State roster

Top names in North Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1956 North Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 107,263 North Carolina births in 1956 across 1,316 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.

#54Annie#171 nationally
#58Donnie#173 nationally
#70Shelia#183 nationally
#88Patsy#192 nationally
#96Milton#188 nationally
#90Jackie#180 nationally
#91Ruby#179 nationally
#100Charlie#185 nationally
#64Reginald#144 nationally
#68Vanessa#145 nationally
#53Gwendolyn#128 nationally
#65Glenda#134 nationally

Girls

#1Deborah1,554US #4
#2Mary1,519US #1
#3Linda1,284US #3
#4Debra1,177US #2
#5Patricia1,164US #6
#6Susan989US #5
#7Sharon972US #13
#8Cynthia932US #8
#9Brenda886US #19
#10Barbara879US #9
#11Donna860US #10
#12Pamela856US #12
#13Karen828US #7
#14Teresa816US #24
#15Kathy788US #20
#16Sandra730US #14
#17Wanda669US #61
#18Carolyn630US #33
#19Nancy553US #11
#20Betty540US #44
#21Cathy523US #36
#22Janice498US #26
#23Janet488US #21
#24Shirley473US #41
#25Joyce463US #30
#26Elizabeth459US #22
#27Vickie421US #68
#28Judy414US #35
#29Gloria391US #53
#30Rebecca379US #27
#31Beverly376US #40
#32Debbie370US #39
#33Carol368US #16
#34Phyllis358US #82
#35Martha356US #59
#36Cheryl354US #18
#37Robin353US #29
#38Margaret343US #25
#39Sheila333US #55
#40Sherry320US #54
#41Connie307US #43
#42Diane298US #15
#43Angela295US #93
#44Dorothy267US #72
#45Rhonda258US #62
#46Peggy247US #63
#47Doris242US #109
#48Catherine239US #28
#49Jo226US #69
#50Sarah225US #115
#51Sylvia225US #108
#52Anita217US #83
#53Gwendolyn216US #128
#54Annie215US #171
#55Bonnie211US #51
#56Marilyn211US #70
#57Jacqueline210US #78
#58Rita209US #79
#59Virginia204US #75
#60Paula200US #47
#61Theresa199US #32
#62Frances194US #107
#63Alice193US #98
#64Katherine187US #67
#65Glenda185US #134
#66Laura183US #34
#67Terry183US #91
#68Vanessa181US #145
#69Evelyn178US #120
#70Shelia176US #183
#71Ann171US #46
#72Helen169US #90
#73Lisa168US #31
#74Jane167US #50
#75Rose159US #64
#76Denise157US #23
#77Gail154US #49
#78Darlene153US #71
#79Ruth151US #77
#80Joan150US #52
#81Cindy149US #37
#82Julia141US #131
#83Vicki136US #57
#84Kathryn133US #60
#85Kim133US #38
#86Ellen130US #84
#87Jennifer130US #97
#88Patsy130US #192
#89Vivian129US #148
#90Jackie118US #180
#91Ruby118US #179
#92Dianne117US #137
#93Kimberly117US #74
#94Audrey115US #149
#95Annette110US #119
#96Lynn110US #58
#97Judith108US #45
#98Yvonne106US #121
#99Marsha105US #129
#100Loretta104US #126

Boys

#1James2,923US #2
#2William2,041US #6
#3Michael1,949US #1
#4David1,842US #4
#5Robert1,764US #3
#6John1,665US #5
#7Charles1,316US #11
#8Larry990US #21
#9Richard956US #7
#10Thomas895US #9
#11Donald888US #14
#12Kenneth879US #16
#13Ronald852US #15
#14Randy736US #28
#15Gary721US #13
#16Jerry692US #35
#17Joseph667US #12
#18Terry609US #31
#19Mark574US #8
#20Steven572US #10
#21Ricky571US #43
#22Timothy569US #19
#23Dennis552US #26
#24George552US #27
#25Ronnie518US #75
#26Johnny475US #55
#27Danny468US #46
#28Bobby449US #77
#29Tony429US #85
#30Stephen421US #23
#31Edward412US #25
#32Willie402US #58
#33Billy401US #68
#34Gregory385US #24
#35Anthony379US #30
#36Jeffrey378US #20
#37Roger368US #41
#38Jimmy363US #78
#39Paul335US #17
#40Daniel321US #18
#41Douglas321US #29
#42Walter292US #53
#43Keith277US #36
#44Samuel264US #74
#45Eddie248US #93
#46Carl246US #48
#47Barry236US #69
#48Phillip233US #76
#49Curtis227US #80
#50Harold227US #72
#51Wayne226US #45
#52Bruce221US #33
#53Roy220US #62
#54Henry218US #71
#55Jeffery218US #57
#56Steve204US #59
#57Raymond203US #39
#58Donnie196US #173
#59Melvin196US #101
#60Joe193US #63
#61Ernest192US #94
#62Micheal191US #83
#63Calvin189US #109
#64Reginald188US #144
#65Clarence187US #120
#66Ralph184US #67
#67Tommy181US #115
#68Marvin179US #105
#69Stanley177US #70
#70Frank175US #38
#71Kevin170US #22
#72Christopher169US #47
#73Darrell169US #88
#74Glenn166US #61
#75Jack160US #66
#76Dwight157US #139
#77Alan155US #44
#78Rickey154US #112
#79Allen151US #87
#80Randall147US #54
#81Albert145US #81
#82Howard145US #84
#83Russell143US #52
#84Alvin142US #134
#85Andrew141US #56
#86Ray140US #113
#87Arthur139US #60
#88Eric139US #79
#89Gerald139US #49
#90Rodney137US #65
#91Dale134US #50
#92Fred133US #102
#93Garry130US #153
#94Philip127US #64
#95Earl125US #110
#96Milton119US #188
#97Benjamin118US #131
#98Jesse118US #126
#99Harry116US #95
#100Charlie115US #185

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑31Anita#52
↑22Ernest#61
↑21Kevin#71
↑18Jeffery#55
↑16Angela#43
↑13Ellen#86
↑13Barry#47
↑13Albert#81

Falling

↓26Charlie#100
↓19Arthur#87
↓17Marsha#99
↓14Helen#72
↓14Dianne#92
↓14Frank#70
↓13Alice#63
↓13Marvin#68

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.