State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1940 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 74,652 North Carolina births in 1940 across 1,066 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.

#65Hildaoutside the national top 200
#53Shelby#187 nationally
#69Hattie#198 nationally
#86Gradyoutside the national top 200
#82Alton#194 nationally
#92Wilbertoutside the national top 200
#60Rachel#166 nationally
#95Bettieoutside the national top 200
#96Wadeoutside the national top 200
#50Rosa#148 nationally
#81Carrie#176 nationally
#49Lillie#143 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,282US #1
#2Betty1,372US #5
#3Barbara1,150US #2
#4Shirley952US #9
#5Linda729US #8
#6Dorothy702US #12
#7Nancy692US #7
#8Patricia691US #3
#9Carolyn602US #15
#10Margaret590US #11
#11Peggy569US #37
#12Annie554US #56
#13Joyce539US #13
#14Martha515US #26
#15Doris512US #31
#16Frances449US #28
#17Helen447US #18
#18Elizabeth422US #20
#19Brenda409US #42
#20Alice394US #32
#21Judy373US #16
#22Virginia367US #21
#23Sarah336US #60
#24Ruby302US #66
#25Judith288US #4
#26Sylvia283US #62
#27Mildred260US #58
#28Rebecca259US #96
#29Ruth250US #24
#30Phyllis247US #33
#31Edna245US #86
#32Jean245US #29
#33Janice244US #22
#34Evelyn229US #48
#35Carol223US #6
#36Geraldine215US #46
#37Sandra213US #10
#38Lois212US #38
#39Patsy210US #57
#40Gloria208US #30
#41Ann204US #35
#42Emma193US #94
#43Hazel177US #123
#44Clara173US #111
#45Edith169US #98
#46Norma169US #43
#47Julia168US #91
#48Jo166US #72
#49Lillie160US #143
#50Rosa160US #148
#51Louise155US #59
#52Margie155US #114
#53Shelby155US #187
#54Gladys152US #116
#55Glenda152US #107
#56Marie152US #41
#57Joan151US #14
#58Ella149US #146
#59Wanda149US #52
#60Rachel148US #166
#61Ethel147US #106
#62Willie147US #128
#63Catherine142US #53
#64Thelma141US #101
#65Hilda138
#66Jane136US #47
#67Vivian135US #115
#68Janet134US #19
#69Hattie128US #198
#70Bessie126US #162
#71Bonnie126US #39
#72Bertha125US #141
#73Mattie124US #163
#74Lillian123US #97
#75Anna120US #51
#76Juanita120US #78
#77Faye118US #153
#78Laura116US #108
#79Eva113US #132
#80Grace111US #105
#81Carrie110US #176
#82Wilma110US #93
#83Delores109US #83
#84Ida109US #144
#85Kay109US #77
#86Marjorie109US #64
#87Minnie109US #168
#88Nellie108US #161
#89Jessie107US #158
#90Josephine107US #89
#91Sara107US #122
#92Pauline101US #104
#93Lucy99US #154
#94Eleanor98US #68
#95Bettie97
#96Ellen95US #74
#97Myrtle94US #184
#98Joann92US #63
#99Sue91US #81
#100Audrey90US #99

Boys

#1James3,065US #1
#2William1,903US #4
#3Robert1,531US #2
#4John1,458US #3
#5Charles1,260US #6
#6Jerry745US #14
#7Thomas725US #8
#8Bobby722US #30
#9David693US #7
#10George657US #11
#11Larry568US #13
#12Richard564US #5
#13Billy549US #27
#14Donald543US #9
#15Willie534US #35
#16Joseph467US #12
#17Kenneth427US #15
#18Jimmy369US #44
#19Harold363US #23
#20Walter360US #25
#21Henry353US #31
#22Paul350US #17
#23Johnny335US #51
#24Edward330US #16
#25Joe329US #28
#26Roy276US #42
#27Ronald272US #10
#28Frank241US #20
#29Ralph226US #37
#30Wayne221US #39
#31Clarence213US #64
#32Carl209US #32
#33Charlie206US #111
#34Samuel197US #65
#35Jack195US #29
#36Tommy183US #76
#37Howard182US #45
#38Fred181US #40
#39Earl180US #52
#40Ernest170US #58
#41Roger169US #26
#42Jesse168US #93
#43Melvin167US #53
#44Raymond166US #22
#45Eugene164US #38
#46Arthur160US #33
#47Albert155US #41
#48Gerald155US #21
#49Gene151US #70
#50Franklin148US #87
#51Gary143US #19
#52Johnnie140US #129
#53Clyde139US #102
#54Jimmie138US #86
#55Norman138US #48
#56Eddie131US #81
#57Harry131US #47
#58Marvin131US #63
#59Leroy128US #66
#60Ray128US #77
#61Glenn124US #83
#62Lawrence118US #36
#63Cecil116US #117
#64Michael116US #18
#65Curtis113US #97
#66Harvey112US #98
#67Herman112US #113
#68Lee112US #80
#69Daniel109US #34
#70Herbert109US #75
#71Jackie100US #108
#72Lewis100US #107
#73Phillip100US #79
#74Floyd99US #103
#75Benjamin96US #128
#76Dennis94US #24
#77Douglas94US #56
#78Vernon94US #105
#79Calvin93US #127
#80Leonard93US #54
#81Allen92US #71
#82Alton83US #194
#83Alfred82US #69
#84Louis82US #50
#85Stephen81US #49
#86Grady80
#87Claude79US #145
#88Lonnie78US #153
#89Milton78US #132
#90Leon76US #89
#91Philip76US #60
#92Wilbert76
#93Bruce74US #55
#94Jessie74US #162
#95Ronnie74US #101
#96Wade74
#97Lester73US #116
#98Andrew71US #84
#99Oscar71US #167
#100Theodore71US #90

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑51Brenda#19
↑29Wanda#59
↑24Sandra#37
↑24Bessie#70
↑23Dennis#76
↑21Bertha#72
↑20Faye#77
↑19Bonnie#71

Falling

↓18Joann#98
↓17Wilma#82
↓17Leon#90
↓16Minnie#87
↓16Jessie#94
↓15Rachel#60
↓15Nellie#88
↓14Shelby#53

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.