State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 44,554 Virginia births in 1936 across 807 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#80Garlandoutside the national top 200
#66Shelby#178 nationally
#95Bettieoutside the national top 200
#44Rosa#146 nationally
#92Clifton#193 nationally
#91Otis#187 nationally
#82Luther#171 nationally
#56Nellie#135 nationally
#69Lucy#147 nationally
#55Claude#132 nationally
#87Rebecca#164 nationally
#93Earnest#170 nationally

Girls

#1Shirley1,404US #2
#2Mary1,380US #1
#3Betty946US #4
#4Barbara773US #3
#5Nancy492US #8
#6Dorothy473US #6
#7Margaret388US #9
#8Frances358US #19
#9Joyce350US #12
#10Virginia334US #14
#11Peggy324US #35
#12Doris316US #15
#13Helen314US #11
#14Jean288US #20
#15Elizabeth265US #18
#16Patricia241US #5
#17Ruth225US #16
#18Martha224US #24
#19Mildred217US #40
#20Evelyn207US #34
#21Alice202US #27
#22Joan190US #7
#23Ruby187US #51
#24Phyllis184US #25
#25Lois183US #26
#26Annie179US #45
#27Ann161US #28
#28Thelma161US #74
#29Sarah151US #63
#30Gladys150US #84
#31Edith149US #87
#32Carolyn141US #23
#33Norma137US #29
#34Charlotte134US #61
#35Anna133US #36
#36Louise131US #46
#37Gloria129US #32
#38Hazel127US #96
#39Catherine123US #44
#40Sylvia122US #53
#41Ethel120US #90
#42Edna119US #71
#43Lillian115US #79
#44Rosa115US #146
#45Emma106US #85
#46Audrey102US #68
#47Patsy98US #52
#48June97US #62
#49Elsie96US #123
#50Jane95US #42
#51Anne92US #89
#52Janet92US #21
#53Marie92US #33
#54Bernice91US #95
#55Geraldine91US #41
#56Nellie91US #135
#57Vivian90US #115
#58Juanita89US #75
#59Clara88US #91
#60Delores87US #58
#61Josephine86US #77
#62Janice85US #31
#63Irene83US #57
#64Lillie83US #124
#65Pauline83US #82
#66Shelby83US #178
#67Bessie81US #136
#68Eleanor81US #47
#69Lucy81US #147
#70Ella79US #126
#71Marion78US #93
#72Carol76US #10
#73Jo74US #72
#74Eva71US #116
#75Rose71US #37
#76Florence70US #80
#77Katherine70US #100
#78Lucille70US #92
#79Margie70US #102
#80Bertha69US #122
#81Jacqueline69US #66
#82Geneva68US #153
#83Marjorie68US #49
#84Julia66US #105
#85Wilma64US #78
#86Beverly62US #17
#87Rebecca62US #164
#88Yvonne62US #81
#89Alma61US #137
#90Ellen61US #99
#91Laura61US #106
#92Ida60US #130
#93Loretta60US #70
#94Georgia59US #128
#95Bettie57
#96Christine57US #131
#97Jeanette56US #94
#98Pearl56US #172
#99Marilyn54US #13
#100Myrtle54US #160

Boys

#1James1,609US #2
#2William1,198US #4
#3Robert1,129US #1
#4John965US #3
#5Charles814US #6
#6George515US #9
#7Thomas446US #8
#8Donald406US #7
#9Richard405US #5
#10Joseph306US #11
#11Bobby290US #24
#12Edward288US #13
#13David281US #10
#14Raymond246US #17
#15Paul226US #15
#16Billy224US #22
#17Harold224US #21
#18Walter211US #26
#19Kenneth193US #14
#20Frank192US #16
#21Harry183US #39
#22Clarence180US #52
#23Willie180US #32
#24Carl179US #27
#25Henry178US #28
#26Joe174US #23
#27Roy166US #42
#28Ralph165US #31
#29Howard160US #40
#30Samuel158US #67
#31Earl152US #47
#32Jack148US #20
#33Ronald145US #12
#34Franklin142US #64
#35Charlie138US #103
#36Eugene137US #29
#37Fred133US #36
#38Melvin131US #53
#39Ernest120US #55
#40Albert117US #34
#41Lawrence112US #37
#42Arthur111US #30
#43Curtis106US #107
#44Jerry105US #18
#45Herbert100US #62
#46Clyde97US #89
#47Leroy96US #57
#48Marvin96US #49
#49Alfred94US #60
#50Cecil94US #114
#51Lewis94US #101
#52Alvin92US #96
#53Jimmy91US #46
#54Norman89US #43
#55Claude88US #132
#56Herman88US #105
#57Louis87US #44
#58Wayne83US #45
#59Bernard80US #68
#60Floyd80US #86
#61Ray80US #65
#62Douglas79US #78
#63Leonard73US #54
#64Russell73US #69
#65Gerald71US #19
#66Gene70US #66
#67Calvin66US #124
#68Larry66US #25
#69Benjamin63US #123
#70Jimmie63US #71
#71Jesse61US #104
#72Johnny61US #72
#73Andrew58US #83
#74Daniel58US #41
#75Frederick56US #70
#76Jackie55US #106
#77Stanley55US #58
#78Lloyd53US #88
#79Warren53US #95
#80Garland52
#81Leon52US #82
#82Luther51US #171
#83Allen50US #81
#84Eddie50US #79
#85Vernon49US #93
#86Freddie48US #134
#87Milton48US #120
#88Phillip47US #102
#89Roger47US #35
#90Wallace47US #130
#91Otis45US #187
#92Clifton43US #193
#93Earnest43US #170
#94Edgar43US #143
#95Edwin43US #84
#96Wesley43US #145
#97Carroll42US #172
#98Elmer42US #121
#99Lester42US #115
#100Jessie41US #151

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑32Janice#62
↑29Marion#71
↑23Jo#73
↑22Alvin#52
↑22Jackie#76
↑21Josephine#61
↑21Wayne#58
↑19Carol#72

Falling

↓34Loretta#93
↓31Laura#91
↓30Elmer#98
↓25Pearl#98
↓21Ella#70
↓19Elsie#49
↓18Ellen#90
↓14Clara#59

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.