State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1936 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 69,684 North Carolina births in 1936 across 1,057 distinct names.

Distinctively North Carolina

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

#32Shelby#178 nationally
#64Hildaoutside the national top 200
#76Bettieoutside the national top 200
#77Gradyoutside the national top 200
#45Rebecca#164 nationally
#50Rachel#163 nationally
#80Clifton#193 nationally
#81Hattie#192 nationally
#90Wilbertoutside the national top 200
#92Janieoutside the national top 200
#72Lonnie#177 nationally
#96Fannieoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary2,258US #1
#2Shirley1,664US #2
#3Betty1,578US #4
#4Barbara1,023US #3
#5Dorothy779US #6
#6Peggy665US #35
#7Margaret604US #9
#8Annie594US #45
#9Doris580US #15
#10Nancy580US #8
#11Helen494US #11
#12Frances447US #19
#13Joyce423US #12
#14Martha418US #24
#15Patricia406US #5
#16Carolyn368US #23
#17Elizabeth357US #18
#18Virginia341US #14
#19Ruby333US #51
#20Sarah321US #63
#21Mildred319US #40
#22Ruth287US #16
#23Jean282US #20
#24Alice279US #27
#25Evelyn271US #34
#26Edna254US #71
#27Emma229US #85
#28Sylvia218US #53
#29Lois214US #26
#30Louise212US #46
#31Hazel210US #96
#32Shelby210US #178
#33Thelma200US #74
#34Ann194US #28
#35Patsy192US #52
#36Clara181US #91
#37Ethel181US #90
#38Geraldine180US #41
#39Margie179US #102
#40Gladys176US #84
#41Marie175US #33
#42Edith171US #87
#43Nellie171US #135
#44Norma168US #29
#45Rebecca167US #164
#46Joan160US #7
#47Lillie160US #124
#48Willie159US #108
#49Jo157US #72
#50Rachel154US #163
#51Ella153US #126
#52Bessie151US #136
#53Janice146US #31
#54Rosa142US #146
#55Christine138US #131
#56Phyllis138US #25
#57Lillian133US #79
#58Catherine132US #44
#59Juanita128US #75
#60Minnie128US #148
#61Carol125US #10
#62Elsie125US #123
#63Eva125US #116
#64Hilda125
#65Bertha123US #122
#66Jane123US #42
#67Carrie122US #166
#68Mattie122US #143
#69Wilma121US #78
#70Alma118US #137
#71Pauline118US #82
#72Grace115US #86
#73Lucille115US #92
#74Laura114US #106
#75Julia113US #105
#76Bettie107
#77Janet107US #21
#78Lucy106US #147
#79Myrtle105US #160
#80Gloria104US #32
#81Hattie104US #192
#82Marjorie104US #49
#83Eleanor103US #47
#84Faye103US #162
#85Billie102US #117
#86Josephine101US #77
#87Sara101US #129
#88Jessie100US #140
#89Ida96US #130
#90Joann96US #55
#91Anna95US #36
#92Janie95
#93Lula94US #175
#94Linda93US #97
#95Kay92US #98
#96Fannie91
#97Mable90
#98Bernice89US #95
#99Irene89US #57
#100Geneva88US #153

Boys

#1James2,856US #2
#2William1,778US #4
#3Robert1,436US #1
#4John1,338US #3
#5Charles1,132US #6
#6Bobby863US #24
#7Billy617US #22
#8George591US #9
#9Thomas588US #8
#10Donald534US #7
#11Willie504US #32
#12David502US #10
#13Joe480US #23
#14Joseph441US #11
#15Richard438US #5
#16Jerry378US #18
#17Jimmy370US #46
#18Kenneth350US #14
#19Edward338US #13
#20Walter320US #26
#21Henry317US #28
#22Harold313US #21
#23Paul310US #15
#24Jack305US #20
#25Roy266US #42
#26Frank254US #16
#27Carl240US #27
#28Fred233US #36
#29Ralph221US #31
#30Charlie214US #103
#31Larry209US #25
#32Clarence199US #52
#33Howard198US #40
#34Franklin194US #64
#35Raymond190US #17
#36Earl184US #47
#37Clyde181US #89
#38Ernest181US #55
#39Ronald179US #12
#40Eugene174US #29
#41Jimmie173US #71
#42Johnny170US #72
#43Samuel170US #67
#44Albert157US #34
#45Jesse155US #104
#46Ray148US #65
#47Leroy142US #57
#48Harry141US #39
#49Herbert140US #62
#50Arthur136US #30
#51Johnnie136US #117
#52Daniel131US #41
#53Wayne128US #45
#54Melvin125US #53
#55Tommy123US #91
#56Gene122US #66
#57Marvin119US #49
#58Harvey114US #97
#59Curtis112US #107
#60Herman112US #105
#61Gerald111US #19
#62Floyd105US #86
#63Lewis103US #101
#64Lawrence102US #37
#65Norman102US #43
#66Cecil99US #114
#67Douglas99US #78
#68Lee97US #76
#69Hubert96US #161
#70Leon96US #82
#71Eddie95US #79
#72Lonnie92US #177
#73Claude90US #132
#74Glenn90US #80
#75Roger89US #35
#76Louis86US #44
#77Grady83
#78Alfred82US #60
#79Calvin79US #124
#80Clifton78US #193
#81Bruce77US #73
#82Luther76US #171
#83Allen74US #81
#84Don74US #51
#85Max74US #129
#86Milton74US #120
#87Nathaniel73US #179
#88Oscar71US #153
#89Vernon71US #93
#90Wilbert69
#91Bill68US #61
#92Jackie67US #106
#93Ted66US #144
#94Alvin64US #96
#95Frederick64US #70
#96Jessie64US #151
#97Leonard64US #54
#98Rufus64
#99Gary63US #38
#100Horace63US #188

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑26Carol#61
↑25Leon#70
↑19Jane#66
↑18Alfred#78
↑17Eva#63
↑16Bettie#76
↑16Faye#84
↑16Bruce#81

Falling

↓27Jessie#88
↓24Catherine#58
↓24Anna#91
↓23Jessie#96
↓22Bernice#98
↓20Irene#99
↓19Rosa#54
↓19Mattie#68

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.