State roster

Top names in South Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1938 South Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,887 South Carolina births in 1938 across 802 distinct names.

Distinctively South Carolina

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say South Carolina more than they say America.

#41Janieoutside the national top 200
#40Hattie#198 nationally
#29Carrie#179 nationally
#39Nathaniel#186 nationally
#64Daisyoutside the national top 200
#71Sadieoutside the national top 200
#62Lula#191 nationally
#18Rosa#146 nationally
#73Maggieoutside the national top 200
#68Roosevelt#195 nationally
#66Horace#188 nationally
#80Isaacoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,479US #1
#2Betty771US #4
#3Dorothy515US #8
#4Shirley488US #5
#5Barbara482US #2
#6Annie404US #47
#7Margaret345US #9
#8Martha327US #26
#9Elizabeth314US #17
#10Frances284US #23
#11Sarah269US #67
#12Patricia259US #3
#13Nancy248US #7
#14Carolyn233US #15
#15Helen223US #13
#16Doris206US #25
#17Virginia199US #22
#18Rosa195US #146
#19Evelyn187US #38
#20Ruth187US #21
#21Louise177US #59
#22Mildred177US #52
#23Joyce171US #11
#24Ruby171US #61
#25Lillie169US #132
#26Willie169US #121
#27Peggy164US #35
#28Thelma151US #86
#29Carrie144US #179
#30Alice138US #29
#31Ethel125US #94
#32Shelby125US #142
#33Emma119US #96
#34Sylvia118US #56
#35Edna116US #82
#36Mattie115US #153
#37Catherine114US #48
#38Rebecca113US #145
#39Marie112US #37
#40Hattie107US #198
#41Janie105
#42Julia104US #107
#43Sara104US #124
#44Ann103US #32
#45Margie102US #109
#46Ella101US #140
#47Gladys101US #103
#48Hazel101US #111
#49Minnie101US #161
#50Clara97US #98
#51Jessie97US #150
#52Patsy97US #55
#53Bernice93US #112
#54Jean93US #27
#55Juanita91US #80
#56Bobbie90US #127
#57Gloria86US #36
#58Edith85US #102
#59Ida84US #141
#60Laura83US #108
#61Joan81US #10
#62Lula81US #191
#63Rose81US #39
#64Daisy80
#65Eva78US #126
#66Linda78US #31
#67Mae75US #183
#68Anna74US #40
#69Lois74US #33
#70Bertha73US #131
#71Sadie72
#72Beatrice71US #125
#73Maggie71
#74Lillian69US #88
#75Geraldine68US #45
#76Bessie67US #155
#77Christine65US #129
#78Josephine65US #83
#79Norma65US #34
#80Lucille64US #106
#81Emily63US #164
#82Geneva63US #171
#83Jane62US #44
#84Rachel62US #165
#85Alma61US #147
#86Grace61US #100
#87Nellie61US #152
#88Fannie60
#89Jo60US #78
#90Vivian60US #135
#91Myrtle57US #182
#92Annette56US #119
#93Janice56US #24
#94Sallie56
#95Carol55US #6
#96Eleanor55US #60
#97Miriam55
#98Mamie54
#99Judith53US #12
#100Loretta53US #62

Boys

#1James1,662US #2
#2John989US #3
#3William903US #4
#4Robert848US #1
#5Charles578US #6
#6Willie550US #34
#7Thomas406US #9
#8George378US #11
#9David317US #8
#10Henry306US #30
#11Bobby305US #27
#12Joe299US #28
#13Joseph276US #12
#14Harold250US #23
#15Edward222US #13
#16Donald217US #7
#17Richard217US #5
#18Billy211US #24
#19Jerry197US #17
#20Frank186US #18
#21Walter184US #26
#22Samuel175US #62
#23Leroy166US #61
#24Jimmy145US #45
#25Paul144US #15
#26Johnny141US #63
#27Jack140US #25
#28Arthur137US #32
#29Clarence134US #58
#30Larry131US #16
#31Kenneth128US #14
#32Marion128US #145
#33Ernest123US #55
#34Eugene121US #33
#35Charlie118US #112
#36Fred116US #38
#37Harry111US #44
#38Roy110US #41
#39Nathaniel109US #186
#40Albert108US #37
#41Johnnie99US #123
#42Eddie98US #79
#43Benjamin92US #125
#44Ralph91US #35
#45Daniel90US #39
#46Melvin90US #54
#47Carl88US #29
#48Earl86US #50
#49Leon83US #85
#50Herbert82US #68
#51Raymond78US #20
#52Marvin77US #53
#53Jimmie76US #76
#54Ronald75US #10
#55Franklin74US #100
#56Gerald74US #19
#57Jesse74US #107
#58Louis74US #47
#59Curtis71US #101
#60Lawrence71US #36
#61Howard70US #42
#62Lewis70US #109
#63Tommy70US #77
#64Herman67US #108
#65Freddie65US #132
#66Horace64US #188
#67Douglas63US #60
#68Roosevelt62US #195
#69Andrew59US #82
#70Gene59US #65
#71Sam58US #141
#72Lee57US #80
#73Clyde56US #97
#74Francis56US #51
#75Luther53US #177
#76Allen52US #73
#77Bennie51US #170
#78Claude49US #131
#79Earnest49US #176
#80Isaac49
#81Ben48US #172
#82Jackie48US #105
#83Gary47US #22
#84Don46US #52
#85Ray46US #72
#86Sammie46
#87Alfred45US #69
#88Calvin45US #122
#89Wayne45US #40
#90Woodrow45
#91Cecil44US #118
#92Grady44
#93Jessie43US #163
#94Norman43US #43
#95Otis43US #190
#96Julius42
#97Olin42
#98Alvin41US #98
#99Lonnie40US #160
#100Rufus38

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑30Linda#66
↑28Laura#60
↑23Sadie#71
↑23Douglas#67
↑22Margie#45
↑19Marvin#52
↑19Lawrence#60
↑19Freddie#65

Falling

↓36Mamie#98
↓29Bertha#70
↓25Jessie#93
↓24Roosevelt#68
↓20Jo#89
↓20Annette#92
↓20Sam#71
↓20Rufus#100

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.