State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1953 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 105,352 North Carolina births in 1953 across 1,279 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.

#76Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#100Wilmaoutside the national top 200
#92Edna#190 nationally
#46Annie#143 nationally
#77Charlie#174 nationally
#61Donnie#156 nationally
#54Patsy#141 nationally
#97Jackie#184 nationally
#89Milton#175 nationally
#82Mildred#166 nationally
#99Johnnie#180 nationally
#84Vanessa#164 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,784US #1
#2Linda1,725US #2
#3Deborah1,645US #3
#4Patricia1,425US #4
#5Brenda1,233US #18
#6Barbara1,091US #6
#7Sandra856US #11
#8Debra837US #7
#9Carolyn819US #25
#10Susan810US #5
#11Cynthia782US #12
#12Pamela753US #10
#13Kathy739US #23
#14Betty692US #33
#15Shirley660US #29
#16Judy656US #27
#17Nancy650US #8
#18Wanda624US #57
#19Donna623US #13
#20Sharon606US #15
#21Joyce541US #26
#22Elizabeth536US #21
#23Janice504US #22
#24Rebecca495US #24
#25Karen474US #9
#26Martha465US #41
#27Gloria463US #38
#28Margaret437US #20
#29Teresa428US #42
#30Cathy408US #56
#31Vickie393US #79
#32Beverly383US #34
#33Janet382US #19
#34Peggy368US #44
#35Phyllis358US #69
#36Dorothy349US #49
#37Doris339US #87
#38Carol306US #16
#39Alice289US #73
#40Frances289US #72
#41Diane275US #17
#42Sheila274US #60
#43Catherine271US #35
#44Marilyn268US #36
#45Sarah266US #93
#46Annie259US #143
#47Helen257US #65
#48Jo253US #54
#49Virginia242US #53
#50Connie238US #47
#51Bonnie232US #45
#52Glenda229US #105
#53Sherry222US #70
#54Patsy216US #141
#55Gwendolyn215US #112
#56Jacqueline214US #58
#57Sylvia214US #101
#58Evelyn201US #94
#59Paula195US #40
#60Rhonda193US #85
#61Joan184US #37
#62Jane180US #43
#63Vicki177US #61
#64Ann175US #46
#65Katherine173US #63
#66Rita172US #64
#67Kathryn171US #48
#68Gail170US #39
#69Laura167US #51
#70Theresa155US #50
#71Ruby153US #150
#72Denise149US #31
#73Julia149US #124
#74Vivian146US #149
#75Angela143US #120
#76Shelia140
#77Dianne138US #109
#78Cheryl137US #28
#79Marsha137US #83
#80Ellen136US #76
#81Jean136US #52
#82Mildred134US #166
#83Ruth134US #62
#84Vanessa130US #164
#85Rose129US #59
#86Anita126US #89
#87Debbie124US #119
#88Anna120US #98
#89Rosa120US #161
#90Yvonne117US #104
#91Christine115US #32
#92Edna115US #190
#93Juanita112US #133
#94Robin111US #66
#95Lois109US #91
#96Judith108US #30
#97Jackie107US #184
#98Kathleen107US #14
#99Jennifer102US #116
#100Wilma102

Boys

#1James3,117US #2
#2William2,255US #6
#3Robert1,886US #1
#4John1,802US #4
#5David1,798US #5
#6Michael1,770US #3
#7Charles1,444US #9
#8Larry1,290US #18
#9Richard1,022US #7
#10Thomas978US #8
#11Donald894US #14
#12Kenneth836US #17
#13Jerry822US #29
#14Gary794US #10
#15Ronald788US #15
#16Joseph681US #13
#17George652US #22
#18Danny525US #41
#19Willie499US #49
#20Dennis498US #19
#21Bobby495US #74
#22Roger482US #31
#23Terry474US #30
#24Edward473US #23
#25Ronnie458US #79
#26Steven451US #11
#27Johnny450US #52
#28Ricky441US #51
#29Stephen423US #21
#30Billy422US #65
#31Paul413US #16
#32Randy395US #35
#33Jimmy367US #72
#34Timothy330US #26
#35Walter321US #45
#36Samuel317US #70
#37Daniel314US #20
#38Douglas308US #27
#39Tony298US #117
#40Carl273US #44
#41Harold261US #56
#42Anthony259US #32
#43Roy252US #55
#44Henry248US #54
#45Gregory247US #24
#46Phillip238US #76
#47Mark234US #12
#48Steve224US #84
#49Bruce221US #28
#50Wayne217US #40
#51Raymond212US #34
#52Eddie210US #97
#53Gerald210US #42
#54Ralph210US #59
#55Joe202US #66
#56Curtis198US #86
#57Tommy198US #95
#58Melvin193US #91
#59Frank192US #33
#60Ernest191US #87
#61Donnie184US #156
#62Jeffrey179US #25
#63Stanley178US #62
#64Howard177US #77
#65Marvin177US #94
#66Arthur174US #50
#67Harry170US #83
#68Clarence167US #108
#69Keith167US #47
#70Barry165US #73
#71Glenn164US #67
#72Jack164US #57
#73Micheal164US #88
#74Jesse162US #114
#75Allen161US #81
#76Dwight160US #122
#77Charlie150US #174
#78Albert149US #69
#79Rodney147US #58
#80Calvin142US #111
#81Lawrence142US #37
#82Earl141US #96
#83Fred141US #92
#84Eugene133US #75
#85Herbert132US #125
#86Ray125US #115
#87Reginald124US #165
#88Jackie122US #145
#89Milton122US #175
#90Benjamin120US #128
#91Alan117US #43
#92Rickey115US #113
#93Franklin114US #158
#94Alvin110US #140
#95Christopher109US #63
#96Philip109US #61
#97Frederick108US #80
#98Harvey108US #172
#99Johnnie108US #180
#100Garry106US #142

On the move since 1952

Rising

↑30Jeffrey#62
↑25Stanley#63
↑24Denise#72
↑22Theresa#70
↑18Marilyn#44
↑17Rhonda#60
↑17Julia#73
↑17Ricky#28

Falling

↓30Judith#96
↓20Ruth#83
↓17Christine#91
↓17Johnnie#99
↓14Edna#92
↓14Earl#82
↓13Jack#72
↓12Laura#69

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1952 rankings.