State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1941 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 51,805 Virginia births in 1941 across 871 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#71Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#95Linwoodoutside the national top 200
#50Rosa#154 nationally
#91Earnest#185 nationally
#100Carroll#188 nationally
#70Lucy#156 nationally
#66Claude#151 nationally
#76Elsie#157 nationally
#57Hazel#131 nationally
#67Ella#141 nationally
#42Charlie#115 nationally
#100Bessie#173 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,500US #1
#2Barbara949US #2
#3Betty831US #7
#4Shirley731US #10
#5Nancy620US #8
#6Patricia620US #3
#7Joyce503US #13
#8Dorothy475US #14
#9Margaret471US #12
#10Carolyn433US #11
#11Frances376US #31
#12Linda371US #5
#13Peggy349US #39
#14Elizabeth341US #21
#15Sandra340US #9
#16Virginia333US #23
#17Helen285US #24
#18Martha281US #25
#19Brenda280US #41
#20Alice276US #34
#21Gloria274US #26
#22Doris265US #38
#23Carol262US #4
#24Judith256US #6
#25Phyllis234US #35
#26Jean225US #32
#27Joan222US #17
#28Judy222US #16
#29Ruth219US #28
#30Ann200US #37
#31Mildred195US #64
#32Patsy188US #52
#33Evelyn186US #50
#34Charlotte180US #55
#35Ruby174US #69
#36Janice171US #22
#37Lois164US #43
#38Sarah158US #60
#39Norma146US #47
#40Annie144US #59
#41Rebecca135US #86
#42Janet134US #18
#43Sylvia130US #65
#44Catherine129US #51
#45Thelma128US #108
#46Bonnie127US #33
#47Edith126US #103
#48Wanda124US #53
#49Jane123US #46
#50Rosa122US #154
#51Gladys120US #118
#52Juanita115US #84
#53Louise111US #62
#54Marie111US #42
#55Delores109US #80
#56Edna103US #89
#57Hazel102US #131
#58Anna96US #56
#59Julia96US #88
#60Rose93US #49
#61Vivian93US #113
#62Katherine92US #85
#63Lillian92US #104
#64Susan91US #27
#65Anne90US #82
#66Ellen90US #67
#67Ella89US #141
#68Ethel89US #116
#69Jo88US #66
#70Lucy87US #156
#71Shelby86
#72Audrey85US #117
#73Clara85US #111
#74Emma85US #99
#75Eleanor82US #78
#76Elsie81US #157
#77Beverly76US #29
#78Geraldine73US #45
#79Margie73US #122
#80Jacqueline72US #73
#81Laura72US #115
#82Lillie69US #144
#83Josephine68US #92
#84Sally67US #61
#85Bernice66US #133
#86Loretta65US #81
#87Yvonne65US #120
#88Christine64US #101
#89Donna64US #20
#90Florence64US #107
#91June64US #90
#92Rachel63US #159
#93Bertha62US #140
#94Connie61US #79
#95Nellie59US #167
#96Pauline59US #109
#97Faye58US #160
#98Ida58US #148
#99Irene58US #74
#100Bessie57US #173

Boys

#1James1,895US #1
#2William1,449US #4
#3Robert1,340US #2
#4John1,087US #3
#5Charles887US #6
#6George573US #13
#7Thomas563US #8
#8Richard549US #5
#9David461US #7
#10Donald438US #10
#11Joseph406US #12
#12Edward333US #17
#13Ronald313US #9
#14Jerry300US #14
#15Kenneth297US #15
#16Bobby285US #35
#17Paul246US #18
#18Raymond228US #22
#19Larry227US #11
#20Roy218US #39
#21Billy212US #27
#22Frank209US #21
#23Walter203US #26
#24Willie203US #36
#25Clarence186US #62
#26Wayne186US #37
#27Henry185US #28
#28Roger185US #25
#29Carl181US #29
#30Harold180US #24
#31Harry171US #48
#32Samuel168US #65
#33Melvin165US #56
#34Earl158US #58
#35Howard157US #47
#36Ralph154US #38
#37Eugene150US #42
#38Lawrence141US #34
#39Douglas133US #53
#40Ernest133US #61
#41Joe130US #30
#42Charlie129US #115
#43Fred128US #43
#44Albert126US #40
#45Franklin124US #98
#46Arthur123US #33
#47Jimmy119US #45
#48Jack118US #32
#49Herbert117US #76
#50Johnny116US #55
#51Lewis115US #109
#52Gerald109US #20
#53Gene105US #72
#54Daniel104US #31
#55Herman101US #114
#56Jackie101US #110
#57Curtis100US #100
#58Norman99US #49
#59Floyd96US #102
#60Ronnie96US #79
#61Cecil93US #132
#62Michael92US #16
#63Alfred89US #74
#64Russell89US #75
#65Gary82US #19
#66Claude81US #151
#67Clyde81US #113
#68Marvin80US #63
#69Ray80US #83
#70Jesse79US #99
#71Leroy78US #67
#72Lloyd78US #96
#73Louis78US #50
#74Tommy78US #71
#75Warren77US #105
#76Phillip76US #77
#77Alvin75US #107
#78Bernard75US #87
#79Leonard74US #54
#80Frederick73US #69
#81Allen70US #73
#82Harvey69US #106
#83Eddie68US #78
#84Jimmie68US #89
#85Philip65US #52
#86Vernon65US #108
#87Andrew64US #82
#88Dennis64US #23
#89Leon61US #93
#90Benjamin60US #124
#91Earnest58US #185
#92Glenn58US #86
#93Milton58US #140
#94Danny55US #120
#95Linwood55
#96Calvin54US #133
#97Elmer54US #147
#98Freddie54US #138
#99Lester54US #125
#100Carroll53US #188

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑36Susan#64
↑33Ronnie#60
↑23Katherine#62
↑23Floyd#59
↑23Warren#75
↑22Alvin#77
↑19Jackie#56
↑18Lloyd#72

Falling

↓30Loretta#86
↓20Pauline#96
↓20Allen#81
↓20Calvin#96
↓19Anna#58
↓17June#91
↓17Marvin#68
↓16Bernard#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.