State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1946 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 94,219 North Carolina births in 1946 across 1,173 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.

#80Minnieoutside the national top 200
#79Rachel#196 nationally
#84Hildaoutside the national top 200
#53Rosa#168 nationally
#62Hazel#175 nationally
#66Lillie#178 nationally
#89Bettieoutside the national top 200
#96Almaoutside the national top 200
#99Cliftonoutside the national top 200
#76Donnie#165 nationally
#57Johnnie#141 nationally
#53Charlie#135 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,415US #1
#2Linda1,974US #2
#3Brenda1,538US #24
#4Barbara1,384US #4
#5Patricia1,272US #3
#6Betty1,094US #14
#7Carolyn1,056US #12
#8Judy1,034US #11
#9Shirley838US #18
#10Nancy815US #7
#11Sandra812US #6
#12Margaret687US #17
#13Joyce651US #20
#14Dorothy595US #23
#15Martha574US #32
#16Elizabeth502US #25
#17Janice482US #22
#18Peggy476US #43
#19Gloria459US #26
#20Annie455US #97
#21Frances448US #39
#22Doris398US #51
#23Alice390US #44
#24Carol388US #5
#25Helen378US #36
#26Rebecca360US #68
#27Phyllis345US #41
#28Sarah334US #92
#29Donna329US #13
#30Susan328US #8
#31Judith325US #10
#32Virginia324US #31
#33Wanda301US #59
#34Sylvia298US #82
#35Evelyn274US #65
#36Patsy264US #85
#37Joan258US #28
#38Sharon257US #9
#39Mildred236US #103
#40Ruby230US #105
#41Janet224US #21
#42Jane222US #35
#43Jean221US #37
#44Ann220US #40
#45Jo214US #53
#46Ruth212US #38
#47Glenda205US #99
#48Geraldine195US #66
#49Bonnie190US #33
#50Beverly183US #30
#51Edna183US #126
#52Catherine182US #48
#53Rosa171US #168
#54Lois170US #55
#55Norma164US #77
#56Julia163US #114
#57Emma162US #131
#58Cynthia159US #46
#59Diane158US #19
#60Sheila156US #70
#61Pamela152US #34
#62Hazel143US #175
#63Clara137US #145
#64Rita136US #56
#65Karen134US #15
#66Lillie134US #178
#67Laura132US #75
#68Connie131US #45
#69Ethel131US #140
#70Kay131US #101
#71Margie131US #138
#72Christine130US #50
#73Vivian130US #120
#74Delores129US #115
#75Edith127US #136
#76Gladys124US #157
#77Gwendolyn124US #132
#78Sue123US #61
#79Rachel121US #196
#80Minnie120
#81Anne119US #81
#82Ellen118US #58
#83Anna116US #87
#84Hilda116
#85Janie116US #158
#86Dianne115US #76
#87Marilyn115US #29
#88Willie114US #159
#89Bettie113
#90Cheryl113US #27
#91Gail113US #49
#92Lillian113US #129
#93Wilma113US #144
#94Katherine111US #78
#95Marie108US #54
#96Alma106
#97Ella106US #177
#98Elaine104US #47
#99Georgia102US #123
#100Juanita102US #110

Boys

#1James3,624US #1
#2William2,390US #4
#3Robert1,802US #2
#4John1,742US #3
#5Charles1,455US #9
#6David1,119US #6
#7Larry1,114US #11
#8Jerry980US #20
#9Thomas914US #8
#10Richard909US #5
#11Donald825US #13
#12George805US #16
#13Ronald658US #10
#14Michael626US #7
#15Kenneth610US #15
#16Joseph594US #14
#17Bobby583US #53
#18Jimmy561US #42
#19Willie549US #40
#20Johnny548US #47
#21Gary458US #12
#22Edward457US #19
#23Billy443US #45
#24Roger417US #23
#25Paul409US #18
#26Harold378US #33
#27Ronnie372US #54
#28Walter351US #30
#29Roy339US #43
#30Henry312US #41
#31Joe312US #37
#32Danny302US #46
#33Samuel287US #70
#34Terry287US #26
#35Dennis274US #17
#36Harry250US #50
#37Frank245US #22
#38Tommy243US #77
#39Carl238US #39
#40Clarence233US #89
#41Wayne231US #29
#42Steve226US #69
#43Raymond221US #25
#44Fred220US #51
#45Eddie219US #85
#46Ernest218US #71
#47Ralph214US #48
#48Douglas203US #34
#49Stephen201US #24
#50Daniel190US #21
#51Howard188US #55
#52Jack187US #35
#53Charlie185US #135
#54Earl184US #82
#55Tony184US #129
#56Arthur178US #36
#57Johnnie176US #141
#58Melvin176US #86
#59Jesse175US #109
#60Gerald169US #27
#61Albert166US #52
#62Clyde164US #122
#63Jimmie164US #104
#64Eugene152US #57
#65Marvin152US #88
#66Ray144US #95
#67Phillip141US #83
#68Curtis137US #99
#69Calvin131US #128
#70Lawrence130US #31
#71Leon130US #113
#72Glenn126US #81
#73Steven125US #28
#74Allen124US #74
#75Herbert123US #97
#76Donnie122US #165
#77Lewis120US #118
#78Bruce115US #32
#79Herman115US #152
#80Franklin113US #140
#81Leroy113US #90
#82Lonnie113US #136
#83Barry109US #68
#84Lloyd109US #106
#85Louis108US #63
#86Dwight106US #137
#87Jackie106US #139
#88Floyd105US #121
#89Benjamin104US #146
#90Milton104US #156
#91Norman104US #76
#92Harvey102US #125
#93Alvin99US #126
#94Lee99US #91
#95Don97US #79
#96Freddie95US #151
#97Cecil94US #159
#98Claude94US #163
#99Clifton93
#100Leonard89US #67

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑35Sharon#38
↑28Beverly#50
↑28Rita#64
↑25Terry#34
↑23Leon#71
↑22Steve#42
↑22Donnie#76
↑19Danny#32

Falling

↓36Ella#97
↓29Marie#95
↓28Juanita#100
↓25Rachel#79
↓20Willie#88
↓19Lee#94
↓17Vivian#73
↓15Franklin#80

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.