Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1961

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1961 were Lisa for girls (1,128 babies) and James for boys (1,929). Lisa ranked #2 nationally for girls. James ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 75,630 babies born in Tennessee in 1961 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1961

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

Girls

Mitzi: 49 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Reba: 30 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Robbie: 38 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Freda: 36 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Shelia: 152 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Angelia: 47 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Mattie: 23 babies, 4× the national rate
Patsy: 71 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lesa: 53 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lesia: 19 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Jackie: 124 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Stevie: 33 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Dewayne: 53 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Timmy: 106 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Donnie: 99 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Rickie: 32 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Rickey: 152 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Mickey: 42 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Billy: 391 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Donny: 20 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1961

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	Lisa	1,128	↑2	2
2	Mary	874	↓1	1
3	Teresa	830	↑1	18
4	Donna	781	↓2	7
5	Linda	703	↑1	4
6	Pamela	630	↓1	15
7	Karen	622	–	5
8	Brenda	604	–	11
9	Sandra	582	↑3	9
10	Patricia	575	–	6
11	Deborah	562	↓2	10
12	Sharon	526	↑3	17
13	Cynthia	510	↓2	8
14	Susan	489	↑2	3
15	Tammy	487	↑2	28
16	Angela	462	↑6	38
17	Kathy	447	↓3	25
18	Kimberly	429	↑2	22
19	Debra	417	↓6	13
20	Debbie	385	↓2	31
21	Sherry	380	–	53
22	Barbara	378	↓3	12
23	Elizabeth	344	–	19
24	Connie	331	–	50
25	Carolyn	320	↑4	42
26	Janet	290	↑2	32
27	Carol	285	↑10	24
28	Robin	284	↑7	27
29	Cindy	278	↑4	33
30	Sheila	278	↓4	59
31	Rhonda	275	↑7	46
32	Tina	272	↑4	41
33	Janice	271	↓2	52
34	Rebecca	265	↓2	44
35	Nancy	264	↓5	16
36	Jacqueline	263	new	37
37	Judy	256	↓12	58
38	Cheryl	255	↓4	20
39	Vickie	247	↓12	>100
40	Beverly	229	↑2	66
41	Regina	224	↑9	98
42	Cathy	223	↓3	55
43	Betty	220	↓2	87
44	Laura	219	↑3	21
45	Jennifer	209	new	47
46	Melissa	209	new	95
47	Wanda	199	↓7	70
48	Anita	191	↓5	91
49	Joyce	185	↓3	62
50	Rita	179	↓5	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	James	1,929	–	4
2	David	1,487	–	2
3	Michael	1,478	–	1
4	Robert	1,143	↑1	5
5	William	1,128	↓1	7
6	John	1,056	–	3
7	Mark	888	↑1	6
8	Charles	856	↓1	13
9	Timothy	718	–	15
10	Jeffrey	646	↑3	11
11	Terry	621	↑1	32
12	Kenneth	593	↓1	16
13	Ricky	564	↓3	44
14	Richard	544	–	8
15	Gary	523	↑1	21
16	Thomas	515	↓1	9
17	Jerry	503	–	37
18	Gregory	454	↑4	23
19	Anthony	442	–	25
20	Donald	430	↓2	22
21	Steven	423	↓1	10
22	Larry	416	↓1	30
23	Danny	400	–	54
24	Billy	391	↑2	68
25	Tony	387	↑4	53
26	Jeffery	381	↑5	50
27	Ronald	376	↓3	24
28	Randy	373	–	33
29	Johnny	355	↑3	70
30	Jimmy	346	–	71
31	Paul	339	↓4	18
32	Bobby	333	↓7	76
33	Joseph	302	↑2	12
34	Roger	302	–	47
35	Ronnie	285	↑6	91
36	Christopher	271	↑14	26
37	Kevin	259	↑6	14
38	Jeff	255	↑6	49
39	Stephen	252	–	27
40	Dennis	248	↓7	34
41	Steve	236	↓3	45
42	Barry	234	↑4	66
43	George	231	↓6	31
44	Randall	230	↑4	63
45	Keith	226	new	35
46	Mike	217	↓10	36
47	Phillip	206	new	69
48	Tommy	195	↓1	>100
49	Daniel	190	new	17
50	Douglas	189	new	28

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