Ava Ascends As Tennessee's Top Baby Girl Name in 2019; William Still Biggest for Boys

NASHVILLE – Ava has ascended to the top spot on the list of most popular names for baby girls born in Tennessee in 2019. William holds on to the number one spot as the most popular name chosen for baby boys in Tennessee for the 13th straight year.

The top 10 names Tennessee parents chose for their new babies born in 2019* are as follows:

Rank              Girls                        Boys

1                       Ava                          William

2                       Olivia                       Liam

3                       Emma                     Noah

4                       Amelia                     James

5                       Harper                     Elijah

6                       Charlotte                 Mason

7                       Evelyn                       Oliver

8                       Elizabeth                   John

9                        Isabella                     Wyatt

10                      Ella                             Jackson 

*provisional data

Ava returns to the top spot for names of baby girls after first reaching the number one ranking in 2017 and placing second in 2018. Ella is a new addition to the top ten list of girls’ names for 2019, with Abigail dropping from the list from the previous year. All other names in the top ten list for girls are the same as in 2018, but some have changed in ranking.

Wyatt is the new arrival on the top ten list of boys’ names for 2019, with Grayson falling off the list since 2018. William has been the most popular name chosen for baby boys in Tennessee since 2007. All other names in the top ten list for boys made the list in 2018 as well, but have changed in ranking. Names chosen for babies are recorded and tallied by the dedicated team in the Tennessee Department of Health Division of Vital Records and Statistics. This division is responsible for records of all births, deaths, marriages and divorces in Tennessee and registers approximately 230,000 new records each year. Team members handle an average of 8,500 phone calls per month and issue more than 3,200 certificates every week.

“All Tennessee county health department locations can provide copies of birth and death records, offering an important and convenient service for Tennesseans,” said State Registrar Gray Bishop. “We remind new parents to make sure they have a copy of their child’s birth certificate before filing their 2019 income taxes so they can claim the exemption for the new additions to their families.” 

Tennessee birth certificates and other vital records may be securely obtained online by placing an order through VitalChek, the only approved partner for providing Tennessee vital records. Visit the VitalChek website at www.vitalchek.com/.

The Tennessee Office of Vital Records is located on the first floor of the Andrew Johnson Tower at 710 James Robertson Parkway in Nashville. Walk-in hours are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central time. The office is open for extended hours each Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time. Learn more about the Tennessee Office of Vital Records including how request these records at www.tn.gov/health/healthprogram-areas/vital-records.html.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

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