State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1939 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 73,027 North Carolina births in 1939 across 1,077 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.

#39Shelby#170 nationally
#72Hildaoutside the national top 200
#83Bettieoutside the national top 200
#83Wadeoutside the national top 200
#79Hattie#195 nationally
#45Rachel#160 nationally
#76Horace#188 nationally
#81Alton#192 nationally
#96Gradyoutside the national top 200
#74Carrie#176 nationally
#80Hubert#181 nationally
#93Clifton#194 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,288US #1
#2Betty1,466US #4
#3Barbara1,272US #2
#4Shirley1,017US #5
#5Nancy679US #7
#6Margaret658US #10
#7Dorothy638US #9
#8Carolyn590US #14
#9Annie589US #54
#10Peggy582US #34
#11Patricia537US #3
#12Doris533US #29
#13Martha505US #27
#14Joyce467US #12
#15Helen449US #16
#16Frances429US #26
#17Linda425US #15
#18Elizabeth384US #18
#19Alice360US #31
#20Sarah333US #68
#21Virginia333US #21
#22Ruby297US #67
#23Ruth288US #22
#24Mildred272US #55
#25Sylvia254US #62
#26Edna251US #81
#27Evelyn245US #40
#28Geraldine238US #41
#29Janice238US #24
#30Jean225US #32
#31Phyllis223US #30
#32Patsy218US #56
#33Carol215US #6
#34Judy215US #28
#35Judith206US #8
#36Emma199US #89
#37Ann193US #33
#38Rebecca189US #134
#39Shelby188US #170
#40Norma187US #38
#41Lois184US #35
#42Gloria180US #36
#43Hazel179US #118
#44Louise172US #59
#45Rachel172US #160
#46Joan170US #11
#47Ella164US #132
#48Clara161US #103
#49Margie161US #113
#50Jo160US #70
#51Rosa159US #151
#52Thelma157US #88
#53Julia156US #91
#54Marie155US #37
#55Edith154US #102
#56Ethel154US #100
#57Gladys151US #104
#58Catherine147US #49
#59Lillie146US #143
#60Jane142US #46
#61Sandra140US #13
#62Willie139US #126
#63Glenda131US #112
#64Laura130US #107
#65Wilma130US #87
#66Janet128US #17
#67Mattie126US #164
#68Juanita123US #77
#69Lillian122US #99
#70Brenda121US #86
#71Minnie119US #165
#72Hilda113
#73Nellie113US #157
#74Carrie112US #176
#75Christine111US #124
#76Elsie110US #140
#77Josephine110US #84
#78Grace107US #108
#79Hattie106US #195
#80Joann106US #57
#81Lucy106US #154
#82Sara106US #127
#83Bettie105
#84Eva104US #129
#85Rose104US #42
#86Anna102US #43
#87Jessie102US #155
#88Wanda100US #50
#89Eleanor99US #63
#90Bonnie97US #61
#91Ellen97US #80
#92Myrtle97US #179
#93Bertha96US #135
#94Bessie96US #158
#95Ida96US #145
#96Cora95US #183
#97Faye95US #161
#98Kay95US #76
#99Lula93US #193
#100Loretta92US #65

Boys

#1James3,043US #2
#2William1,844US #4
#3Robert1,513US #1
#4John1,414US #3
#5Charles1,279US #6
#6Bobby771US #29
#7Thomas666US #9
#8Jerry651US #16
#9George634US #11
#10David629US #7
#11Donald555US #8
#12Billy550US #24
#13Joseph487US #12
#14Willie486US #33
#15Richard484US #5
#16Larry457US #14
#17Kenneth415US #13
#18Jimmy371US #43
#19Paul363US #17
#20Edward361US #15
#21Harold361US #23
#22Joe330US #27
#23Roy317US #42
#24Henry295US #31
#25Johnny289US #62
#26Walter288US #25
#27Frank262US #20
#28Carl255US #30
#29Ronald232US #10
#30Fred221US #40
#31Ralph220US #35
#32Jack219US #26
#33Samuel217US #63
#34Charlie209US #112
#35Clarence193US #60
#36Wayne193US #39
#37Raymond186US #22
#38Earl181US #50
#39Ernest181US #55
#40Howard179US #47
#41Eugene170US #37
#42Clyde163US #101
#43Jesse162US #99
#44Albert160US #41
#45Melvin160US #51
#46Marvin159US #52
#47Tommy155US #77
#48Gene151US #69
#49Leroy143US #61
#50Roger137US #28
#51Harry136US #45
#52Ray135US #74
#53Jimmie134US #80
#54Johnnie129US #120
#55Arthur126US #32
#56Daniel126US #38
#57Lawrence125US #36
#58Franklin124US #106
#59Gerald123US #19
#60Gary120US #21
#61Herbert120US #68
#62Floyd115US #94
#63Herman113US #111
#64Harvey111US #102
#65Douglas110US #58
#66Norman110US #44
#67Cecil108US #114
#68Glenn105US #87
#69Curtis102US #98
#70Eddie100US #81
#71Lewis94US #107
#72Jackie93US #105
#73Leon92US #86
#74Michael92US #18
#75Allen91US #72
#76Horace89US #188
#77Benjamin88US #124
#78Jessie87US #154
#79Lee87US #78
#80Hubert84US #181
#81Alton83US #192
#82Claude83US #141
#83Wade83
#84Vernon82US #100
#85Leonard81US #54
#86Louis80US #49
#87Milton80US #128
#88Phillip80US #92
#89Alfred79US #70
#90Bill78US #67
#91Lester78US #116
#92Nathaniel77US #183
#93Clifton76US #194
#94Don75US #56
#95Andrew73US #84
#96Grady72
#97Lonnie71US #150
#98Russell71US #73
#99Dennis69US #34
#100Tony69US #140

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑49Judy#34
↑34Glenda#63
↑30Judith#35
↑25Michael#74
↑21Douglas#65
↑21Horace#76
↑19Jo#50
↑18Janet#66

Falling

↓37Bessie#94
↓21Ida#95
↓20Lonnie#97
↓18Catherine#58
↓17Kay#98
↓16Shelby#39
↓16Claude#82
↓14Anna#86

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.