State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,033 Kentucky births in 1936 across 925 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#57Shelby#178 nationally
#38Geneva#153 nationally
#87Beulahoutside the national top 200
#83Wendell#196 nationally
#89Opaloutside the national top 200
#87Bobbie#197 nationally
#99Adaoutside the national top 200
#68Billie#167 nationally
#100Junior#194 nationally
#93Stella#186 nationally
#77Homer#165 nationally
#76Myrtle#160 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,692US #1
#2Betty1,213US #4
#3Shirley1,064US #2
#4Barbara701US #3
#5Anna453US #36
#6Dorothy409US #6
#7Joyce398US #12
#8Wanda354US #56
#9Martha345US #24
#10Helen343US #11
#11Patricia341US #5
#12Doris338US #15
#13Nancy315US #8
#14Margaret314US #9
#15Norma299US #29
#16Virginia299US #14
#17Phyllis278US #25
#18Wilma260US #78
#19Ruth258US #16
#20Ruby253US #51
#21Elizabeth250US #18
#22Peggy220US #35
#23Lois215US #26
#24Carolyn209US #23
#25Frances206US #19
#26Mildred201US #40
#27Patsy192US #52
#28Alice184US #27
#29Juanita183US #75
#30Emma180US #85
#31Bonnie175US #65
#32Edna162US #71
#33Thelma161US #74
#34Jo154US #72
#35Carol153US #10
#36Janice152US #31
#37Ann148US #28
#38Geneva142US #153
#39Joan141US #7
#40Sarah134US #63
#41Sue134US #109
#42Loretta133US #70
#43Jean132US #20
#44Billie126US #117
#45Rose125US #37
#46Evelyn124US #34
#47Edith123US #87
#48Hazel122US #96
#49Janet121US #21
#50Margie119US #102
#51Gladys118US #84
#52Pauline117US #82
#53Geraldine108US #41
#54Alma107US #137
#55Marilyn106US #13
#56Louise105US #46
#57Shelby104US #178
#58Joann103US #55
#59Sylvia100US #53
#60Clara98US #91
#61Charlotte96US #61
#62Bessie95US #136
#63Eva95US #116
#64Lillian95US #79
#65Marie95US #33
#66Ethel92US #90
#67Linda91US #97
#68Bobbie90US #119
#69Irene85US #57
#70Jane85US #42
#71Marjorie85US #49
#72Donna83US #22
#73Lucille81US #92
#74Ella79US #126
#75Minnie75US #148
#76Myrtle74US #160
#77Christine73US #131
#78Elsie73US #123
#79Delores72US #58
#80Yvonne72US #81
#81Gloria71US #32
#82June71US #62
#83Bertha70US #122
#84Georgia69US #128
#85Nellie68US #135
#86Roberta68US #64
#87Beulah67
#88Ida67US #130
#89Opal66
#90Laura64US #106
#91Naomi64US #159
#92Vivian64US #115
#93Stella62US #186
#94Audrey61US #68
#95Bernice61US #95
#96Jeanette61US #94
#97Jessie61US #140
#98Faye60US #162
#99Ada59
#100Catherine59US #44

Boys

#1James1,946US #2
#2William1,243US #4
#3Charles1,166US #6
#4Robert1,088US #1
#5John856US #3
#6Donald765US #7
#7Billy593US #22
#8Bobby501US #24
#9Paul418US #15
#10George411US #9
#11Kenneth407US #14
#12Thomas377US #8
#13Harold355US #21
#14David321US #10
#15Joseph318US #11
#16Richard305US #5
#17Edward276US #13
#18Joe274US #23
#19Ronald257US #12
#20Carl255US #27
#21Raymond216US #17
#22Roy211US #42
#23Jerry196US #18
#24Earl195US #47
#25Jack190US #20
#26Ralph184US #31
#27Walter183US #26
#28Eugene180US #29
#29Frank178US #16
#30Henry156US #28
#31Jimmy153US #46
#32Ray151US #65
#33Franklin146US #64
#34Larry146US #25
#35Howard144US #40
#36Jimmie136US #71
#37Fred128US #36
#38Gerald122US #19
#39Willie120US #32
#40Norman119US #43
#41Albert117US #34
#42Ernest116US #55
#43Cecil111US #114
#44Jackie111US #106
#45Clarence105US #52
#46Bill104US #61
#47Gene101US #66
#48Lawrence99US #37
#49Marvin99US #49
#50Vernon98US #93
#51Don96US #51
#52Jesse96US #104
#53Johnny92US #72
#54Arthur91US #30
#55Clyde89US #89
#56Harry89US #39
#57Louis87US #44
#58Curtis86US #107
#59Roger86US #35
#60Elmer85US #121
#61Wayne85US #45
#62Arnold84US #111
#63Chester83US #127
#64Willard83US #136
#65Herbert81US #62
#66Leonard80US #54
#67Russell79US #69
#68Billie78US #167
#69Glenn74US #80
#70Herman73US #105
#71Daniel72US #41
#72Melvin72US #53
#73Stanley70US #58
#74Bob68US #77
#75Lloyd68US #88
#76Samuel68US #67
#77Homer67US #165
#78Floyd65US #86
#79Clifford62US #90
#80Douglas62US #78
#81Tommy62US #91
#82Virgil62US #149
#83Wendell61US #196
#84Glen59US #119
#85Lee58US #76
#86Freddie56US #134
#87Bobbie55US #197
#88Gary55US #38
#89Lewis55US #101
#90Lowell55US #150
#91Lester54US #115
#92Everett53US #154
#93Luther53US #171
#94Claude52US #132
#95Eddie52US #79
#96Bernard51US #68
#97Leroy50US #57
#98Allen49US #81
#99Hubert49US #161
#100Junior49US #194

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑38Janice#36
↑37Sylvia#59
↑27Roger#59
↑22Rose#45
↑22Elsie#78
↑20Louis#57
↑18Homer#77
↑16Wendell#83

Falling

↓25Opal#89
↓21Delores#79
↓20Nellie#85
↓20Russell#67
↓19Beulah#87
↓18Georgia#84
↓17Christine#77
↓17Bernice#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.