State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1938 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 72,676 North Carolina births in 1938 across 1,101 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.

#66Hildaoutside the national top 200
#79Bettieoutside the national top 200
#23Shelby#142 nationally
#46Rachel#165 nationally
#85Hattie#198 nationally
#75Alton#185 nationally
#36Rebecca#145 nationally
#93Clifton#197 nationally
#43Rosa#146 nationally
#78Hubert#178 nationally
#62Minnie#161 nationally
#80Carrie#179 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,347US #1
#2Betty1,662US #4
#3Barbara1,323US #2
#4Shirley1,106US #5
#5Dorothy695US #8
#6Nancy675US #7
#7Peggy634US #35
#8Margaret619US #9
#9Annie602US #47
#10Carolyn545US #15
#11Martha541US #26
#12Doris525US #25
#13Patricia489US #3
#14Frances460US #23
#15Joyce431US #11
#16Helen420US #13
#17Elizabeth385US #17
#18Sarah365US #67
#19Alice329US #29
#20Virginia327US #22
#21Ruby323US #61
#22Ruth312US #21
#23Shelby304US #142
#24Mildred295US #52
#25Sylvia284US #56
#26Evelyn262US #38
#27Linda243US #31
#28Janice240US #24
#29Jean236US #27
#30Patsy235US #55
#31Edna233US #82
#32Lois228US #33
#33Hazel224US #111
#34Ann211US #32
#35Carol211US #6
#36Rebecca200US #145
#37Geraldine198US #45
#38Emma193US #96
#39Louise180US #59
#40Catherine173US #48
#41Marie173US #37
#42Norma173US #34
#43Rosa172US #146
#44Thelma168US #86
#45Clara166US #98
#46Rachel166US #165
#47Margie165US #109
#48Phyllis164US #28
#49Edith161US #102
#50Sandra160US #14
#51Joan157US #10
#52Ethel155US #94
#53Ella153US #140
#54Julia153US #107
#55Lillie145US #132
#56Jane144US #44
#57Bessie143US #155
#58Willie141US #121
#59Gloria139US #36
#60Gladys137US #103
#61Mattie136US #153
#62Minnie132US #161
#63Nellie130US #152
#64Juanita125US #80
#65Judith124US #12
#66Hilda123
#67Christine122US #129
#68Grace122US #100
#69Jo122US #78
#70Wilma122US #85
#71Joann121US #68
#72Anna119US #40
#73Lillian117US #88
#74Ida115US #141
#75Marjorie115US #53
#76Sara115US #124
#77Eva113US #126
#78Laura113US #108
#79Bettie111
#80Carrie111US #179
#81Kay111US #81
#82Lucille110US #106
#83Judy109US #41
#84Janet108US #16
#85Hattie106US #198
#86Pauline105US #97
#87Alma104US #147
#88Elsie104US #137
#89Josephine104US #83
#90Myrtle102US #182
#91Eleanor101US #60
#92Faye101US #162
#93Wanda101US #49
#94Bertha100US #131
#95Lucy99US #154
#96Delores98US #75
#97Glenda97US #123
#98Yvonne96US #101
#99Loretta95US #62
#100Rose95US #39

Boys

#1James2,885US #2
#2William1,912US #4
#3Robert1,514US #1
#4John1,399US #3
#5Charles1,177US #6
#6Bobby864US #27
#7Thomas661US #9
#8David649US #8
#9George646US #11
#10Donald579US #7
#11Billy571US #24
#12Jerry523US #17
#13Willie495US #34
#14Richard462US #5
#15Joseph444US #12
#16Harold381US #23
#17Joe381US #28
#18Edward357US #13
#19Jimmy355US #45
#20Kenneth355US #14
#21Larry344US #16
#22Walter314US #26
#23Paul310US #15
#24Henry297US #30
#25Roy270US #41
#26Johnny265US #63
#27Carl247US #29
#28Fred239US #38
#29Jack235US #25
#30Ronald231US #10
#31Charlie228US #112
#32Clarence214US #58
#33Samuel201US #62
#34Ralph192US #35
#35Howard189US #42
#36Earl183US #50
#37Frank181US #18
#38Raymond180US #20
#39Ernest174US #55
#40Eugene170US #33
#41Arthur164US #32
#42Jimmie162US #76
#43Marvin162US #53
#44Wayne161US #40
#45Gene156US #65
#46Albert154US #37
#47Melvin153US #54
#48Jesse150US #107
#49Harry149US #44
#50Clyde145US #97
#51Ray136US #72
#52Daniel134US #39
#53Gary132US #22
#54Tommy131US #77
#55Leroy125US #61
#56Franklin123US #100
#57Herman117US #108
#58Curtis116US #101
#59Norman115US #43
#60Herbert114US #68
#61Roger113US #31
#62Cecil110US #118
#63Floyd108US #96
#64Glenn107US #83
#65Gerald104US #19
#66Claude103US #131
#67Eddie100US #79
#68Harvey99US #99
#69Johnnie98US #123
#70Lawrence97US #36
#71Max95US #140
#72Lewis94US #109
#73Allen93US #73
#74Jackie91US #105
#75Alton88US #185
#76Benjamin86US #125
#77Lonnie86US #160
#78Hubert85US #178
#79Vernon85US #103
#80Alfred84US #69
#81Louis82US #47
#82Jessie81US #163
#83Ted81US #147
#84Lester80US #115
#85Calvin79US #122
#86Douglas79US #60
#87Leon79US #85
#88Luther77US #177
#89Andrew76US #82
#90Bruce76US #66
#91Milton76US #127
#92Lee75US #80
#93Clifton74US #197
#94Phillip74US #95
#95Don72US #52
#96Leonard72US #57
#97Horace71US #188
#98Alvin69US #98
#99Michael67US #21
#100Bennie65US #170

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑23Marjorie#75
↑23Jackie#74
↑22Catherine#40
↑21Grace#68
↑20Anna#72
↑19Ida#74
↑18Gary#53
↑17Glenn#64

Falling

↓27Bertha#94
↓27Johnnie#69
↓24Luther#88
↓21Myrtle#90
↓21Leonard#96
↓18Jo#69
↓18Leon#87
↓18Lee#92

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.