State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1942 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 83,551 North Carolina births in 1942 across 1,140 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.

#76Hildaoutside the national top 200
#84Bettieoutside the national top 200
#71Carrie#185 nationally
#53Rachel#163 nationally
#66Faye#175 nationally
#54Minnie#161 nationally
#95Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#95Hubertoutside the national top 200
#51Rosa#155 nationally
#96Clifton#198 nationally
#88Nellie#183 nationally
#91Luther#185 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,416US #1
#2Linda1,495US #4
#3Barbara1,356US #2
#4Betty1,296US #9
#5Brenda975US #40
#6Carolyn923US #10
#7Patricia863US #3
#8Shirley818US #12
#9Nancy753US #8
#10Dorothy688US #17
#11Margaret646US #14
#12Joyce630US #13
#13Judy612US #15
#14Annie601US #62
#15Peggy561US #42
#16Martha552US #29
#17Doris480US #41
#18Elizabeth465US #22
#19Frances455US #30
#20Sandra455US #6
#21Helen441US #26
#22Alice384US #39
#23Virginia347US #23
#24Judith342US #7
#25Carol340US #5
#26Rebecca298US #85
#27Sarah292US #67
#28Patsy290US #57
#29Ruth280US #33
#30Janice272US #25
#31Evelyn268US #53
#32Gloria262US #31
#33Sylvia259US #72
#34Phyllis256US #37
#35Ann252US #38
#36Mildred251US #71
#37Ruby251US #77
#38Edna240US #99
#39Jean225US #36
#40Geraldine204US #47
#41Lois201US #44
#42Janet195US #19
#43Joan190US #18
#44Emma185US #108
#45Julia184US #95
#46Wanda184US #54
#47Glenda181US #89
#48Jo180US #65
#49Jane170US #46
#50Louise163US #61
#51Rosa163US #155
#52Catherine161US #49
#53Rachel156US #163
#54Minnie154US #161
#55Hazel153US #139
#56Edith151US #113
#57Lillie151US #150
#58Norma147US #52
#59Bonnie146US #34
#60Margie145US #126
#61Clara141US #122
#62Gladys141US #127
#63Willie140US #133
#64Marie137US #43
#65Ethel135US #124
#66Faye133US #175
#67Ella131US #152
#68Thelma131US #121
#69Kay130US #75
#70Anna128US #59
#71Carrie121US #185
#72Christine121US #96
#73Donna121US #20
#74Juanita121US #90
#75Eleanor119US #87
#76Hilda117
#77Anne114US #76
#78Bertha114US #147
#79Laura113US #115
#80Sue112US #73
#81Delores111US #86
#82Vivian111US #125
#83Lillian110US #111
#84Bettie109
#85Marjorie108US #74
#86Lynda107US #132
#87Mattie107US #171
#88Nellie107US #183
#89Eva104US #140
#90Ida104US #153
#91Susan104US #21
#92Wilma103US #114
#93Lucy102US #173
#94Sara101US #128
#95Shelby100
#96Alma99US #165
#97Joann97US #58
#98Ellen95US #64
#99Billie94US #143
#100Charlotte93US #51

Boys

#1James3,621US #1
#2William2,220US #4
#3Robert1,723US #2
#4John1,605US #3
#5Charles1,343US #7
#6Jerry845US #16
#7Thomas825US #8
#8Larry798US #12
#9David790US #6
#10George707US #14
#11Richard645US #5
#12Bobby643US #43
#13Donald590US #10
#14Willie581US #37
#15Billy525US #35
#16Joseph524US #11
#17Kenneth457US #15
#18Jimmy455US #47
#19Douglas445US #23
#20Ronald427US #9
#21Edward420US #17
#22Johnny371US #55
#23Paul361US #19
#24Walter346US #26
#25Henry339US #31
#26Joe333US #33
#27Roy324US #42
#28Harold321US #27
#29Clarence247US #67
#30Samuel247US #59
#31Frank246US #21
#32Ralph246US #38
#33Tommy223US #73
#34Raymond215US #24
#35Charlie213US #118
#36Jack213US #34
#37Carl208US #36
#38Wayne207US #41
#39Ernest199US #61
#40Fred199US #46
#41Earl192US #62
#42Gerald192US #22
#43Howard191US #49
#44Michael189US #13
#45Harry188US #48
#46Albert186US #40
#47Arthur183US #29
#48Roger178US #25
#49Jesse171US #100
#50Melvin170US #60
#51Gary168US #18
#52Marvin158US #66
#53Jimmie156US #94
#54Eugene155US #45
#55Gene151US #82
#56Ronnie150US #78
#57Ray147US #84
#58Johnnie142US #138
#59Clyde141US #109
#60Daniel141US #28
#61Eddie133US #86
#62Dennis131US #20
#63Leroy128US #69
#64Curtis122US #98
#65Lawrence122US #30
#66Phillip117US #77
#67Herbert116US #83
#68Floyd114US #113
#69Norman113US #53
#70Jackie112US #119
#71Franklin111US #103
#72Lewis111US #112
#73Benjamin107US #129
#74Glenn107US #88
#75Leon107US #93
#76Herman106US #122
#77Claude105US #149
#78Vernon104US #114
#79Allen102US #71
#80Stephen100US #32
#81Louis99US #51
#82Steve99US #102
#83Cecil98US #131
#84Lonnie98US #148
#85Bruce97US #50
#86Leonard97US #57
#87Lee96US #87
#88Harvey87US #107
#89Tony85US #145
#90Freddie84US #140
#91Luther84US #185
#92Barry83US #79
#93Terry82US #52
#94Calvin81US #136
#95Hubert81
#96Clifton80US #198
#97Milton80US #141
#98Russell80US #70
#99Lloyd79US #96
#100Alfred78US #76

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑46Douglas#19
↑21Carrie#71
↑19Delores#81
↑17Jackie#70
↑16Rosa#51
↑16Anna#70
↑15Jane#49
↑15Louis#81

Falling

↓29Shelby#95
↓22Joann#97
↓20Kay#69
↓17Clara#61
↓17Milton#97
↓16Mattie#87
↓16Cecil#83
↓15Harvey#88

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.