State roster

Top names in South Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1940 South Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 43,113 South Carolina births in 1940 across 835 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.

#44Hattie#198 nationally
#31Carrie#176 nationally
#57Daisyoutside the national top 200
#60Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#67Janieoutside the national top 200
#43Nathaniel#176 nationally
#68Jannieoutside the national top 200
#38Minnie#168 nationally
#19Rosa#148 nationally
#73Isaacoutside the national top 200
#61Mae#185 nationally
#78Lulaoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,569US #1
#2Betty811US #5
#3Barbara566US #2
#4Dorothy461US #12
#5Shirley412US #9
#6Annie402US #56
#7Margaret376US #11
#8Patricia372US #3
#9Martha339US #26
#10Linda320US #8
#11Frances306US #28
#12Elizabeth305US #20
#13Carolyn283US #15
#14Helen271US #18
#15Sarah269US #60
#16Nancy261US #7
#17Doris226US #31
#18Virginia203US #21
#19Rosa199US #148
#20Ruth196US #24
#21Joyce184US #13
#22Ruby178US #66
#23Willie175US #128
#24Alice169US #32
#25Mildred169US #58
#26Lillie164US #143
#27Peggy160US #37
#28Brenda153US #42
#29Evelyn144US #48
#30Sandra136US #10
#31Carrie132US #176
#32Emma132US #94
#33Gloria130US #30
#34Louise130US #59
#35Rebecca122US #96
#36Sara122US #122
#37Patsy119US #57
#38Minnie116US #168
#39Sylvia114US #62
#40Judy113US #16
#41Mattie113US #163
#42Bessie112US #162
#43Thelma112US #101
#44Hattie111US #198
#45Catherine110US #53
#46Edna110US #86
#47Rose108US #44
#48Julia107US #91
#49Ethel104US #106
#50Ella103US #146
#51Margie103US #114
#52Marie102US #41
#53Ida101US #144
#54Anna100US #51
#55Jessie100US #158
#56Ann97US #35
#57Daisy97
#58Juanita95US #78
#59Gladys92US #116
#60Hazel92US #123
#61Mae91US #185
#62Geraldine90US #46
#63Lois86US #38
#64Joan85US #14
#65Bertha84US #141
#66Judith83US #4
#67Janie81
#68Jannie78
#69Shelby78US #187
#70Bernice76US #121
#71Bobbie76US #147
#72Delores76US #83
#73Jean76US #29
#74Edith75US #98
#75Josephine75US #89
#76Lillian75US #97
#77Carol73US #6
#78Lula73
#79Vivian73US #115
#80Norma71US #43
#81Eva70US #132
#82Clara69US #111
#83Lucille67US #113
#84Nellie66US #161
#85Janice65US #22
#86Jo64US #72
#87Maggie64
#88Mamie64
#89Christine63US #118
#90Loretta63US #69
#91Geneva61US #178
#92Jeanette60US #90
#93Rachel60US #166
#94Joann58US #63
#95Laura58US #108
#96Fannie57
#97Annette56US #126
#98Beatrice54US #140
#99Emily54US #164
#100Jane53US #47

Boys

#1James1,929US #1
#2John1,072US #3
#3William944US #4
#4Robert908US #2
#5Willie646US #35
#6Charles640US #6
#7Thomas482US #8
#8George412US #11
#9David411US #7
#10Joseph320US #12
#11Henry313US #31
#12Bobby307US #30
#13Richard294US #5
#14Joe281US #28
#15Jerry251US #14
#16Donald226US #9
#17Edward216US #16
#18Larry214US #13
#19Billy208US #27
#20Johnny201US #51
#21Harold196US #23
#22Samuel192US #65
#23Frank188US #20
#24Walter180US #25
#25Leroy172US #66
#26Jimmy170US #44
#27Kenneth157US #15
#28Paul149US #17
#29Eugene147US #38
#30Clarence131US #64
#31Arthur130US #33
#32Harry119US #47
#33Raymond118US #22
#34Albert117US #41
#35Fred116US #40
#36Carl112US #32
#37Ernest110US #58
#38Jack109US #29
#39Charlie105US #111
#40Johnnie104US #129
#41Marion102US #158
#42Melvin101US #53
#43Nathaniel98US #176
#44Roy95US #42
#45Herbert93US #75
#46Ronald93US #10
#47Eddie92US #81
#48Franklin92US #87
#49Leon90US #89
#50Daniel84US #34
#51Ralph84US #37
#52Jesse82US #93
#53Tommy82US #76
#54Earl81US #52
#55Benjamin80US #128
#56Gerald80US #21
#57Gene79US #70
#58Lewis79US #107
#59Louis79US #50
#60Roosevelt79
#61Marvin76US #63
#62Wayne74US #39
#63Freddie70US #138
#64Jimmie69US #86
#65Clyde67US #102
#66Curtis66US #97
#67Calvin65US #127
#68Lawrence64US #36
#69Cecil61US #117
#70Wallace60US #146
#71Douglas59US #56
#72Howard59US #45
#73Isaac59
#74Andrew58US #84
#75Theodore58US #90
#76Alfred57US #69
#77Allen56US #71
#78Gary56US #19
#79Lee56US #80
#80Bennie55US #175
#81Herman54US #113
#82Jessie54US #162
#83Luther54US #177
#84Michael54US #18
#85Woodrow54
#86Earnest53US #184
#87Horace50US #199
#88Norman50US #48
#89Jackie49US #108
#90Sammie48
#91Floyd47US #103
#92Claude46US #145
#93Ray46US #77
#94Ben44US #178
#95Alvin43US #106
#96Julius42
#97Grady41
#98Sam41US #150
#99Lonnie40US #153
#100Mack40

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑43Anna#54
↑39Judy#40
↑38Sandra#30
↑37Mae#61
↑27Wallace#70
↑20Patsy#37
↑20Rose#47
↑19Linda#10

Falling

↓32Clara#82
↓31Sam#98
↓26Laura#95
↓23Mamie#88
↓23Jessie#82
↓22Janice#85
↓20Jessie#55
↓20Shelby#69

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.