State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1942 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,317 Kentucky births in 1942 across 978 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#57Donnie#191 nationally
#68Geneva#198 nationally
#87Myrtleoutside the national top 200
#87Wendell#187 nationally
#88Patty#186 nationally
#81Lowell#178 nationally
#62Elmer#158 nationally
#71Alma#165 nationally
#96Stella#188 nationally
#38Jackie#119 nationally
#95Faye#175 nationally
#97Bessie#176 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,749US #1
#2Barbara965US #2
#3Betty951US #9
#4Patricia734US #3
#5Linda709US #4
#6Shirley622US #12
#7Joyce581US #13
#8Carolyn560US #10
#9Nancy511US #8
#10Wanda468US #54
#11Brenda432US #40
#12Phyllis419US #37
#13Carol386US #5
#14Judy386US #15
#15Margaret379US #14
#16Judith370US #7
#17Anna361US #59
#18Martha351US #29
#19Janice335US #25
#20Sandra330US #6
#21Dorothy307US #17
#22Ruth299US #33
#23Elizabeth291US #22
#24Helen286US #26
#25Doris279US #41
#26Bonnie265US #34
#27Virginia257US #23
#28Peggy252US #42
#29Donna241US #20
#30Patsy231US #57
#31Janet222US #19
#32Alice214US #39
#33Lois209US #44
#34Frances206US #30
#35Norma203US #52
#36Ruby199US #77
#37Wilma194US #114
#38Sharon190US #11
#39Jo179US #65
#40Sue176US #73
#41Joan166US #18
#42Ann162US #38
#43Beverly160US #32
#44Mildred154US #71
#45Charlotte151US #51
#46Juanita147US #90
#47Gloria143US #31
#48Thelma137US #121
#49Edna132US #99
#50Rita125US #55
#51Loretta123US #79
#52Marilyn123US #27
#53Emma119US #108
#54Geraldine119US #47
#55Glenda119US #89
#56Jane115US #46
#57Sarah115US #67
#58Jean114US #36
#59Edith110US #113
#60Margie110US #126
#61Rose110US #50
#62Evelyn102US #53
#63Carole101US #35
#64Rebecca95US #85
#65Susan95US #21
#66Joann94US #58
#67Billie93US #143
#68Geneva93US #198
#69Gladys93US #127
#70Clara92US #122
#71Alma90US #165
#72Pauline87US #112
#73Ethel85US #124
#74Eva85US #140
#75Hazel83US #139
#76Connie82US #70
#77Lillian82US #111
#78Georgia80US #123
#79Julia75US #95
#80Lillie73US #150
#81Diana72US #68
#82Laura70US #115
#83Delores69US #86
#84Katherine69US #81
#85Kathleen69US #24
#86Louise68US #61
#87Myrtle68
#88Patty68US #186
#89Sylvia67US #72
#90Bertha66US #147
#91Bobbie65US #151
#92Ella64US #152
#93Irene62US #80
#94Vivian61US #125
#95Faye59US #175
#96Stella58US #188
#97Bessie57US #176
#98Charlene56US #117
#99Diane56US #28
#100Jacqueline56US #69

Boys

#1James2,391US #1
#2William1,469US #4
#3Charles1,211US #7
#4Robert1,151US #2
#5John1,026US #3
#6Donald737US #10
#7David578US #6
#8Jerry570US #16
#9Larry550US #12
#10Ronald534US #9
#11Thomas530US #8
#12Billy499US #35
#13Bobby444US #43
#14Paul442US #19
#15George434US #14
#16Kenneth431US #15
#17Richard409US #5
#18Joseph404US #11
#19Douglas376US #23
#20Harold326US #27
#21Roy281US #42
#22Edward272US #17
#23Jimmy247US #47
#24Raymond245US #24
#25Joe244US #33
#26Gary239US #18
#27Carl237US #36
#28Michael195US #13
#29Ronnie185US #78
#30Ralph181US #38
#31Walter175US #26
#32Henry172US #31
#33Earl171US #62
#34Gerald159US #22
#35Johnny156US #55
#36Phillip155US #77
#37Roger154US #25
#38Jackie149US #119
#39Tommy143US #73
#40Frank138US #21
#41Jack138US #34
#42Dennis136US #20
#43Wayne133US #41
#44Howard132US #49
#45Arthur131US #29
#46Ray128US #84
#47Eugene127US #45
#48Clarence125US #67
#49Lawrence125US #30
#50Danny124US #111
#51Albert123US #40
#52Bill115US #65
#53Jimmie113US #94
#54Marvin113US #66
#55Willie110US #37
#56Ernest109US #61
#57Donnie106US #191
#58Daniel105US #28
#59Harry105US #48
#60Norman105US #53
#61Clyde102US #109
#62Elmer102US #158
#63Fred100US #46
#64Franklin98US #103
#65Terry94US #52
#66Samuel93US #59
#67Jesse92US #100
#68Glenn91US #88
#69Cecil89US #131
#70Russell88US #70
#71Arnold85US #130
#72Don85US #72
#73Melvin82US #60
#74Philip82US #54
#75Darrell80US #135
#76Eddie80US #86
#77Stephen80US #32
#78Herman79US #122
#79Stanley79US #56
#80Vernon79US #114
#81Lowell77US #178
#82Louis76US #51
#83Chester74US #137
#84Curtis73US #98
#85Glen73US #144
#86Leonard72US #57
#87Wendell72US #187
#88Everett71US #161
#89Lee71US #87
#90Floyd69US #113
#91Gene68US #82
#92Lloyd67US #96
#93Clifford64US #95
#94Leroy64US #69
#95Claude62US #149
#96Allen61US #71
#97Alvin61US #115
#98Freddie60US #140
#99Herbert60US #83
#100Lonnie60US #148

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑40Douglas#19
↑25Danny#50
↑24Norman#60
↑21Carole#63
↑18Sharon#38
↑18Arnold#71
↑17Susan#65
↑17Willie#55

Falling

↓38Wendell#87
↓30Gene#91
↓20Herbert#99
↓19Sylvia#89
↓18Ella#92
↓17Louise#86
↓17Marvin#54
↓16Stanley#79

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.