Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1978

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (1,130 babies) and Michael for boys (1,282). Social Security records list 59,803 babies born in Tennessee in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1978

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

Girls

Chasity: 74 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Laquita: 17 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Shasta: 17 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Misty: 407 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Lakesha: 47 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Whitney: 52 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Bridgett: 19 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Demetria: 19 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Christy: 307 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Chastity: 25 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Dedrick: 20 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Scottie: 25 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Jackie: 44 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Scotty: 34 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Stacy: 27 babies, 4× the national rate
Chadwick: 38 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Earnest: 16 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Donnie: 43 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Marty: 23 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Billy: 166 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,130	–	1
2	Amanda	777	↑1	6
3	Amy	619	↓1	4
4	Heather	554	↑1	5
5	Angela	527	↓1	7
6	Kimberly	504	–	13
7	Melissa	468	–	2
8	Crystal	430	–	18
9	Stephanie	417	–	16
10	April	414	↑3	27
11	Misty	407	↓1	43
12	Jessica	389	↓1	3
13	Mary	352	↑2	24
14	Kelly	324	↓2	12
15	Rebecca	319	↓1	17
16	Christy	307	↑4	59
17	Elizabeth	294	↓1	14
18	Brandy	285	↑9	37
19	Lisa	277	↓1	11
20	Rachel	276	↑3	25
21	Christina	272	↑4	15
22	Sarah	261	↓3	8
23	Jamie	248	↓6	20
24	Laura	224	↓3	19
25	Shannon	219	↓3	22
26	Tiffany	216	↑4	32
27	Andrea	215	↑7	23
28	Emily	204	↑3	33
29	Michelle	199	↓5	9
30	Carrie	196	↓1	35
31	Julie	191	↓5	26
32	Tonya	188	↓4	77
33	Kristy	187	new	51
34	Ashley	181	↑9	87
35	Amber	166	↑5	30
36	Tracy	160	↑13	47
37	Tina	159	↑2	45
38	Wendy	152	↓2	56
39	Cynthia	151	↓2	50
40	Brandi	150	new	61
41	Holly	150	↓8	55
42	Leslie	149	–	63
43	Erica	148	new	34
44	Lori	143	↓9	60
45	Karen	139	↓7	39
46	Tabitha	133	new	>100
47	Stacy	131	↑1	44
48	Tammy	131	↓16	67
49	Susan	127	↓5	49
50	Melanie	121	↓9	54

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Michael	1,282	↑1	1
2	James	1,252	↑1	5
3	Jason	1,244	↓2	2
4	Christopher	1,157	–	3
5	David	872	↑1	4
6	John	797	↑1	7
7	William	790	↓2	13
8	Robert	721	–	8
9	Joshua	644	↑2	12
10	Jeremy	622	↓1	18
11	Brian	563	↓1	9
12	Charles	562	↑2	27
13	Matthew	527	↑2	6
14	Joseph	498	↓1	10
15	Kevin	475	↓3	15
16	Jonathan	441	↑1	31
17	Daniel	435	↑1	11
18	Timothy	427	↓2	17
19	Anthony	341	↑3	20
20	Richard	338	–	21
21	Eric	337	–	16
22	Thomas	318	↓3	23
23	Steven	309	–	24
24	Jeffrey	292	↑1	19
25	Andrew	279	↑5	22
26	Mark	274	↓2	26
27	Adam	270	↑10	29
28	Brandon	266	↑6	40
29	Justin	255	↑9	28
30	Benjamin	239	↓4	34
31	Stephen	226	↓4	37
32	Travis	219	↓1	46
33	Kenneth	213	↓5	41
34	Paul	208	↑5	33
35	Nicholas	205	new	25
36	Nathan	203	↑5	36
37	Marcus	188	↓8	70
38	Gregory	185	↑4	38
39	Chad	183	↓6	35
40	Larry	176	↓5	64
41	Bradley	175	↓9	53
42	Aaron	169	↑7	32
43	Derrick	167	new	76
44	Billy	166	↓8	99
45	Samuel	162	↑1	57
46	Ryan	160	↓2	14
47	Gary	159	↓7	60
48	Bryan	154	–	43
49	Jerry	153	new	82
50	Wesley	153	↓5	83

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