State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1946 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 66,058 Kentucky births in 1946 across 977 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#79Genevaoutside the national top 200
#49Donnie#165 nationally
#39Wilma#144 nationally
#47Jackie#139 nationally
#87Elmer#178 nationally
#74Billie#164 nationally
#71Cecil#159 nationally
#90Hazel#175 nationally
#81Eva#161 nationally
#71Thelma#150 nationally
#98Ella#177 nationally
#56Darrell#131 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,734US #1
#2Linda1,354US #2
#3Barbara931US #4
#4Patricia927US #3
#5Betty903US #14
#6Brenda897US #24
#7Carolyn708US #12
#8Sandra659US #6
#9Judy648US #11
#10Shirley618US #18
#11Sharon579US #9
#12Donna524US #13
#13Joyce514US #20
#14Nancy491US #7
#15Carol470US #5
#16Wanda457US #59
#17Phyllis443US #41
#18Judith404US #10
#19Janice380US #22
#20Margaret371US #17
#21Martha326US #32
#22Peggy286US #43
#23Anna284US #87
#24Elizabeth279US #25
#25Bonnie276US #33
#26Dorothy262US #23
#27Helen262US #36
#28Janet256US #21
#29Virginia243US #31
#30Doris240US #51
#31Ruth238US #38
#32Susan233US #8
#33Beverly222US #30
#34Alice215US #44
#35Sue213US #61
#36Gloria203US #26
#37Patsy200US #85
#38Diana197US #42
#39Wilma194US #144
#40Norma184US #77
#41Frances180US #39
#42Marilyn178US #29
#43Jo177US #53
#44Connie176US #45
#45Lois176US #55
#46Karen165US #15
#47Rita159US #56
#48Charlotte156US #64
#49Joan153US #28
#50Ruby150US #105
#51Glenda146US #99
#52Rebecca146US #68
#53Ann144US #40
#54Pamela144US #34
#55Sheila129US #70
#56Jane128US #35
#57Kathleen128US #16
#58Cheryl125US #27
#59Rose125US #60
#60Mildred120US #103
#61Loretta118US #111
#62Evelyn113US #65
#63Geraldine113US #66
#64Sarah108US #92
#65Sherry108US #73
#66Diane104US #19
#67Edna95US #126
#68Jean92US #37
#69Juanita92US #110
#70Margie92US #138
#71Thelma88US #150
#72Anita87US #84
#73Laura86US #75
#74Billie85US #164
#75Paula85US #69
#76Suzanne84US #52
#77Darlene82US #71
#78Vivian79US #120
#79Geneva78
#80Julia78US #114
#81Eva76US #161
#82Cynthia74US #46
#83Katherine74US #78
#84Clara72US #145
#85Emma72US #131
#86Louise72US #91
#87Sylvia72US #82
#88Catherine71US #48
#89Ethel71US #140
#90Hazel69US #175
#91Charlene67US #107
#92Jacqueline66US #62
#93Gladys65US #157
#94Marie65US #54
#95June61US #116
#96Carole60US #72
#97Lillian60US #129
#98Ella59US #177
#99Georgia59US #123
#100Sara58US #135

Boys

#1James2,455US #1
#2William1,515US #4
#3Robert1,253US #2
#4John1,189US #3
#5Charles1,147US #9
#6Larry1,078US #11
#7David939US #6
#8Jerry695US #20
#9Donald673US #13
#10Ronald651US #10
#11Michael628US #7
#12Gary621US #12
#13Richard554US #5
#14Thomas549US #8
#15Kenneth504US #15
#16George468US #16
#17Billy462US #45
#18Paul462US #18
#19Joseph429US #14
#20Danny427US #46
#21Roger410US #23
#22Bobby370US #53
#23Ronnie329US #54
#24Harold307US #33
#25Roy277US #43
#26Jimmy274US #42
#27Edward270US #19
#28Carl242US #39
#29Dennis235US #17
#30Terry217US #26
#31Johnny216US #47
#32Raymond216US #25
#33Joe196US #37
#34Ralph179US #48
#35Tommy179US #77
#36Gerald178US #27
#37Daniel167US #21
#38Wayne157US #29
#39Jack154US #35
#40Walter154US #30
#41Earl152US #82
#42Phillip152US #83
#43Frank151US #22
#44Stephen149US #24
#45Douglas148US #34
#46Henry148US #41
#47Jackie135US #139
#48Eddie132US #85
#49Donnie130US #165
#50Ray128US #95
#51Harry125US #50
#52Jimmie119US #104
#53Howard116US #55
#54Albert114US #52
#55Clarence114US #89
#56Darrell114US #131
#57Bill113US #72
#58Russell110US #66
#59Glenn109US #81
#60Don108US #79
#61Eugene107US #57
#62Marvin107US #88
#63Lawrence104US #31
#64Lonnie104US #136
#65Ernest103US #71
#66Arthur101US #36
#67Barry95US #68
#68Bruce92US #32
#69Randall92US #123
#70Samuel92US #70
#71Cecil90US #159
#72Fred90US #51
#73Jesse89US #109
#74Leonard88US #67
#75Curtis85US #99
#76Norman85US #76
#77Willie83US #40
#78Philip81US #61
#79Chester80US #149
#80Melvin79US #86
#81Freddie78US #151
#82Stanley78US #65
#83Allen76US #74
#84Clyde76US #122
#85Steve72US #69
#86Vernon72US #130
#87Elmer70US #178
#88Anthony69US #44
#89Leslie69US #119
#90Garry68US #162
#91Lloyd68US #106
#92Louis68US #63
#93Dale67US #62
#94Glen67US #143
#95Gene65US #98
#96Herbert65US #97
#97Mike65US #64
#98Floyd62US #121
#99Jim61US #73
#100Claude59US #163

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑41Sheila#55
↑35Sherry#65
↑23Stephen#44
↑21Anita#72
↑20Pamela#54
↑19Julia#80
↑19Melvin#80
↑17Leonard#74

Falling

↓26Georgia#99
↓25Gladys#93
↓23Emma#85
↓23Fred#72
↓20Willie#77
↓16Herbert#96
↓14Samuel#70
↓13Charlotte#48

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.