State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1942 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,723 Virginia births in 1942 across 901 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#87Linwoodoutside the national top 200
#91Carroll#200 nationally
#92Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#74Lucy#173 nationally
#100Clifton#198 nationally
#60Rosa#155 nationally
#78Elsie#166 nationally
#47Gladys#127 nationally
#83Rachel#163 nationally
#62Hazel#139 nationally
#48Charlie#118 nationally
#52Thelma#121 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,620US #1
#2Barbara1,160US #2
#3Betty943US #9
#4Shirley794US #12
#5Patricia722US #3
#6Linda645US #4
#7Carolyn638US #10
#8Nancy609US #8
#9Joyce600US #13
#10Dorothy481US #17
#11Margaret473US #14
#12Sandra451US #6
#13Brenda407US #40
#14Frances404US #30
#15Virginia404US #23
#16Peggy333US #42
#17Elizabeth332US #22
#18Martha322US #29
#19Doris315US #41
#20Carol307US #5
#21Phyllis303US #37
#22Judith300US #7
#23Helen294US #26
#24Judy288US #15
#25Gloria283US #31
#26Ruth249US #33
#27Alice229US #39
#28Jean228US #36
#29Joan214US #18
#30Ann208US #38
#31Evelyn194US #53
#32Annie186US #62
#33Mildred182US #71
#34Lois177US #44
#35Patsy177US #57
#36Rebecca174US #85
#37Janet170US #19
#38Ruby169US #77
#39Charlotte168US #51
#40Janice165US #25
#41Sarah162US #67
#42Bonnie153US #34
#43Norma152US #52
#44Jane141US #46
#45Juanita140US #90
#46Edith137US #113
#47Gladys137US #127
#48Wanda137US #54
#49Catherine132US #49
#50Louise131US #61
#51Sylvia131US #72
#52Thelma127US #121
#53Anna119US #59
#54Anne117US #76
#55Delores116US #86
#56Edna116US #99
#57Marie113US #43
#58Donna110US #20
#59Carole108US #35
#60Rosa107US #155
#61Susan104US #21
#62Hazel99US #139
#63Lillian96US #111
#64Ellen95US #64
#65Geraldine94US #47
#66Eleanor93US #87
#67Emma93US #108
#68Audrey92US #120
#69Rose92US #50
#70Ethel87US #124
#71Beverly86US #32
#72Loretta85US #79
#73Julia83US #95
#74Lucy83US #173
#75Sharon82US #11
#76Katherine81US #81
#77Vivian81US #125
#78Elsie78US #166
#79Clara77US #122
#80Jo77US #65
#81Christine76US #96
#82Florence75US #110
#83Rachel75US #163
#84Josephine73US #100
#85Laura73US #115
#86Wilma73US #114
#87Bertha72US #147
#88Diane72US #28
#89Ella72US #152
#90Sue72US #73
#91Margie71US #126
#92Shelby71
#93Bernice70US #137
#94Irene68US #80
#95Lillie68US #150
#96Jeanette67US #104
#97Lucille67US #118
#98Alma66US #165
#99Pauline66US #112
#100Eva65US #140

Boys

#1James2,283US #1
#2William1,703US #4
#3Robert1,445US #2
#4John1,368US #3
#5Charles1,025US #7
#6Thomas696US #8
#7Richard632US #5
#8George601US #14
#9David567US #6
#10Donald449US #10
#11Joseph435US #11
#12Douglas430US #23
#13Jerry365US #16
#14Edward356US #17
#15Kenneth345US #15
#16Ronald345US #9
#17Larry296US #12
#18Walter269US #26
#19Paul259US #19
#20Bobby248US #43
#21Henry238US #31
#22Roy233US #42
#23Raymond232US #24
#24Harold225US #27
#25Clarence219US #67
#26Billy214US #35
#27Frank207US #21
#28Roger207US #25
#29Harry204US #48
#30Samuel204US #59
#31Earl201US #62
#32Willie201US #37
#33Ralph195US #38
#34Wayne186US #41
#35Melvin182US #60
#36Arthur171US #29
#37Howard168US #49
#38Lawrence164US #30
#39Carl163US #36
#40Michael163US #13
#41Ernest156US #61
#42Fred155US #46
#43Albert144US #40
#44Gerald137US #22
#45Herbert134US #83
#46Gary132US #18
#47Daniel130US #28
#48Charlie129US #118
#49Joe125US #33
#50Curtis124US #98
#51Jimmy122US #47
#52Norman122US #53
#53Eugene118US #45
#54Franklin114US #103
#55Jack113US #34
#56Lewis113US #112
#57Clyde108US #109
#58Louis106US #51
#59Jesse104US #100
#60Russell103US #70
#61Ronnie102US #78
#62Johnny101US #55
#63Herman99US #122
#64Cecil95US #131
#65Marvin95US #66
#66Dennis91US #20
#67Alfred89US #76
#68Ray87US #84
#69Bernard86US #90
#70Leon86US #93
#71Stephen85US #32
#72Floyd81US #113
#73Warren81US #97
#74Glenn80US #88
#75Leonard80US #57
#76Leroy80US #69
#77Phillip80US #77
#78Andrew79US #80
#79Lloyd79US #96
#80Stanley79US #56
#81Calvin77US #136
#82Tommy76US #73
#83Gene75US #82
#84Allen74US #71
#85Claude74US #149
#86Eddie73US #86
#87Linwood73
#88Alvin71US #115
#89Milton71US #141
#90Benjamin70US #129
#91Carroll70US #200
#92Jackie69US #119
#93Philip68US #54
#94Danny67US #111
#95Frederick67US #68
#96Vernon63US #114
#97Barry59US #79
#98Elmer57US #158
#99Harvey57US #107
#100Clifton56US #198

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑31Donna#58
↑27Douglas#12
↑22Michael#40
↑22Dennis#66
↑19Gary#46
↑19Leon#70
↑18Glenn#74
↑15Louis#58

Falling

↓36Jackie#92
↓30Gene#83
↓22Ella#89
↓21Shelby#92
↓19Claude#85
↓17Harvey#99
↓16Vivian#77
↓16Eugene#53

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.