State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 56,193 Kentucky births in 1938 across 981 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#88Opaloutside the national top 200
#90Donnieoutside the national top 200
#61Geneva#171 nationally
#85Billie#191 nationally
#96Wendelloutside the national top 200
#47Alma#147 nationally
#45Shelby#142 nationally
#89Myrtle#182 nationally
#73Lowell#164 nationally
#82Everett#159 nationally
#29Jackie#105 nationally
#79Bessie#155 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,784US #1
#2Betty1,369US #4
#3Barbara940US #2
#4Shirley930US #5
#5Joyce498US #11
#6Patricia495US #3
#7Nancy453US #7
#8Wanda440US #49
#9Dorothy409US #8
#10Anna407US #40
#11Martha404US #26
#12Doris354US #25
#13Helen353US #13
#14Margaret338US #9
#15Norma331US #34
#16Phyllis327US #28
#17Elizabeth301US #17
#18Carolyn288US #15
#19Ruth288US #21
#20Virginia284US #22
#21Wilma279US #85
#22Peggy266US #35
#23Janice264US #24
#24Ruby239US #61
#25Alice226US #29
#26Frances218US #23
#27Lois218US #33
#28Carol217US #6
#29Patsy200US #55
#30Linda197US #31
#31Mildred195US #52
#32Jo184US #78
#33Bonnie181US #65
#34Ann176US #32
#35Donna175US #20
#36Thelma171US #86
#37Edna168US #82
#38Sue152US #104
#39Joan151US #10
#40Juanita149US #80
#41Emma145US #96
#42Loretta145US #62
#43Janet144US #16
#44Jean143US #27
#45Shelby141US #142
#46Geraldine136US #45
#47Alma135US #147
#48Margie133US #109
#49Sarah129US #67
#50Evelyn121US #38
#51Rose121US #39
#52Edith119US #102
#53Jane115US #44
#54Hazel113US #111
#55Ethel109US #94
#56Judith109US #12
#57Beverly108US #18
#58Clara108US #98
#59Pauline107US #97
#60Gladys105US #103
#61Geneva104US #171
#62Joann104US #68
#63Lillian102US #88
#64Louise93US #59
#65Sylvia93US #56
#66Charlotte92US #70
#67Marilyn92US #19
#68Christine90US #129
#69Marjorie85US #53
#70Sandra84US #14
#71Gloria83US #36
#72Eva82US #126
#73Julia82US #107
#74Laura82US #108
#75Georgia81US #138
#76Irene81US #72
#77Ella79US #140
#78June79US #79
#79Bessie77US #155
#80Lillie76US #132
#81Billie75US #139
#82Delores75US #75
#83Glenda75US #123
#84Marie75US #37
#85Kathleen72US #58
#86Anita70US #99
#87Bobbie70US #127
#88Opal69
#89Myrtle68US #182
#90Nellie68US #152
#91Rebecca67US #145
#92Roberta66US #73
#93Sally65US #54
#94Elsie64US #137
#95Yvonne64US #101
#96Mattie63US #153
#97Judy62US #41
#98Maxine62US #130
#99Ida61US #141
#100Jeanette60US #91

Boys

#1James2,172US #2
#2William1,421US #4
#3Charles1,206US #6
#4Robert1,186US #1
#5John978US #3
#6Donald877US #7
#7Billy574US #24
#8Bobby573US #27
#9Kenneth485US #14
#10David443US #8
#11Paul441US #15
#12George434US #11
#13Thomas400US #9
#14Ronald382US #10
#15Harold360US #23
#16Joseph359US #12
#17Jerry336US #17
#18Richard309US #5
#19Edward283US #13
#20Larry260US #16
#21Carl255US #29
#22Joe239US #28
#23Raymond230US #20
#24Roy222US #41
#25Jack212US #25
#26Henry187US #30
#27Walter184US #26
#28Earl172US #50
#29Jackie171US #105
#30Ralph170US #35
#31Frank167US #18
#32Jimmie166US #76
#33Jimmy163US #45
#34Eugene160US #33
#35Gerald158US #19
#36Fred135US #38
#37Johnny132US #63
#38Marvin132US #53
#39Ray130US #72
#40Wayne126US #40
#41Albert124US #37
#42Bill120US #67
#43Clarence119US #58
#44Howard116US #42
#45Clyde115US #97
#46Don115US #52
#47Gary111US #22
#48Gene111US #65
#49Norman110US #43
#50Ernest106US #55
#51Roger105US #31
#52Tommy105US #77
#53Lawrence100US #36
#54Arthur97US #32
#55Harry97US #44
#56Cecil95US #118
#57Glenn95US #83
#58Franklin93US #100
#59Elmer92US #130
#60Herbert91US #68
#61Arnold90US #111
#62Curtis90US #101
#63Melvin89US #54
#64Willie89US #34
#65Phillip88US #95
#66Samuel88US #62
#67Douglas85US #60
#68Vernon84US #103
#69Ronnie82US #113
#70Russell81US #70
#71Lloyd78US #92
#72Jesse77US #107
#73Lowell76US #164
#74Herman75US #108
#75Floyd74US #96
#76Leroy72US #61
#77Chester71US #136
#78Leonard69US #57
#79Stanley68US #59
#80Claude67US #131
#81Daniel67US #39
#82Everett67US #159
#83Michael67US #21
#84Willard67US #148
#85Billie66US #191
#86Danny66US #137
#87Glen66US #121
#88Louis66US #47
#89Clifford65US #89
#90Donnie64
#91Lewis64US #109
#92Eddie63US #79
#93Freddie63US #132
#94Marion63US #145
#95Virgil60US #151
#96Wendell59
#97Lonnie58US #160
#98Alvin57US #98
#99Homer55US #171
#100Lee55US #80

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑38Judith#56
↑34Johnny#37
↑28Marjorie#69
↑27Gary#47
↑26Arnold#61
↑19Gloria#71
↑19Julia#73
↑17Phillip#65

Falling

↓31Nellie#90
↓28Louis#88
↓27Yvonne#95
↓25Billie#81
↓22Franklin#58
↓20Russell#70
↓19Geneva#61
↓17Leonard#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.