State roster

Top names in South Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1939 South Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,550 South Carolina births in 1939 across 825 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.

#36Hattie#195 nationally
#52Daisyoutside the national top 200
#30Carrie#176 nationally
#63Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#65Mamieoutside the national top 200
#66Isaacoutside the national top 200
#59Lula#193 nationally
#18Rosa#151 nationally
#50Nathaniel#183 nationally
#75Jannieoutside the national top 200
#77Maggieoutside the national top 200
#32Marion#155 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,484US #1
#2Betty791US #4
#3Barbara559US #2
#4Shirley470US #5
#5Dorothy457US #9
#6Annie424US #54
#7Margaret344US #10
#8Martha344US #27
#9Elizabeth312US #18
#10Carolyn292US #14
#11Nancy272US #7
#12Patricia260US #3
#13Frances247US #26
#14Helen244US #16
#15Sarah232US #68
#16Doris202US #29
#17Virginia198US #21
#18Rosa197US #151
#19Ruth193US #22
#20Louise189US #59
#21Lillie179US #143
#22Willie173US #126
#23Ruby167US #67
#24Joyce165US #12
#25Mildred165US #55
#26Peggy163US #34
#27Evelyn160US #40
#28Alice157US #31
#29Linda155US #15
#30Carrie131US #176
#31Emma131US #89
#32Rebecca131US #134
#33Sylvia128US #62
#34Thelma126US #88
#35Jessie122US #155
#36Hattie119US #195
#37Catherine112US #49
#38Ella111US #132
#39Ann108US #33
#40Julia105US #91
#41Sara104US #127
#42Edna103US #81
#43Gloria103US #36
#44Bessie102US #158
#45Mattie102US #164
#46Margie101US #113
#47Juanita100US #77
#48Ethel98US #100
#49Shelby98US #170
#50Clara96US #103
#51Marie96US #37
#52Daisy93
#53Gladys93US #104
#54Minnie93US #165
#55Ida92US #145
#56Edith91US #102
#57Patsy91US #56
#58Bobbie88US #141
#59Lula88US #193
#60Joan86US #11
#61Bertha84US #135
#62Jean84US #32
#63Janice82US #24
#64Josephine82US #84
#65Mamie82
#66Hazel79US #118
#67Rose79US #42
#68Sandra78US #13
#69Laura77US #107
#70Judith76US #8
#71Bernice75US #116
#72Lois75US #35
#73Nellie74US #157
#74Geneva73US #172
#75Jannie73
#76Christine71US #124
#77Maggie71
#78Geraldine70US #41
#79Judy70US #28
#80Jane69US #46
#81Annette68US #121
#82Janie68
#83Lucille68US #110
#84Emily66US #163
#85Georgia65US #131
#86Lillian65US #99
#87Norma64US #38
#88Rachel64US #160
#89Eva63US #129
#90Carol62US #6
#91Jo62US #70
#92Vivian62US #128
#93Jeanette60US #82
#94Joann59US #57
#95Fannie58
#96Alma57US #150
#97Anna57US #43
#98Mae56US #180
#99Johnnie55
#100Miriam55

Boys

#1James1,802US #2
#2John974US #3
#3William954US #4
#4Robert818US #1
#5Charles627US #6
#6Willie601US #33
#7Thomas427US #9
#8George416US #11
#9David363US #7
#10Joseph329US #12
#11Bobby320US #29
#12Henry310US #31
#13Joe293US #27
#14Richard260US #5
#15Edward249US #15
#16Billy240US #24
#17Harold227US #23
#18Jerry210US #16
#19Leroy199US #61
#20Donald195US #8
#21Walter177US #25
#22Samuel176US #63
#23Paul175US #17
#24Johnny171US #62
#25Frank169US #20
#26Jimmy159US #43
#27Clarence146US #60
#28Larry143US #14
#29Jack133US #26
#30Kenneth128US #13
#31Arthur127US #32
#32Marion127US #155
#33Eugene118US #37
#34Albert117US #41
#35Charlie115US #112
#36Ernest115US #55
#37Fred112US #40
#38Harry111US #45
#39Raymond111US #22
#40Roy109US #42
#41Herbert105US #68
#42Johnnie101US #120
#43Ronald101US #10
#44Carl97US #30
#45Eddie95US #81
#46Jimmie93US #80
#47Leon93US #86
#48Daniel92US #38
#49Melvin92US #51
#50Nathaniel91US #183
#51Franklin88US #106
#52Tommy88US #77
#53Benjamin85US #124
#54Clyde83US #101
#55Jesse76US #99
#56Lewis75US #107
#57Freddie73US #138
#58Andrew72US #84
#59Jessie72US #154
#60Gerald71US #19
#61Herman69US #111
#62Ralph69US #35
#63Roosevelt69
#64Louis64US #49
#65Marvin64US #52
#66Isaac63
#67Sam63US #145
#68Howard62US #47
#69Curtis61US #98
#70Horace60US #188
#71Lawrence59US #36
#72Earl58US #50
#73Wayne58US #39
#74Gene56US #69
#75Douglas55US #58
#76Earnest55US #177
#77Lee53US #78
#78Cecil52US #114
#79Julius51
#80Claude50US #141
#81Gary50US #21
#82Bennie48US #168
#83Calvin48US #126
#84Luther48US #184
#85Michael48US #18
#86Norman47US #44
#87Rufus47
#88Alfred46US #70
#89Woodrow46
#90Allen45US #72
#91Otis44US #185
#92Ray44US #74
#93Elijah43
#94Sammie43
#95Francis42US #53
#96Mack42
#97Wallace42US #151
#98Floyd40US #94
#99Leonard39US #54
#100Roger39US #28

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑37Linda#29
↑34Jessie#59
↑33Mamie#65
↑32Bessie#44
↑30Janice#63
↑29Judith#70
↑19Clyde#54
↑17Julius#79

Falling

↓41Janie#82
↓31Mae#98
↓29Anna#97
↓24Eva#89
↓24Earl#72
↓21Francis#95
↓18Hazel#66
↓18Bernice#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.