State roster

Top names in Alabama

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Alabama birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 56,292 Alabama births in 1939 across 962 distinct names.

Distinctively Alabama

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Alabama more than they say America.

#54Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#56Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#24Mattie#164 nationally
#70Tommieoutside the national top 200
#68Hattie#195 nationally
#41Minnie#165 nationally
#48Rosie#171 nationally
#54Earnest#177 nationally
#79Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#73Lula#193 nationally
#83Fannieoutside the national top 200
#14Willie#126 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,075US #1
#2Betty1,195US #4
#3Barbara767US #2
#4Annie655US #54
#5Dorothy603US #9
#6Shirley590US #5
#7Martha573US #27
#8Patricia427US #3
#9Carolyn408US #14
#10Margaret408US #10
#11Peggy334US #34
#12Sarah318US #68
#13Doris313US #29
#14Willie307US #126
#15Helen285US #16
#16Elizabeth275US #18
#17Frances251US #26
#18Joyce247US #12
#19Ruby243US #67
#20Virginia235US #21
#21Alice219US #31
#22Nancy219US #7
#23Linda214US #15
#24Mattie204US #164
#25Edna199US #81
#26Emma196US #89
#27Evelyn191US #40
#28Jo174US #70
#29Louise172US #59
#30Juanita166US #77
#31Lillie165US #143
#32Ann156US #33
#33Mildred151US #55
#34Carol149US #6
#35Bobbie148US #141
#36Clara145US #103
#37Sara145US #127
#38Gloria139US #36
#39Wanda139US #50
#40Ruth138US #22
#41Minnie137US #165
#42Ella135US #132
#43Ethel135US #100
#44Norma133US #38
#45Janice132US #24
#46Marie131US #37
#47Geraldine129US #41
#48Rosie129US #171
#49Julia128US #91
#50Sandra127US #13
#51Jeanette124US #82
#52Glenda123US #112
#53Sylvia122US #62
#54Johnnie118
#55Judy117US #28
#56Bertha116US #135
#57Jean116US #32
#58Patsy116US #56
#59Bernice114US #116
#60Bessie113US #158
#61Catherine113US #49
#62Jessie112US #155
#63Laura112US #107
#64Joan110US #11
#65Margie110US #113
#66Rebecca110US #134
#67Nellie109US #157
#68Hattie108US #195
#69Hazel108US #118
#70Annette106US #121
#71Jane105US #46
#72Bonnie104US #61
#73Lula99US #193
#74Carrie97US #176
#75Charlotte97US #66
#76Lois96US #35
#77Shelby94US #170
#78Faye93US #161
#79Bettye92
#80Ida91US #145
#81Georgia90US #131
#82Judith90US #8
#83Fannie88
#84Rosa87US #151
#85Sue85US #92
#86Christine84US #124
#87Thelma84US #88
#88Eva83US #129
#89Gladys83US #104
#90Anna82US #43
#91Billie80US #149
#92Lillian80US #99
#93Vera78US #153
#94Edith77US #102
#95Josephine77US #84
#96Irene76US #74
#97Jimmie76
#98Katie74
#99Myra74
#100Susie74

Boys

#1James2,281US #2
#2William1,201US #4
#3John1,170US #3
#4Robert1,163US #1
#5Charles1,041US #6
#6Willie901US #33
#7Billy665US #24
#8Bobby546US #29
#9Thomas517US #9
#10Joe487US #27
#11George482US #11
#12Jerry451US #16
#13David376US #7
#14Jimmy363US #43
#15Donald341US #8
#16Henry314US #31
#17Joseph287US #12
#18Edward284US #15
#19Walter253US #25
#20Johnny250US #62
#21Richard250US #5
#22Kenneth242US #13
#23Frank217US #20
#24Harold209US #23
#25Roy207US #42
#26Charlie205US #112
#27Arthur194US #32
#28Paul194US #17
#29Eddie190US #81
#30Jimmie190US #80
#31Larry190US #14
#32Jack180US #26
#33Fred177US #40
#34Clarence153US #60
#35Eugene152US #37
#36Carl151US #30
#37Samuel150US #63
#38Albert149US #41
#39Gerald142US #19
#40Johnnie141US #120
#41Raymond141US #22
#42Jesse140US #99
#43Ralph137US #35
#44Ronald137US #10
#45Tommy137US #77
#46Wayne132US #39
#47Howard129US #47
#48Melvin124US #51
#49Curtis118US #98
#50Cecil114US #114
#51Ernest112US #55
#52Earl103US #50
#53Jessie100US #154
#54Earnest98US #177
#55Lee96US #78
#56Roosevelt96
#57Gene94US #69
#58Leon94US #86
#59Marvin93US #52
#60Franklin84US #106
#61Louis83US #49
#62Leroy82US #61
#63Douglas80US #58
#64Floyd80US #94
#65Norman80US #44
#66Clyde79US #101
#67Daniel79US #38
#68Herman79US #111
#69Andrew76US #84
#70Tommie76
#71Leonard75US #54
#72Jackie74US #105
#73Lewis74US #107
#74Calvin71US #126
#75Oscar71US #159
#76Alfred70US #70
#77Don68US #56
#78Lawrence68US #36
#79Bennie67US #168
#80Ray67US #74
#81Herbert66US #68
#82Benjamin65US #124
#83Horace64US #188
#84Nathaniel64US #183
#85Clifford63US #88
#86Freddie60US #138
#87Morris60US #165
#88Alton58US #192
#89Benny58US #172
#90Claude58US #141
#91Grady58
#92Otis58US #185
#93Gary57US #21
#94Lonnie56US #150
#95Bill55US #67
#96Sam54US #145
#97Allen53US #72
#98Alvin53US #103
#99Harry53US #45
#100Luther53US #184

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑37Wanda#39
↑27Linda#23
↑23Norma#44
↑22Jeanette#51
↑22Franklin#60
↑22Norman#65
↑20Glenda#52
↑18Carol#34

Falling

↓31Gladys#89
↓30Billie#91
↓29Carrie#74
↓27Christine#86
↓27Gary#93
↓26Shelby#77
↓26Ray#80
↓24Nellie#67

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.