Tennessee

Native American, Cherokee, place-name

"bend in the river or meeting place"

Tennessee Origin and Meaning

The name Tennessee is a girl's name of Native American origin meaning "bend in the river or meeting place".

Young rocker Tennessee Thomas has brought this former one-person name over to the girls' side -- though the census roles of North Carolina in 1850 included a female named Tennessee and called Tincy.

Reese Witherspoon's using it for her baby son brought it back for the boys, though (male) playwright Tennessee Williams is arguably the most famous bearer. Tennessee is an intriguing place name for a person of any gender.

Tennessee Rank in US Top 1000

# 999 in the US

20 Names Similar to Tennessee

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Tennessee.

• Duffy
• Louisiana
• Malta
• Gale
• Dale
• Reggie
• Zuzu
• Wallace
• Val
• Vinnie
• Bo
• Dexter
• Reba
• Alabama
• Roy
• Truly
• Alfie
• Charleston
• Sookie
• Busy

Famous People Named Tennessee

• Tennessee Thomas American musician and actress
• Tennessee ("Tennie") Celeste Claflin American suffragist; sister of Victoria Woodhull and mistress of Cornelius Vanderbilt
• Tennessee Watson American artist, independent journalist and educator
• Emily Tennessee Donelson (1807 1836), niece of Rachel Donelson Jackson, the wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson; served as White House hostess and de facto First Lady of the United States (Rachel died just days after her husband's election and before his inauguration in 1829—therefore she never served as First Lady, a role assumed by Emily)