State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 49,171 Virginia births in 1940 across 837 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#61Shelby#187 nationally
#87Garlandoutside the national top 200
#95Randolphoutside the national top 200
#44Rosa#148 nationally
#91Carroll#190 nationally
#94Nelson#182 nationally
#98Myrtle#184 nationally
#92Luther#177 nationally
#67Elsie#151 nationally
#71Ella#146 nationally
#73Claude#145 nationally
#90Bessie#162 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,428US #1
#2Barbara948US #2
#3Betty880US #5
#4Shirley757US #9
#5Nancy557US #7
#6Patricia502US #3
#7Joyce460US #13
#8Margaret433US #11
#9Dorothy429US #12
#10Frances371US #28
#11Virginia370US #21
#12Peggy343US #37
#13Helen315US #18
#14Doris305US #31
#15Elizabeth304US #20
#16Alice269US #32
#17Linda266US #8
#18Phyllis263US #33
#19Jean257US #29
#20Carolyn247US #15
#21Sandra247US #10
#22Martha244US #26
#23Ruth235US #24
#24Judith232US #4
#25Gloria228US #30
#26Mildred198US #58
#27Evelyn193US #48
#28Annie180US #56
#29Janice178US #22
#30Carol175US #6
#31Joan173US #14
#32Brenda167US #42
#33Ann165US #35
#34Lois164US #38
#35Norma152US #43
#36Charlotte149US #55
#37Patsy146US #57
#38Thelma144US #101
#39Anna141US #51
#40Ruby140US #66
#41Judy136US #16
#42Catherine133US #53
#43Sarah132US #60
#44Rosa129US #148
#45Janet125US #19
#46Gladys123US #116
#47Juanita122US #78
#48Sylvia122US #62
#49Rebecca117US #96
#50Wanda117US #52
#51Jane114US #47
#52Edith112US #98
#53Edna108US #86
#54Louise108US #59
#55Delores107US #83
#56Loretta106US #69
#57Lillian105US #97
#58Ethel104US #106
#59Bonnie101US #39
#60Hazel101US #123
#61Shelby99US #187
#62Emma98US #94
#63Rose98US #44
#64Eleanor97US #68
#65Geraldine97US #46
#66Audrey96US #99
#67Elsie91US #151
#68Vivian91US #115
#69Julia88US #91
#70Marie87US #41
#71Ella86US #146
#72Jo84US #72
#73Anne83US #84
#74June81US #82
#75Jacqueline78US #76
#76Pauline77US #104
#77Laura76US #108
#78Ellen75US #74
#79Christine74US #118
#80Eva74US #132
#81Jeanette73US #90
#82Lillie73US #143
#83Lucy73US #154
#84Clara69US #111
#85Katherine69US #92
#86Margie68US #114
#87Bernice67US #121
#88Wilma67US #93
#89Beatrice66US #140
#90Bessie66US #162
#91Marion66US #120
#92Irene65US #73
#93Marjorie65US #64
#94Lucille63US #113
#95Joann62US #63
#96Nellie61US #161
#97Josephine60US #89
#98Myrtle57US #184
#99Sue57US #81
#100Susan57US #36

Boys

#1James1,792US #1
#2William1,393US #4
#3Robert1,186US #2
#4John1,079US #3
#5Charles873US #6
#6Richard554US #5
#7Thomas553US #8
#8George547US #11
#9David431US #7
#10Donald370US #9
#11Joseph355US #12
#12Edward287US #16
#13Kenneth274US #15
#14Bobby268US #30
#15Ronald248US #10
#16Walter248US #25
#17Jerry247US #14
#18Raymond227US #22
#19Billy221US #27
#20Paul212US #17
#21Roy207US #42
#22Harold204US #23
#23Frank187US #20
#24Larry187US #13
#25Wayne181US #39
#26Henry176US #31
#27Harry174US #47
#28Howard171US #45
#29Clarence170US #64
#30Earl167US #52
#31Willie165US #35
#32Ralph160US #37
#33Melvin154US #53
#34Samuel148US #65
#35Roger144US #26
#36Carl142US #32
#37Fred141US #40
#38Eugene133US #38
#39Lawrence132US #36
#40Ernest131US #58
#41Joe131US #28
#42Franklin127US #87
#43Douglas126US #56
#44Herbert126US #75
#45Arthur120US #33
#46Charlie119US #111
#47Jimmy119US #44
#48Albert114US #41
#49Jack112US #29
#50Gerald111US #21
#51Marvin108US #63
#52Johnny106US #51
#53Lewis106US #107
#54Curtis102US #97
#55Russell100US #72
#56Herman95US #113
#57Norman95US #48
#58Clyde94US #102
#59Gene94US #70
#60Cecil93US #117
#61Allen86US #71
#62Bernard86US #82
#63Alfred85US #69
#64Jesse84US #93
#65Leonard83US #54
#66Daniel80US #34
#67Gary79US #19
#68Leroy78US #66
#69Ray75US #77
#70Tommy75US #76
#71Louis74US #50
#72Vernon74US #105
#73Claude73US #145
#74Leon72US #89
#75Jackie70US #108
#76Calvin69US #127
#77Michael68US #18
#78Phillip67US #79
#79Frederick66US #68
#80Dennis64US #24
#81Eddie64US #81
#82Floyd64US #103
#83Freddie63US #138
#84Stanley61US #59
#85Benjamin59US #128
#86Wallace59US #146
#87Garland58
#88Glenn58US #83
#89Harvey58US #98
#90Lloyd58US #100
#91Carroll56US #190
#92Luther56US #177
#93Ronnie55US #101
#94Nelson54US #182
#95Randolph53
#96Elmer52US #144
#97Lee52US #80
#98Warren52US #110
#99Alvin51US #106
#100Jimmie51US #86

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑65Brenda#32
↑34Roger#35
↑29Bonnie#59
↑28Judy#41
↑27Vernon#72
↑23Gary#67
↑19Delores#55
↑18Rebecca#49

Falling

↓37Alvin#99
↓30Floyd#82
↓27Clara#84
↓26Warren#98
↓22Marie#70
↓20Irene#92
↓20Nellie#96
↓19Shelby#61

Every state

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