State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 47,129 Virginia births in 1938 across 841 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#75Garlandoutside the national top 200
#31Shelby#142 nationally
#93Linwoodoutside the national top 200
#95Hattie#198 nationally
#74Carroll#175 nationally
#100Randolphoutside the national top 200
#40Elsie#137 nationally
#94Otis#190 nationally
#54Rosa#146 nationally
#92Myrtle#182 nationally
#100Pearl#189 nationally
#91Luther#177 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,385US #1
#2Shirley1,025US #5
#3Barbara942US #2
#4Betty942US #4
#5Nancy580US #7
#6Dorothy478US #8
#7Margaret401US #9
#8Joyce373US #11
#9Frances370US #23
#10Patricia365US #3
#11Peggy342US #35
#12Virginia321US #22
#13Doris317US #25
#14Helen312US #13
#15Elizabeth290US #17
#16Jean270US #27
#17Martha256US #26
#18Ruth223US #21
#19Phyllis218US #28
#20Alice213US #29
#21Mildred209US #52
#22Carolyn206US #15
#23Evelyn197US #38
#24Annie180US #47
#25Joan177US #10
#26Ruby177US #61
#27Ann168US #32
#28Lois162US #33
#29Thelma158US #86
#30Norma151US #34
#31Shelby149US #142
#32Gladys141US #103
#33Charlotte138US #70
#34Sylvia138US #56
#35Anna137US #40
#36Janice136US #24
#37Edith135US #102
#38Gloria135US #36
#39Janet133US #16
#40Elsie130US #137
#41Patsy129US #55
#42Edna128US #82
#43Sarah121US #67
#44Carol115US #6
#45Wanda115US #49
#46Ethel114US #94
#47Catherine113US #48
#48Marie112US #37
#49Sandra112US #14
#50Loretta111US #62
#51Louise111US #59
#52Audrey110US #87
#53Lillian106US #88
#54Rosa106US #146
#55Jane102US #44
#56Anne101US #84
#57Delores100US #75
#58Eleanor99US #60
#59Katherine98US #105
#60Hazel96US #111
#61Judith96US #12
#62Geraldine94US #45
#63Juanita94US #80
#64Emma92US #96
#65Rebecca89US #145
#66June86US #79
#67Linda86US #31
#68Bernice84US #112
#69Ellen83US #89
#70Marjorie83US #53
#71Ella81US #140
#72Josephine79US #83
#73Lillie79US #132
#74Beverly78US #18
#75Eva78US #126
#76Laura78US #108
#77Rose77US #39
#78Wilma76US #85
#79Lucy74US #154
#80Clara73US #98
#81Julia73US #107
#82Margie73US #109
#83Irene72US #72
#84Jacqueline72US #69
#85Alma71US #147
#86Florence71US #90
#87Jo71US #78
#88Nellie71US #152
#89Grace70US #100
#90Ida68US #141
#91Pauline65US #97
#92Myrtle63US #182
#93Yvonne63US #101
#94Bessie61US #155
#95Hattie60US #198
#96Bertha58US #131
#97Esther58US #120
#98Geneva58US #171
#99Willie57US #121
#100Pearl56US #189

Boys

#1James1,806US #2
#2William1,314US #4
#3Robert1,235US #1
#4John1,014US #3
#5Charles803US #6
#6George501US #11
#7Donald494US #7
#8Thomas481US #9
#9Richard464US #5
#10David364US #8
#11Joseph351US #12
#12Edward330US #13
#13Bobby281US #27
#14Paul258US #15
#15Kenneth249US #14
#16Billy241US #24
#17Walter220US #26
#18Harold219US #23
#19Raymond212US #20
#20Frank200US #18
#21Ronald193US #10
#22Harry190US #44
#23Henry172US #30
#24Roy165US #41
#25Ralph164US #35
#26Joe161US #28
#27Clarence160US #58
#28Howard158US #42
#29Willie158US #34
#30Melvin157US #54
#31Carl153US #29
#32Jerry152US #17
#33Earl146US #50
#34Jack145US #25
#35Charlie140US #112
#36Fred136US #38
#37Samuel135US #62
#38Ernest134US #55
#39Eugene130US #33
#40Arthur127US #32
#41Larry123US #16
#42Lawrence120US #36
#43Herbert116US #68
#44Lewis113US #109
#45Albert105US #37
#46Curtis105US #101
#47Jimmy105US #45
#48Franklin104US #100
#49Marvin101US #53
#50Clyde98US #97
#51Wayne96US #40
#52Russell93US #70
#53Herman92US #108
#54Johnny92US #63
#55Ray92US #72
#56Leroy91US #61
#57Douglas89US #60
#58Gene88US #65
#59Roger88US #31
#60Norman85US #43
#61Alvin80US #98
#62Gerald78US #19
#63Bernard77US #75
#64Floyd77US #96
#65Andrew76US #82
#66Alfred75US #69
#67Daniel75US #39
#68Lloyd74US #92
#69Louis73US #47
#70Leonard71US #57
#71Allen70US #73
#72Cecil69US #118
#73Calvin67US #122
#74Carroll67US #175
#75Garland67
#76Elmer66US #130
#77Jesse65US #107
#78Eddie64US #79
#79Jimmie63US #76
#80Warren62US #102
#81Claude61US #131
#82Gary60US #22
#83Leon60US #85
#84Freddie59US #132
#85Theodore59US #84
#86Jackie58US #105
#87Harvey57US #99
#88Tommy54US #77
#89Frederick53US #71
#90Milton53US #127
#91Luther52US #177
#92Stanley52US #59
#93Linwood51
#94Otis49US #190
#95Willard49US #148
#96Benjamin48US #125
#97Earnest46US #176
#98Gordon46US #78
#99Lee46US #80
#100Randolph46

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑30Ray#55
↑27Roger#59
↑23Elsie#40
↑21Wanda#45
↑17Carroll#74
↑17Garland#75
↑16Marie#48
↑16Beverly#74

Falling

↓27Benjamin#96
↓25Bessie#94
↓21Laura#76
↓20Louise#51
↓20Pauline#91
↓19Alfred#66
↓18Lucy#79
↓18Linwood#93

Every state

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