State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1937 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,849 Kentucky births in 1937 across 938 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#77Beulahoutside the national top 200
#42Geneva#158 nationally
#81Stella#195 nationally
#88Donnie#199 nationally
#96Bettieoutside the national top 200
#96Bobbieoutside the national top 200
#85Billie#185 nationally
#79Luther#169 nationally
#30Shelby#119 nationally
#69Lowell#155 nationally
#87Myrtle#169 nationally
#59Nellie#140 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,726US #1
#2Betty1,305US #5
#3Shirley908US #4
#4Barbara747US #2
#5Patricia476US #3
#6Joyce434US #11
#7Wanda403US #55
#8Anna400US #39
#9Dorothy397US #8
#10Margaret380US #10
#11Martha349US #24
#12Helen345US #12
#13Nancy337US #7
#14Doris335US #22
#15Norma290US #33
#16Phyllis286US #27
#17Virginia273US #16
#18Ruth265US #15
#19Peggy259US #31
#20Wilma256US #80
#21Ruby247US #52
#22Elizabeth236US #17
#23Mildred236US #43
#24Carolyn230US #20
#25Carol208US #6
#26Janice204US #25
#27Lois187US #29
#28Frances186US #19
#29Bonnie182US #64
#30Shelby178US #119
#31Thelma178US #78
#32Patsy167US #54
#33Jo161US #73
#34Juanita158US #75
#35Jean157US #23
#36Alice147US #28
#37Janet147US #18
#38Sue135US #101
#39Edna134US #74
#40Loretta133US #63
#41Linda131US #49
#42Geneva129US #158
#43Joan129US #9
#44Gladys128US #86
#45Ann127US #30
#46Evelyn124US #36
#47Hazel124US #106
#48Donna122US #21
#49Geraldine121US #44
#50Emma118US #89
#51Margie113US #111
#52Pauline111US #87
#53Rose111US #38
#54Sylvia110US #50
#55Marilyn109US #13
#56Billie108US #126
#57Jane107US #42
#58Edith105US #96
#59Nellie105US #140
#60Sarah104US #65
#61Alma103US #138
#62Eva102US #117
#63Ethel99US #88
#64Joann98US #58
#65Clara92US #100
#66Laura90US #105
#67Louise90US #48
#68Yvonne89US #77
#69Christine88US #135
#70Beverly86US #14
#71Irene86US #62
#72Marie79US #35
#73Charlotte78US #67
#74Lillian78US #84
#75Bessie76US #143
#76Delores74US #68
#77Beulah73
#78Ella71US #134
#79Elsie71US #125
#80Kathleen71US #61
#81Stella71US #195
#82Georgia69US #132
#83Audrey67US #85
#84Bobbie67US #122
#85June67US #71
#86Ida66US #133
#87Myrtle66US #169
#88Lillie65US #131
#89Roberta65US #66
#90Gloria64US #32
#91Bernice63US #104
#92Julia63US #112
#93Vivian63US #127
#94Judith62US #34
#95Bertha59US #121
#96Bettie59
#97Marjorie59US #57
#98Maxine59US #136
#99Dolores58US #37
#100Faye58US #160

Boys

#1James2,050US #2
#2William1,245US #4
#3Charles1,110US #6
#4Robert1,084US #1
#5John938US #3
#6Donald826US #7
#7Bobby581US #24
#8Billy566US #22
#9George427US #10
#10Thomas407US #9
#11Paul404US #15
#12Kenneth399US #14
#13David360US #8
#14Harold302US #21
#15Richard297US #5
#16Ronald297US #11
#17Carl272US #28
#18Edward269US #13
#19Joseph263US #12
#20Jerry244US #17
#21Joe231US #25
#22Roy228US #40
#23Henry213US #30
#24Raymond211US #19
#25Jack209US #23
#26Earl190US #48
#27Jackie166US #107
#28Ralph165US #34
#29Walter161US #26
#30Larry156US #16
#31Frank155US #18
#32Jimmy148US #45
#33Eugene143US #33
#34Gerald135US #20
#35Ray130US #71
#36Franklin129US #77
#37Clarence125US #54
#38Arthur122US #31
#39Jimmie122US #72
#40Howard121US #42
#41Albert114US #37
#42Ernest113US #53
#43Marvin113US #49
#44Bill111US #64
#45Lawrence110US #38
#46Gene102US #61
#47Clyde99US #93
#48Fred98US #35
#49Norman96US #43
#50Russell95US #67
#51Samuel95US #66
#52Wayne95US #44
#53Roger94US #36
#54Don93US #51
#55Vernon91US #96
#56Cecil90US #114
#57Douglas90US #74
#58Harry89US #41
#59Herman86US #101
#60Louis85US #46
#61Leonard84US #58
#62Tommy83US #84
#63Glenn82US #88
#64Elmer81US #120
#65Willie81US #32
#66Melvin80US #50
#67Jesse79US #102
#68Herbert77US #65
#69Lowell76US #155
#70Floyd74US #80
#71Johnny73US #69
#72Clifford72US #90
#73Curtis72US #109
#74Gary71US #29
#75Daniel70US #39
#76Chester67US #129
#77Eddie66US #83
#78Lewis64US #104
#79Luther64US #169
#80Stanley64US #57
#81Willard64US #135
#82Phillip62US #98
#83Virgil62US #158
#84Lloyd61US #91
#85Billie60US #185
#86Leroy58US #56
#87Arnold57US #111
#88Donnie57US #199
#89Lee57US #78
#90Marion56US #140
#91Hubert54US #164
#92Leon54US #85
#93Claude53US #137
#94Darrell53US #130
#95Homer53US #165
#96Bobbie52
#97Danny51US #152
#98Andrew50US #79
#99Glen49US #122
#100Allen48US #76

On the move since 1936

Rising

↑27Shelby#30
↑26Linda#41
↑26Nellie#59
↑25Samuel#51
↑24Donna#48
↑24Laura#66
↑23Douglas#57
↑21Lowell#69

Falling

↓26Marjorie#97
↓26Willie#65
↓25Arnold#87
↓20Emma#50
↓20Sarah#60
↓18Johnny#71
↓18Homer#95
↓17Willard#81

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1936 rankings.