State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1941 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 57,081 Kentucky births in 1941 across 969 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#67Donnie#187 nationally
#86Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#68Geneva#180 nationally
#91Beulahoutside the national top 200
#49Wendell#157 nationally
#98Randalloutside the national top 200
#74Lowell#176 nationally
#65Alma#163 nationally
#93Stella#184 nationally
#88Patty#176 nationally
#86Virgil#170 nationally
#85Nellie#167 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,700US #1
#2Betty977US #7
#3Barbara923US #2
#4Patricia735US #3
#5Linda658US #5
#6Shirley656US #10
#7Joyce531US #13
#8Wanda518US #53
#9Carolyn477US #11
#10Martha424US #25
#11Nancy414US #8
#12Phyllis387US #35
#13Anna379US #56
#14Janice376US #22
#15Brenda374US #41
#16Judith363US #6
#17Margaret357US #12
#18Dorothy332US #14
#19Carol317US #4
#20Helen303US #24
#21Judy303US #16
#22Bonnie302US #33
#23Ruth301US #28
#24Elizabeth300US #21
#25Virginia272US #23
#26Peggy271US #39
#27Doris265US #38
#28Norma250US #47
#29Sandra229US #9
#30Janet224US #18
#31Alice218US #34
#32Wilma218US #106
#33Donna215US #20
#34Lois204US #43
#35Ruby195US #69
#36Patsy190US #52
#37Frances186US #31
#38Sue178US #75
#39Mildred167US #64
#40Charlotte158US #55
#41Joan158US #17
#42Jo149US #66
#43Juanita147US #84
#44Emma146US #99
#45Ann139US #37
#46Geraldine139US #45
#47Gloria137US #26
#48Marilyn133US #30
#49Sarah133US #60
#50Rose132US #49
#51Evelyn128US #50
#52Loretta125US #81
#53Edna124US #89
#54Thelma121US #108
#55Beverly111US #29
#56Sharon111US #15
#57Jane110US #46
#58Jean109US #32
#59Glenda107US #96
#60Rita107US #63
#61Eva104US #135
#62Margie100US #122
#63Hazel97US #131
#64Rebecca93US #86
#65Alma88US #163
#66Clara88US #111
#67Joann88US #58
#68Geneva86US #180
#69Louise86US #62
#70Sylvia86US #65
#71Edith85US #103
#72Georgia81US #127
#73Pauline80US #109
#74Ella77US #141
#75Ethel77US #116
#76Delores76US #80
#77Marie76US #42
#78Julia75US #88
#79Christine73US #101
#80Gladys73US #118
#81Irene71US #74
#82Susan69US #27
#83Billie68US #149
#84Carole68US #48
#85Nellie68US #167
#86Shelby67
#87Faye66US #160
#88Patty66US #176
#89Lillian65US #104
#90Vivian65US #113
#91Beulah63
#92Charlene63US #125
#93Stella63US #184
#94Kathleen62US #36
#95Lillie61US #144
#96Ida60US #148
#97Bobbie59US #145
#98Ellen59US #67
#99June59US #90
#100Minnie59US #166

Boys

#1James2,166US #1
#2William1,425US #4
#3Charles1,163US #6
#4Robert1,137US #2
#5John1,023US #3
#6Donald738US #10
#7David576US #7
#8Bobby517US #35
#9Billy512US #27
#10Ronald503US #9
#11Larry486US #11
#12Jerry475US #14
#13Paul463US #18
#14Kenneth450US #15
#15Thomas446US #8
#16George437US #13
#17Richard362US #5
#18Joseph343US #12
#19Harold329US #24
#20Roy271US #39
#21Carl263US #29
#22Edward260US #17
#23Joe238US #30
#24Raymond232US #22
#25Jimmy203US #45
#26Gary202US #19
#27Gerald190US #20
#28Michael174US #16
#29Jackie168US #110
#30Walter166US #26
#31Roger161US #25
#32Ralph159US #38
#33Jack158US #32
#34Henry157US #28
#35Frank144US #21
#36Earl143US #58
#37Marvin143US #63
#38Ronnie142US #79
#39Johnny140US #55
#40Wayne135US #37
#41Phillip133US #77
#42Clarence131US #62
#43Jimmie131US #89
#44Bill128US #68
#45Eugene125US #42
#46Tommy122US #71
#47Howard119US #47
#48Lawrence118US #34
#49Wendell113US #157
#50Ernest110US #61
#51Dennis109US #23
#52Arthur102US #33
#53Harry102US #48
#54Fred101US #43
#55Cecil98US #132
#56Franklin98US #98
#57Don97US #66
#58Albert96US #40
#59Douglas95US #53
#60Jesse95US #99
#61Gene94US #72
#62Ray94US #83
#63Stanley94US #57
#64Daniel91US #31
#65Russell91US #75
#66Elmer90US #147
#67Donnie87US #187
#68Glenn87US #86
#69Terry86US #64
#70Chester84US #136
#71Herman83US #114
#72Willie83US #36
#73Eddie82US #78
#74Lowell82US #176
#75Danny80US #120
#76Curtis79US #100
#77Leonard79US #54
#78Clyde77US #113
#79Herbert77US #76
#80Samuel77US #65
#81Philip75US #52
#82Willard75US #159
#83Melvin74US #56
#84Norman74US #49
#85Louis73US #50
#86Virgil72US #170
#87Darrell71US #130
#88Freddie68US #138
#89Arnold67US #123
#90Floyd65US #102
#91Vernon65US #108
#92Lee62US #81
#93Lonnie60US #148
#94Bob59US #103
#95Glen59US #139
#96Lewis59US #109
#97Lloyd59US #96
#98Randall58
#99Leroy57US #67
#100Allen56US #73

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑37Rita#60
↑23Rebecca#64
↑22Dennis#51
↑22Donnie#67
↑22Herman#71
↑21Joann#67
↑20Curtis#76
↑18Lowell#74

Falling

↓27Vernon#91
↓25Clyde#78
↓25Norman#84
↓23Ray#62
↓20Arnold#89
↓20Leroy#99
↓19Gladys#80
↓17Kathleen#94

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.