Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1956

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1956 were Deborah for girls (1,295 babies) and James for boys (2,241). Deborah ranked #4 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 79,364 babies born in Tennessee in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1956

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

Girls

Jewell: 20 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Delois: 29 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Robbie: 49 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Unknown: 58 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Patsy: 148 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Shelia: 151 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Angelia: 21 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Frankie: 30 babies, 4× the national rate
Melba: 26 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Freda: 36 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Buford: 25 babies, 12× the national rate
Stevie: 43 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Unknown: 43 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Rickey: 265 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Jackie: 146 babies, 4× the national rate
Billy: 422 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Sammy: 51 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Bobby: 362 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Teddy: 38 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Mickey: 53 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Deborah	1,295	–	4
2	Mary	1,208	–	1
3	Linda	1,064	↑1	3
4	Patricia	917	↓1	6
5	Debra	905	–	2
6	Brenda	796	–	19
7	Sharon	777	↑6	13
8	Pamela	748	↓1	12
9	Kathy	731	↓1	20
10	Donna	710	↑1	10
11	Karen	702	↑3	7
12	Teresa	676	↓2	24
13	Barbara	613	↓1	9
14	Sandra	597	↓5	14
15	Susan	572	–	5
16	Cynthia	489	↑2	8
17	Judy	477	↓1	35
18	Carolyn	468	↑1	33
19	Janice	452	↓2	26
20	Nancy	442	–	11
21	Sherry	392	↑6	54
22	Betty	391	↓1	44
23	Rebecca	373	↑3	27
24	Connie	360	↓2	43
25	Wanda	342	–	61
26	Vickie	334	↑7	68
27	Beverly	328	↑5	40
28	Shirley	322	↓5	41
29	Cheryl	317	↑12	18
30	Cathy	312	↑5	36
31	Carol	307	↓1	16
32	Elizabeth	302	↓4	22
33	Janet	302	↓9	21
34	Joyce	293	↓3	30
35	Martha	290	↓6	59
36	Debbie	287	↑2	39
37	Sheila	277	–	55
38	Margaret	257	↓4	25
39	Rhonda	252	↑7	62
40	Lisa	221	new	31
41	Peggy	221	↓1	63
42	Vicki	220	↑2	57
43	Diane	215	–	15
44	Rita	211	↓2	79
45	Dorothy	210	↓6	72
46	Gloria	195	↑4	53
47	Marilyn	192	↓11	70
48	Phyllis	190	↓3	82
49	Glenda	183	↓2	>100
50	Anita	179	new	83

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	2,241	–	2
2	Michael	1,652	↑1	1
3	David	1,514	↓1	4
4	William	1,476	–	6
5	Robert	1,391	–	3
6	John	1,171	–	5
7	Charles	1,064	–	11
8	Larry	812	–	21
9	Gary	764	–	13
10	Richard	683	–	7
11	Kenneth	662	↑4	16
12	Terry	627	↑1	31
13	Thomas	626	↓2	9
14	Jerry	613	↓2	35
15	Mark	593	↑5	8
16	Ronald	588	↑1	15
17	Steven	585	↓3	10
18	Donald	583	↓2	14
19	Ricky	532	–	43
20	Danny	469	↓2	46
21	Randy	431	↑5	28
22	Billy	422	↓1	68
23	Dennis	368	↑1	26
24	Johnny	368	↓1	55
25	Paul	365	↑3	17
26	Bobby	362	↑5	77
27	Stephen	361	↓5	23
28	George	349	↓3	27
29	Timothy	348	↑5	19
30	Joseph	329	↓3	12
31	Anthony	327	↑2	30
32	Jimmy	327	–	78
33	Edward	326	↑2	25
34	Roger	318	↓5	41
35	Gregory	300	↑2	24
36	Ronnie	294	↓6	75
37	Steve	268	↑2	59
38	Rickey	265	↑8	>100
39	Joe	260	↓3	63
40	Willie	244	↑3	58
41	Daniel	242	–	18
42	Randall	237	–	54
43	Jeffrey	230	↑1	20
44	Carl	225	↓4	48
45	Douglas	206	new	29
46	Stanley	204	new	70
47	Roy	202	↓9	62
48	Tony	200	new	85
49	Barry	198	new	69
50	Walter	198	↓3	53

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