Tennessee: Name Popularity, History & Rankings (1880

Rank 2025

#4,974

among girls · ↑1,166 vs 2024

Babies in 2025

named Tennessee · +23% vs 2024

How common

1 in 59,528

girls born in 2025

Peak year

2017

60 babies

All-time total

1,367

#7,596 all-time among girls

First recorded

1880

in Social Security records

Tennessee popularity over time

1,367 babies have been named Tennessee since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure

Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras

GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade	Girls	Boys	Total	Per year	Change	Best rank
1880s	60	–	60	6	–	#579
1890s	79	–	79	8	+32%	#999
1900s	90	–	90	9	+14%	#1,015
1910s	119	–	119	12	+32%	#1,757
1920s	79	–	79	8	-34%	#2,858
1930s	35	–	35	4	-56%	#4,005
1940s	23	–	23	2	-34%	#3,830
1950s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1960s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1970s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1980s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1990s	38	13	51	5	–	#8,972
2000s	81	82	163	16	+220%	#10,622
2010s	228	193	421	42	+158%	#4,257
2020s (to 2025)	154	93	247	41	-2%	#3,874

Where Tennessee is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year	Projected babies	Per 1,000 girls	Implied rank
2026	26	0.02	outside top 500
2027	25	0.02	outside top 500
2028	25	0.02	outside top 500
2029	24	0.02	outside top 500
2030	24	0.01	outside top 500

The story of Tennessee

Tennessee is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,974 in 2025 with 27 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 1,367 American babies have been named Tennessee, about 72% girls and 28% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2017, when 60 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Tennessee stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tennessee?

The median living Tennessee is about 9 years old; half are between 5 and 16. An estimated 900 people named Tennessee are alive in the United States today.

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Tennessee year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year	Girls	Girls rank	Boys	Boys rank
2025	27	#4,974	11	#7,630
2024	20	#6,140	11	#7,704
2023	21	#5,935	16	#5,892
2022	26	#5,161	18	#5,414
2021	39	#3,874	20	#4,915
2020	21	#5,833	17	#5,428
2019	34	#4,257	18	#5,320
2018	30	#4,652	26	#4,087
2017	32	#4,472	28	#3,877
2016	24	#5,598	24	#4,310
2015	27	#5,113	28	#3,868
2014	24	#5,615	19	#5,043
2013	19	#6,703	17	#5,373
2012	16	#7,769	11	#7,498
2011	12	#9,674	10	#8,000
2010	10	#11,181	12	#7,037
2009	7	#15,100	6	#12,320
2008	6	#17,316	6	#12,386
2007	11	#10,764	18	#5,186
2006	10	#11,352	13	#6,420
2005	10	#10,851	9	#8,229
2004	10	#10,622	11	#6,927
2003	8	#12,319	–	–
2002	8	#12,102	5	#12,306
2001	6	#15,185	9	#7,449
2000	5	#17,406	5	#11,956
1995	6	#13,252	6	#8,773
1990	–	–	–	–
1985	–	–	–	–
1980	–	–	–	–
1975	–	–	–	–
1970	–	–	–	–
1965	–	–	–	–
1960	–	–	–	–
1955	–	–	–	–
1950	–	–	–	–
1945	–	–	–	–
1940	7	#3,830	–	–
1935	–	–	–	–
1930	7	#4,005	–	–
1925	9	#3,627	–	–
1920	7	#4,345	–	–
1915	15	#2,129	–	–
1910	9	#1,757	–	–
1905	7	#1,678	–	–
1900	8	#1,550	–	–
1895	10	#1,113	–	–
1890	9	#999	–	–
1885	10	#739	–	–
1880	5	#932	–	–

Famous people named Tennessee

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

1 Tennessee Williams American playwright (1911–1983) Contemporary
2 Tennessee Ernie Ford American singer and TV personality (1919–1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Tennessee, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Tennessee?

The median living Tennessee is about 9 years old. Half of all living Tennessees are between 5 and 16 years old.

How many people named Tennessee are alive today?

An estimated 900 people named Tennessee are alive in the United States, based on 1,367 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tennessee mean?

From Cherokee ᏔᎾᏏ (tanasi), believed to mean “winding river”.

How popular is the name Tennessee in 2025?

Tennessee ranked #4,974 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 27 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tennessee?

1,367 babies have been named Tennessee in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tennessee most popular?

Tennessee peaked in 2017, when 60 newborns received the name.

Is Tennessee a boy or girl name?

Tennessee is used for both: about 72% of babies named Tennessee have been girls and 28% boys.

Is the name Tennessee rising or falling?

Tennessee has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Tennessee become more popular?

Tennessee is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 24 girls named Tennessee in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Tennessee?

Well-known people named Tennessee include Tennessee Williams (writer), Tennessee Ernie Ford (singer).

Names like Tennessee

Names that sound and feel close to Tennessee: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Tennessee with similar names → More names starting with T →