State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1941 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 77,711 North Carolina births in 1941 across 1,081 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.

#66Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#68Hildaoutside the national top 200
#82Hattieoutside the national top 200
#85Bettieoutside the national top 200
#91Wadeoutside the national top 200
#54Rachel#159 nationally
#62Minnie#166 nationally
#97Cliftonoutside the national top 200
#50Lillie#144 nationally
#71Mattie#164 nationally
#88Luther#179 nationally
#92Carrie#183 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,250US #1
#2Betty1,333US #7
#3Barbara1,305US #2
#4Linda1,107US #5
#5Patricia812US #3
#6Shirley811US #10
#7Carolyn750US #11
#8Brenda747US #41
#9Nancy718US #8
#10Margaret659US #12
#11Dorothy653US #14
#12Joyce615US #13
#13Peggy564US #39
#14Annie536US #59
#15Martha530US #25
#16Doris487US #38
#17Judy446US #16
#18Elizabeth420US #21
#19Frances413US #31
#20Helen392US #24
#21Alice384US #34
#22Virginia351US #23
#23Janice318US #22
#24Judith310US #6
#25Sarah310US #60
#26Sandra290US #9
#27Patsy281US #52
#28Ruby281US #69
#29Carol276US #4
#30Sylvia273US #65
#31Rebecca272US #86
#32Ruth271US #28
#33Mildred262US #64
#34Evelyn250US #50
#35Gloria240US #26
#36Phyllis231US #35
#37Edna218US #89
#38Lois211US #43
#39Jean207US #32
#40Geraldine196US #45
#41Ann193US #37
#42Emma182US #99
#43Glenda182US #96
#44Clara169US #111
#45Janet168US #18
#46Edith164US #103
#47Julia164US #88
#48Wanda160US #53
#49Kay158US #70
#50Lillie157US #144
#51Hazel156US #131
#52Jo155US #66
#53Norma155US #47
#54Rachel155US #159
#55Bonnie154US #33
#56Thelma152US #108
#57Joan149US #17
#58Margie147US #122
#59Catherine146US #51
#60Louise144US #62
#61Ella143US #141
#62Minnie143US #166
#63Ethel141US #116
#64Jane140US #46
#65Marie140US #42
#66Shelby138
#67Rosa136US #154
#68Hilda135
#69Gladys133US #118
#70Faye132US #160
#71Mattie128US #164
#72Vivian126US #113
#73Laura121US #115
#74Christine118US #101
#75Joann116US #58
#76Juanita115US #84
#77Willie115US #136
#78Bertha110US #140
#79Jessie110US #165
#80Sara110US #124
#81Eva109US #135
#82Hattie106
#83Bessie105US #173
#84Wilma105US #106
#85Bettie104
#86Anna101US #56
#87Eleanor101US #78
#88Elsie101US #157
#89Lucy101US #156
#90Ellen100US #67
#91Nellie97US #167
#92Carrie95US #183
#93Lillian95US #104
#94Sue94US #75
#95Ida92US #148
#96Josephine91US #92
#97Alma90US #163
#98Lynda89US #153
#99Priscilla89US #132
#100Delores88US #80

Boys

#1James3,272US #1
#2William1,988US #4
#3Robert1,642US #2
#4John1,532US #3
#5Charles1,291US #6
#6Jerry888US #14
#7David762US #7
#8Thomas751US #8
#9Larry740US #11
#10George707US #13
#11Bobby681US #35
#12Donald594US #10
#13Richard591US #5
#14Billy557US #27
#15Willie531US #36
#16Joseph501US #12
#17Kenneth399US #15
#18Jimmy378US #45
#19Walter362US #26
#20Harold352US #24
#21Henry348US #28
#22Edward342US #17
#23Ronald333US #9
#24Paul329US #18
#25Roy306US #39
#26Johnny305US #55
#27Joe303US #30
#28Frank242US #21
#29Ralph229US #38
#30Carl223US #29
#31Wayne222US #37
#32Samuel209US #65
#33Charlie207US #115
#34Raymond203US #22
#35Ernest197US #61
#36Clarence194US #62
#37Howard193US #47
#38Jack188US #32
#39Albert175US #40
#40Earl171US #58
#41Tommy171US #71
#42Eugene163US #42
#43Fred159US #43
#44Gerald157US #20
#45Jesse156US #99
#46Gary152US #19
#47Marvin150US #63
#48Johnnie149US #131
#49Arthur147US #33
#50Clyde147US #113
#51Gene144US #72
#52Ray144US #83
#53Daniel143US #31
#54Eddie142US #78
#55Michael142US #16
#56Roger141US #25
#57Harry140US #48
#58Norman140US #49
#59Melvin137US #56
#60Phillip133US #77
#61Franklin127US #98
#62Jimmie126US #89
#63Glenn124US #86
#64Leroy124US #67
#65Douglas121US #53
#66Ronnie119US #79
#67Cecil116US #132
#68Herbert115US #76
#69Herman115US #114
#70Curtis114US #100
#71Benjamin105US #124
#72Claude105US #151
#73Harvey104US #106
#74Lewis103US #109
#75Dennis100US #23
#76Bruce98US #51
#77Floyd96US #102
#78Lawrence96US #34
#79Allen94US #73
#80Milton93US #140
#81Leonard91US #54
#82Calvin90US #133
#83Don90US #66
#84Lee89US #81
#85Vernon89US #108
#86Leon88US #93
#87Jackie87US #110
#88Luther86US #179
#89Barry83US #91
#90Freddie80US #138
#91Wade80
#92Alfred79US #74
#93Lonnie79US #148
#94Nathaniel79US #182
#95Philip79US #52
#96Louis78US #50
#97Clifton76
#98Edgar75US #167
#99Jessie75US #162
#100Lloyd74US #96

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑36Kay#49
↑29Ronnie#66
↑25Minnie#62
↑23Janet#45
↑23Joann#75
↑17Bruce#76
↑16Bonnie#55
↑16Daniel#53

Falling

↓19Lillian#93
↓17Rosa#67
↓17Delores#100
↓16Melvin#59
↓16Lawrence#78
↓16Lee#84
↓16Jackie#87
↓15Gladys#69

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.