State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 57,206 Kentucky births in 1940 across 972 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#85Beulahoutside the national top 200
#64Geneva#178 nationally
#74Shelby#187 nationally
#89Donnie#197 nationally
#92Myrtle#184 nationally
#62Alma#152 nationally
#86Patty#175 nationally
#98Homer#185 nationally
#56Chester#137 nationally
#92Lowell#172 nationally
#36Wendell#114 nationally
#90Everett#168 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,788US #1
#2Betty1,136US #5
#3Barbara957US #2
#4Shirley683US #9
#5Patricia615US #3
#6Joyce590US #13
#7Linda521US #8
#8Wanda517US #52
#9Anna435US #51
#10Martha424US #26
#11Nancy419US #7
#12Phyllis378US #33
#13Margaret356US #11
#14Janice343US #22
#15Dorothy341US #12
#16Helen337US #18
#17Ruth320US #24
#18Carolyn318US #15
#19Doris294US #31
#20Judith290US #4
#21Norma289US #43
#22Elizabeth284US #20
#23Peggy273US #37
#24Virginia260US #21
#25Carol258US #6
#26Wilma246US #93
#27Brenda238US #42
#28Bonnie233US #39
#29Judy216US #16
#30Alice215US #32
#31Patsy208US #57
#32Ruby205US #66
#33Janet202US #19
#34Lois194US #38
#35Frances189US #28
#36Donna183US #23
#37Sandra182US #10
#38Sue182US #81
#39Juanita171US #78
#40Ann167US #35
#41Mildred163US #58
#42Joan154US #14
#43Jo150US #72
#44Edna144US #86
#45Jean140US #29
#46Sarah140US #60
#47Geraldine139US #46
#48Loretta139US #69
#49Charlotte138US #55
#50Emma137US #94
#51Thelma136US #101
#52Rose124US #44
#53Marilyn123US #25
#54Jane120US #47
#55Gloria119US #30
#56Evelyn115US #48
#57Beverly113US #27
#58Edith112US #98
#59Louise112US #59
#60Margie107US #114
#61Gladys106US #116
#62Alma96US #152
#63Clara95US #111
#64Geneva94US #178
#65Sharon94US #17
#66Glenda92US #107
#67Eva89US #132
#68Hazel89US #123
#69Christine88US #118
#70Laura87US #108
#71Irene80US #73
#72Billie79US #149
#73Ethel79US #106
#74Shelby79US #187
#75Pauline78US #104
#76Georgia77US #138
#77Kathleen77US #40
#78Vivian77US #115
#79Marie76US #41
#80Sylvia76US #62
#81Ella75US #146
#82June75US #82
#83Delores74US #83
#84Julia73US #91
#85Beulah72
#86Patty71US #175
#87Rebecca71US #96
#88Joann70US #63
#89Jeanette68US #90
#90Lucy68US #154
#91Bernice67US #121
#92Myrtle67US #184
#93Sally67US #61
#94Faye66US #153
#95Lillie66US #143
#96Marjorie66US #64
#97Rita66US #70
#98Lillian65US #97
#99Nellie64US #161
#100Elsie63US #151

Boys

#1James2,238US #1
#2William1,360US #4
#3Robert1,162US #2
#4Charles1,129US #6
#5John955US #3
#6Donald776US #9
#7David542US #7
#8Billy531US #27
#9Bobby499US #30
#10Jerry478US #14
#11Thomas461US #8
#12Kenneth446US #15
#13Paul445US #17
#14Ronald437US #10
#15George421US #11
#16Larry416US #13
#17Richard404US #5
#18Harold352US #23
#19Joseph338US #12
#20Joe276US #28
#21Roy261US #42
#22Carl260US #32
#23Edward251US #16
#24Raymond245US #22
#25Jimmy201US #44
#26Jack191US #29
#27Ralph188US #37
#28Gary182US #19
#29Earl178US #52
#30Gerald170US #21
#31Walter167US #25
#32Henry157US #31
#33Johnny154US #51
#34Frank152US #20
#35Roger150US #26
#36Wendell145US #114
#37Jimmie140US #86
#38Jackie137US #108
#39Ray134US #77
#40Clarence130US #64
#41Eugene130US #38
#42Wayne125US #39
#43Phillip124US #79
#44Arthur119US #33
#45Michael118US #18
#46Howard117US #45
#47Marvin114US #63
#48Tommy112US #76
#49Ernest110US #58
#50Fred109US #40
#51Franklin107US #87
#52Ronnie107US #101
#53Clyde106US #102
#54Don105US #62
#55Lawrence104US #36
#56Chester102US #137
#57Harry102US #47
#58Cecil101US #117
#59Norman101US #48
#60Bill98US #67
#61Gene97US #70
#62Glenn97US #83
#63Russell97US #72
#64Vernon97US #105
#65Albert95US #41
#66Willie94US #35
#67Jesse93US #93
#68Melvin92US #53
#69Arnold91US #118
#70Douglas87US #56
#71Daniel86US #34
#72Danny85US #126
#73Dennis83US #24
#74Louis83US #50
#75Elmer81US #144
#76Samuel80US #65
#77Leonard79US #54
#78Stanley76US #59
#79Leroy75US #66
#80Lee73US #80
#81Willard73US #151
#82Floyd72US #103
#83Eddie70US #81
#84Freddie69US #138
#85Philip69US #60
#86Allen68US #71
#87Clifford68US #94
#88Lonnie68US #153
#89Donnie66US #197
#90Everett66US #168
#91Lloyd64US #100
#92Lowell64US #172
#93Herman63US #113
#94Glen62US #130
#95Virgil60US #166
#96Curtis59US #97
#97Herbert59US #75
#98Homer56US #185
#99Alvin55US #106
#100Claude55US #145

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑42Gloria#55
↑36Brenda#27
↑31Chester#56
↑22Charlotte#49
↑21Phillip#43
↑21Michael#45
↑21Arnold#69
↑20Dennis#73

Falling

↓28Lillian#98
↓23Herbert#97
↓20Harry#57
↓20Jesse#67
↓19Joann#88
↓19Lloyd#91
↓18Glen#94
↓17Bill#60

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.