State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 46,954 Virginia births in 1939 across 820 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#42Shelby#170 nationally
#85Garlandoutside the national top 200
#91Randolphoutside the national top 200
#100Aubreyoutside the national top 200
#83Carroll#179 nationally
#60Rosa#151 nationally
#91Carrie#176 nationally
#98Marshall#182 nationally
#96Myrtle#179 nationally
#76Nellie#157 nationally
#61Elsie#140 nationally
#80Lucy#154 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,348US #1
#2Betty919US #4
#3Shirley884US #5
#4Barbara870US #2
#5Nancy600US #7
#6Patricia447US #3
#7Dorothy423US #9
#8Margaret405US #10
#9Joyce397US #12
#10Frances352US #26
#11Virginia346US #21
#12Peggy340US #34
#13Doris315US #29
#14Martha287US #27
#15Elizabeth284US #18
#16Helen278US #16
#17Phyllis251US #30
#18Alice240US #31
#19Ruth239US #22
#20Jean217US #32
#21Carolyn214US #14
#22Evelyn208US #40
#23Mildred198US #55
#24Ann176US #33
#25Joan172US #11
#26Thelma164US #88
#27Sarah157US #68
#28Linda156US #15
#29Annie155US #54
#30Janice155US #24
#31Carol152US #6
#32Gloria152US #36
#33Ruby151US #67
#34Charlotte148US #66
#35Lois145US #35
#36Norma145US #38
#37Patsy145US #56
#38Sandra141US #13
#39Sylvia136US #62
#40Janet130US #17
#41Judith130US #8
#42Shelby130US #170
#43Gladys129US #104
#44Juanita128US #77
#45Anna127US #43
#46Edith122US #102
#47Edna121US #81
#48Marie117US #37
#49Catherine113US #49
#50Jane113US #46
#51Eleanor110US #63
#52Audrey106US #98
#53Ethel106US #100
#54Emma104US #89
#55Hazel104US #118
#56Wanda101US #50
#57Clara100US #103
#58Louise99US #59
#59Rose99US #42
#60Rosa98US #151
#61Elsie97US #140
#62Geraldine93US #41
#63Ella91US #132
#64Ellen91US #80
#65Julia88US #91
#66Lillian87US #99
#67Rebecca87US #134
#68Bernice86US #116
#69Judy85US #28
#70Anne83US #85
#71Laura81US #107
#72Irene80US #74
#73Loretta80US #65
#74Delores78US #79
#75Marjorie78US #60
#76Nellie77US #157
#77June76US #83
#78Alma75US #150
#79Florence75US #96
#80Lucy75US #154
#81Margie75US #113
#82Wilma74US #87
#83Beverly73US #25
#84Katherine71US #101
#85Bertha70US #135
#86Yvonne70US #90
#87Jo69US #70
#88Bonnie68US #61
#89Lillie68US #143
#90Christine67US #124
#91Carrie64US #176
#92Pauline64US #105
#93Josephine62US #84
#94Lucille62US #110
#95Marion60US #120
#96Myrtle60US #179
#97Brenda59US #86
#98Willie59US #126
#99Bessie58US #158
#100Donna57US #20

Boys

#1James1,726US #2
#2William1,323US #4
#3Robert1,205US #1
#4John1,014US #3
#5Charles829US #6
#6Thomas478US #9
#7George451US #11
#8Donald450US #8
#9Richard450US #5
#10David417US #7
#11Joseph345US #12
#12Edward320US #15
#13Bobby306US #29
#14Kenneth259US #13
#15Walter251US #25
#16Paul224US #17
#17Raymond218US #22
#18Ronald215US #10
#19Billy209US #24
#20Jerry205US #16
#21Frank196US #20
#22Roy190US #42
#23Harold185US #23
#24Henry184US #31
#25Willie170US #33
#26Harry169US #45
#27Ralph168US #35
#28Samuel167US #63
#29Wayne160US #39
#30Carl158US #30
#31Clarence155US #60
#32Earl149US #50
#33Joe143US #27
#34Melvin134US #51
#35Howard133US #47
#36Arthur132US #32
#37Ernest131US #55
#38Larry131US #14
#39Lawrence129US #36
#40Eugene127US #37
#41Herbert124US #68
#42Lewis117US #107
#43Jack116US #26
#44Fred111US #40
#45Charlie106US #112
#46Curtis106US #98
#47Alfred104US #70
#48Albert102US #41
#49Franklin98US #106
#50Jimmy98US #43
#51Douglas97US #58
#52Floyd96US #94
#53Russell96US #73
#54Daniel95US #38
#55Clyde94US #101
#56Bernard93US #76
#57Norman92US #44
#58Gene91US #69
#59Herman89US #111
#60Leroy89US #61
#61Marvin89US #52
#62Alvin84US #103
#63Leonard84US #54
#64Ray82US #74
#65Louis81US #49
#66Gerald80US #19
#67Cecil75US #114
#68Johnny75US #62
#69Roger75US #28
#70Frederick73US #71
#71Allen71US #72
#72Warren68US #104
#73Jesse65US #99
#74Lloyd64US #95
#75Claude63US #141
#76Tommy62US #77
#77Elmer61US #132
#78Leon60US #86
#79Michael60US #18
#80Calvin59US #126
#81Jackie58US #105
#82Stanley58US #57
#83Carroll57US #179
#84Jimmie57US #80
#85Garland55
#86Freddie54US #138
#87Andrew52US #84
#88Benjamin51US #124
#89Dennis51US #34
#90Gary51US #21
#91Randolph51
#92Phillip50US #92
#93Ronnie50US #109
#94Lee49US #78
#95Leslie47US #136
#96Milton47US #128
#97Harvey46US #102
#98Marshall46US #182
#99Vernon46US #100
#100Aubrey45

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑39Linda#28
↑23Clara#57
↑22Wayne#29
↑20Judith#41
↑19Juanita#44
↑19Alfred#47
↑19Frederick#70
↑18Rose#59

Falling

↓25Katherine#84
↓23Loretta#73
↓22Andrew#87
↓21Elsie#61
↓21Josephine#93
↓17Delores#74
↓16Lillie#89
↓14Anne#70

Every state

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