A 1880s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Tennessee since 1880
Babies named Tennessee per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2021, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Tennessee's real moment was 1884.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 60 | 0 |
| 1890s | 79 | 0 |
| 1900s | 90 | 0 |
| 1910s | 119 | 0 |
| 1920s | 79 | 0 |
| 1930s | 35 | 0 |
| 1940s | 23 | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 |
| 1990s | 38 | 13 |
| 2000s | 81 | 82 |
| 2010s | 228 | 193 |
| 2020s | 154 | 93 |
Meaning & origin
Tennessee is a place name that has been in use as a first name since at least 1880, the first year of Social Security data. Its most notable spike occurred in 1884, its peak year, and the name has seen a resurgence since 1991, fitting into the wave of state names like Georgia and Virginia. In 2025, it ranked 4878, with a rarity of 1 in 59528 births. Its top state is Florida, reflecting broader naming trends in the South. Tennessee remains a distinctive choice, carrying the literary association with playwright Tennessee Williams without being overwhelmingly popular.
Tennessee derives from Tanasi, a Cherokee settlement on the Little Tennessee River. The name was adopted for the state and later used as a personal name, popularized by the playwright Tennessee Williams (born Thomas Lanier Williams III). As a first name, it has seen periodic use, particularly from the 1880s onward.
Where Tennessee is most popular
Births per 100,000 girls by state, 2025. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Tennessee” around the world
Where Tennessee lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Tenny, Tenn
Sibling names for Tennessee
Names that share Tennessee's style, for a brother or sister.
