State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 54,893 Kentucky births in 1939 across 976 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#50Geneva#172 nationally
#77Donnie#196 nationally
#83Billieoutside the national top 200
#98Lenaoutside the national top 200
#68Shelby#170 nationally
#99Beulahoutside the national top 200
#99Randalloutside the national top 200
#100Glennaoutside the national top 200
#56Alma#150 nationally
#57Billie#149 nationally
#98Homer#180 nationally
#86Lowell#166 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,733US #1
#2Betty1,367US #4
#3Barbara907US #2
#4Shirley753US #5
#5Joyce524US #12
#6Patricia490US #3
#7Nancy474US #7
#8Wanda470US #50
#9Anna449US #43
#10Martha395US #27
#11Phyllis395US #30
#12Margaret372US #10
#13Dorothy359US #9
#14Carolyn327US #14
#15Helen314US #16
#16Doris311US #29
#17Janice307US #24
#18Linda296US #15
#19Peggy294US #34
#20Norma291US #38
#21Ruth285US #22
#22Elizabeth265US #18
#23Virginia263US #21
#24Wilma246US #87
#25Alice220US #31
#26Carol220US #6
#27Ruby213US #67
#28Frances206US #26
#29Lois205US #35
#30Janet191US #17
#31Bonnie188US #61
#32Patsy188US #56
#33Juanita182US #77
#34Judith171US #8
#35Sue167US #92
#36Donna160US #20
#37Mildred160US #55
#38Ann159US #33
#39Thelma148US #88
#40Jo146US #70
#41Emma145US #89
#42Edna139US #81
#43Evelyn135US #40
#44Geraldine134US #41
#45Marilyn129US #19
#46Judy123US #28
#47Joan122US #11
#48Loretta122US #65
#49Jean121US #32
#50Geneva117US #172
#51Margie114US #113
#52Beverly112US #25
#53Sarah112US #68
#54Sandra111US #13
#55Rose108US #42
#56Alma104US #150
#57Billie103US #149
#58Edith100US #102
#59Glenda100US #112
#60Pauline98US #105
#61Clara97US #103
#62Hazel97US #118
#63Brenda95US #86
#64Jane94US #46
#65Louise94US #59
#66Ella93US #132
#67Ethel93US #100
#68Shelby93US #170
#69Joann92US #57
#70Lillian89US #99
#71Charlotte88US #66
#72Roberta88US #71
#73Eva87US #129
#74Sharon85US #23
#75Delores84US #79
#76Rebecca82US #134
#77Sylvia81US #62
#78Gladys80US #104
#79Irene80US #74
#80Christine75US #124
#81Yvonne74US #90
#82Marie73US #37
#83Georgia72US #131
#84Nellie72US #157
#85Elsie71US #140
#86June71US #83
#87Laura70US #107
#88Bessie68US #158
#89Bertha67US #135
#90Faye66US #161
#91Lillie66US #143
#92Ida65US #145
#93Catherine63US #49
#94Vivian63US #128
#95Marjorie61US #60
#96Rita61US #78
#97Gloria60US #36
#98Lena60
#99Beulah59
#100Glenna59

Boys

#1James2,109US #2
#2William1,274US #4
#3Charles1,164US #6
#4Robert1,144US #1
#5John969US #3
#6Donald817US #8
#7Bobby569US #29
#8David545US #7
#9Billy498US #24
#10George442US #11
#11Kenneth440US #13
#12Paul437US #17
#13Thomas427US #9
#14Ronald403US #10
#15Jerry377US #16
#16Harold366US #23
#17Joseph341US #12
#18Richard339US #5
#19Larry301US #14
#20Carl277US #30
#21Edward265US #15
#22Joe254US #27
#23Raymond220US #22
#24Roy214US #42
#25Gerald183US #19
#26Jimmy171US #43
#27Earl168US #50
#28Ralph164US #35
#29Roger164US #28
#30Jack157US #26
#31Henry155US #31
#32Eugene152US #37
#33Jimmie149US #80
#34Jackie146US #105
#35Frank144US #20
#36Gary138US #21
#37Harry132US #45
#38Ray132US #74
#39Clarence131US #60
#40Johnny131US #62
#41Wayne126US #39
#42Walter124US #25
#43Bill118US #67
#44Fred117US #40
#45Don116US #56
#46Marvin116US #52
#47Jesse113US #99
#48Howard112US #47
#49Lawrence110US #36
#50Cecil108US #114
#51Tommy108US #77
#52Norman104US #44
#53Arthur103US #32
#54Ernest101US #55
#55Albert100US #41
#56Clyde98US #101
#57Russell94US #73
#58Franklin92US #106
#59Glenn92US #87
#60Ronnie90US #109
#61Gene89US #69
#62Stanley89US #57
#63Elmer88US #132
#64Phillip88US #92
#65Willie88US #33
#66Michael87US #18
#67Vernon87US #100
#68Louis86US #49
#69Daniel81US #38
#70Leonard78US #54
#71Floyd77US #94
#72Lloyd77US #95
#73Melvin76US #51
#74Herbert75US #68
#75Douglas73US #58
#76Glen73US #123
#77Donnie72US #196
#78Clifford71US #88
#79Lee70US #78
#80Eddie69US #81
#81Leroy69US #61
#82Curtis68US #98
#83Billie67
#84Willard67US #147
#85Herman65US #111
#86Lowell64US #166
#87Chester63US #133
#88Danny63US #137
#89Lonnie63US #150
#90Arnold62US #113
#91Samuel62US #63
#92Alvin60US #103
#93Dennis60US #34
#94Freddie60US #138
#95Allen57US #72
#96Claude57US #141
#97Philip56US #66
#98Homer55US #180
#99Randall55
#100Darrell53US #130

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑51Judy#46
↑25Jesse#47
↑24Billie#57
↑24Glenda#59
↑22Judith#34
↑22Marilyn#45
↑22Roger#29
↑21Lee#79

Falling

↓29Arnold#90
↓26Marjorie#95
↓26Gloria#97
↓25Samuel#91
↓23Shelby#68
↓20Curtis#82
↓18Gladys#78
↓16Claude#96

Every state

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