 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Patsy: 270 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Tommie: 22 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Shelby: 19 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Shelia: 64 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Boys

Buford: 27 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Unknown: 37 babies, 6× the national rate
Junior: 28 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Donnie: 154 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Donny: 21 babies, 4× the national rate
Billy: 477 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Jackie: 161 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Teddy: 50 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Sammy: 77 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Grady: 34 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1949

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948	US rank
1	Linda	2,289	–	1
2	Mary	1,671	–	2
3	Brenda	1,483	–	13
4	Patricia	1,203	–	3
5	Barbara	1,041	–	4
6	Judy	879	–	20
7	Carolyn	819	–	17
8	Sandra	807	↑1	6
9	Betty	787	↓1	22
10	Shirley	767	–	18
11	Wanda	575	↑1	56
12	Nancy	566	↓1	7
13	Donna	484	↑7	12
14	Sharon	477	↑4	10
15	Janice	466	↓2	24
16	Margaret	461	–	14
17	Martha	450	↓3	34
18	Joyce	434	↓3	26
19	Peggy	430	↓2	38
20	Susan	362	↑1	5
21	Carol	358	↑1	8
22	Deborah	339	↑19	15
23	Elizabeth	335	–	25
24	Dorothy	331	↓5	32
25	Phyllis	308	↑2	50
26	Rebecca	295	↑4	40
27	Glenda	272	↑1	87
28	Patsy	270	↓4	>100
29	Connie	261	↑9	43
30	Gloria	258	↑2	29
31	Beverly	250	↓6	31
32	Helen	250	↓3	46
33	Judith	247	↓7	16
34	Pamela	246	↑1	21
35	Virginia	240	↓4	39
36	Kathy	232	new	42
37	Charlotte	224	↑3	71
38	Janet	216	↑4	23
39	Karen	214	↑6	11
40	Doris	213	↓6	69
41	Frances	212	↓8	49
42	Sherry	212	↓6	68
43	Rita	196	new	54
44	Alice	183	↓7	53
45	Sarah	180	↓2	84
46	Jo	170	↓7	60
47	Cheryl	167	↑3	28
48	Wilma	167	↑1	>100
49	Marilyn	160	new	33
50	Diane	157	new	19

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948	US rank
1	James	2,849	–	1
2	William	1,720	–	4
3	John	1,511	↑1	3
4	Robert	1,501	↓1	2
5	Charles	1,346	↑1	9
6	Larry	1,338	↓1	10
7	David	1,295	–	6
8	Jerry	930	–	23
9	Michael	890	↑1	5
10	Thomas	780	↓1	8
11	Gary	760	↑1	12
12	Ronald	708	↓1	11
13	Richard	627	–	7
14	Donald	599	–	13
15	Kenneth	539	–	15
16	George	483	–	18
17	Billy	477	–	57
18	Jimmy	467	–	53
19	Johnny	428	↑2	49
20	Roger	404	↑5	25
21	Danny	399	↓1	40
22	Ronnie	385	–	65
23	Terry	385	↑3	28
24	Bobby	348	↓5	67
25	Paul	342	↓1	17
26	Edward	330	↑4	21
27	Joe	324	↓4	52
28	Joseph	321	–	14
29	Stephen	307	↑7	19
30	Harold	302	↑1	42
31	Willie	293	↓2	41
32	Roy	287	↓5	51
33	Carl	264	↑1	43
34	Dennis	257	↓1	16
35	Eddie	251	–	80
36	Tommy	237	↓4	84
37	Steven	231	new	20
38	Phillip	216	↑2	66
39	Walter	211	↓2	37
40	Daniel	208	↑5	22
41	Raymond	188	↑1	30
42	Frank	182	↓1	27
43	Samuel	182	↑1	62
44	Wayne	178	↓6	35
45	Henry	176	↓2	46
46	Steve	174	↑1	68
47	Ralph	172	↓8	50
48	Jackie	161	↑2	>100
49	Gerald	157	new	33
50	Donnie	154	new	>100

← Tennessee 1948 Tennessee: all years · US 1949 Tennessee 1950 →