State roster

Top names in South Carolina

The names most likely to appear on 1956 South Carolina birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,700 South Carolina births in 1956 across 995 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.

#54Nathanieloutside the national top 200
#38Annie#171 nationally
#73Delorisoutside the national top 200
#76Marionoutside the national top 200
#80Willieoutside the national top 200
#83Carrieoutside the national top 200
#70Ruby#179 nationally
#94Lillieoutside the national top 200
#96Emmaoutside the national top 200
#93Freddie#196 nationally
#38Leroy#140 nationally
#67Rosa#168 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,097US #1
#2Linda704US #3
#3Deborah703US #4
#4Debra663US #2
#5Patricia655US #6
#6Barbara631US #9
#7Cynthia539US #8
#8Susan497US #5
#9Brenda462US #19
#10Sandra430US #14
#11Sharon428US #13
#12Betty403US #44
#13Pamela393US #12
#14Shirley382US #41
#15Karen366US #7
#16Donna365US #10
#17Carolyn351US #33
#18Kathy347US #20
#19Wanda339US #61
#20Teresa325US #24
#21Gloria308US #53
#22Nancy290US #11
#23Janice285US #26
#24Elizabeth271US #22
#25Joyce260US #30
#26Margaret247US #25
#27Judy245US #35
#28Cheryl232US #18
#29Martha232US #59
#30Carol224US #16
#31Dorothy222US #72
#32Cathy200US #36
#33Debbie192US #39
#34Diane191US #15
#35Beverly189US #40
#36Rebecca188US #27
#37Janet181US #21
#38Annie174US #171
#39Sarah171US #115
#40Vickie160US #68
#41Marilyn153US #70
#42Catherine152US #28
#43Doris152US #109
#44Rose142US #64
#45Frances139US #107
#46Peggy136US #63
#47Dianne134US #137
#48Gwendolyn133US #128
#49Robin133US #29
#50Rhonda132US #62
#51Jo131US #69
#52Phyllis128US #82
#53Sheila126US #55
#54Virginia126US #75
#55Alice125US #98
#56Laura120US #34
#57Jacqueline117US #78
#58Helen116US #90
#59Sylvia115US #108
#60Ruth113US #77
#61Angela112US #93
#62Connie112US #43
#63Gail107US #49
#64Sherry106US #54
#65Vivian106US #148
#66Loretta105US #126
#67Rosa101US #168
#68Ann97US #46
#69Theresa97US #32
#70Ruby95US #179
#71Katherine93US #67
#72Denise91US #23
#73Deloris90
#74Evelyn86US #120
#75Rita83US #79
#76Julia81US #131
#77Vicki81US #57
#78Bonnie79US #51
#79Christine79US #42
#80Willie78
#81Sara76US #178
#82Elaine75US #89
#83Carrie74
#84Jane74US #50
#85Joan74US #52
#86Paula74US #47
#87Annette73US #119
#88Kim73US #38
#89Terry73US #91
#90Audrey70US #149
#91Darlene70US #71
#92Yvonne70US #121
#93Kathleen69US #17
#94Lillie69
#95Patsy68US #192
#96Emma67
#97Kathryn67US #60
#98Vanessa67US #145
#99Delores66US #188
#100Jackie66US #180

Boys

#1James1,721US #2
#2John1,078US #5
#3William1,065US #6
#4Robert1,058US #3
#5Michael883US #1
#6David860US #4
#7Charles752US #11
#8Richard600US #7
#9Larry521US #21
#10Thomas515US #9
#11Willie498US #58
#12Kenneth488US #16
#13Ronald413US #15
#14Donald384US #14
#15Joseph377US #12
#16George352US #27
#17Johnny330US #55
#18Steven297US #10
#19Terry297US #31
#20Timothy277US #19
#21Jerry274US #35
#22Randy270US #28
#23Edward257US #25
#24Ronnie253US #75
#25Bobby243US #77
#26Henry238US #71
#27Anthony231US #30
#28Dennis226US #26
#29Mark223US #8
#30Danny220US #46
#31Paul219US #17
#32Jimmy217US #78
#33Ricky213US #43
#34Stephen211US #23
#35Gary203US #13
#36Harold200US #72
#37Roger186US #41
#38Leroy180US #140
#39Samuel180US #74
#40Billy176US #68
#41Daniel175US #18
#42Walter170US #53
#43Carl169US #48
#44Gregory163US #24
#45Joe162US #63
#46Steve160US #59
#47Eddie159US #93
#48Stanley158US #70
#49Harry154US #95
#50Tony154US #85
#51Frank149US #38
#52Melvin144US #101
#53Curtis138US #80
#54Nathaniel133
#55Wayne131US #45
#56Calvin130US #109
#57Arthur129US #60
#58Roy128US #62
#59Ernest126US #94
#60Eugene125US #86
#61Raymond125US #39
#62Herbert124US #137
#63Marvin124US #105
#64Tommy124US #115
#65Douglas123US #29
#66Jerome120US #117
#67Clarence118US #120
#68Albert117US #81
#69Barry113US #69
#70Bruce113US #33
#71Gerald112US #49
#72Donnie109US #173
#73Ralph109US #67
#74Allen108US #87
#75Franklin105US #167
#76Marion105
#77Andrew103US #56
#78Benjamin103US #131
#79Micheal101US #83
#80Leon99US #154
#81Phillip99US #76
#82Earl96US #110
#83Lawrence96US #42
#84Rickey94US #112
#85Jeffrey93US #20
#86Glenn91US #61
#87Ray90US #113
#88Howard88US #84
#89Jack87US #66
#90Bernard86US #129
#91Keith84US #36
#92Russell83US #52
#93Freddie82US #196
#94Alvin81US #134
#95Christopher77US #47
#96Charlie76US #185
#97Lee76US #104
#98Louis74US #82
#99Rodney74US #65
#100Leonard73US #89

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑35Angela#61
↑27Loretta#66
↑26Debbie#33
↑22Steve#46
↑22Eugene#60
↑20Franklin#75
↑19Donnie#72
↑18Gail#63

Falling

↓23Lillie#94
↓21Delores#99
↓20Kathryn#97
↓20Phillip#81
↓19Micheal#79
↓18Connie#62
↓18Jane#84
↓16Yvonne#92

Every state

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