Tennessee Moves to Put Dolly Parton’s Name on Nashville Airport

Nashville International Airport could become the first international commercial airport in the United States named after a woman, and the name Tennessee officials have proposed is Dolly Parton’s. Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that he is moving forward with the renaming, working in partnership with the airport itself.

The idea arrives with considerable public momentum. A fan-led petition calling for the renaming has collected more than 150,000 signatures, and Parton’s team has reportedly responded warmly to the proposal. In a statement, Lee framed the decision as a reflection of Parton’s place in the state’s identity: “Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state.”

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority will consider the proposal at a Sept. 17 meeting. State Rep. Todd Warner has also said he intends to introduce legislation to make the renaming official. For a musician whose image has long been inseparable from Tennessee’s public life, the gesture formalizes something already visible: Parton as state symbol, not just songwriting export. If approved, the airport’s name would mark a concrete shift in how Nashville presents itself to the world.