State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1955 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 84,337 Virginia births in 1955 across 1,135 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#87Shelia#181 nationally
#50Vanessa#140 nationally
#79Lewis#160 nationally
#96Patsy#172 nationally
#92Franklin#163 nationally
#100Clyde#164 nationally
#73Alvin#134 nationally
#53Calvin#110 nationally
#90Reginald#144 nationally
#100Vivian#154 nationally
#67Clarence#117 nationally
#63Sarah#108 nationally

Girls

#1Deborah1,565US #2
#2Mary1,262US #1
#3Linda1,243US #3
#4Patricia1,133US #6
#5Debra966US #4
#6Susan838US #5
#7Brenda776US #18
#8Barbara764US #7
#9Donna684US #10
#10Sandra678US #13
#11Cynthia612US #11
#12Sharon612US #16
#13Karen608US #8
#14Nancy573US #9
#15Pamela569US #12
#16Elizabeth502US #21
#17Kathy488US #22
#18Carolyn467US #30
#19Diane460US #14
#20Janet436US #20
#21Teresa431US #26
#22Joyce424US #29
#23Wanda417US #61
#24Betty404US #36
#25Carol360US #15
#26Margaret358US #24
#27Shirley325US #37
#28Rebecca323US #27
#29Robin307US #33
#30Connie306US #35
#31Janice285US #25
#32Judy284US #32
#33Cheryl281US #19
#34Gloria266US #47
#35Bonnie265US #45
#36Catherine263US #28
#37Virginia263US #66
#38Phyllis248US #74
#39Martha238US #53
#40Cathy232US #44
#41Beverly226US #34
#42Sheila226US #57
#43Dorothy219US #64
#44Peggy216US #51
#45Ann208US #43
#46Denise206US #23
#47Katherine203US #65
#48Vickie195US #68
#49Jo188US #58
#50Vanessa183US #140
#51Theresa181US #38
#52Sherry179US #56
#53Kathleen177US #17
#54Gail176US #42
#55Frances171US #96
#56Jacqueline166US #73
#57Joan166US #46
#58Doris164US #101
#59Rita163US #72
#60Judith161US #31
#61Jean160US #60
#62Alice155US #87
#63Sarah154US #108
#64Rhonda152US #71
#65Jane151US #50
#66Darlene149US #76
#67Vicki145US #52
#68Debbie144US #63
#69Valerie144US #80
#70Rose143US #54
#71Helen142US #78
#72Marilyn142US #49
#73Kathryn141US #59
#74Terry140US #83
#75Paula137US #39
#76Laura132US #41
#77Anita130US #94
#78Christine128US #40
#79Ellen128US #81
#80Gwendolyn127US #122
#81Evelyn125US #112
#82Diana124US #55
#83Anne123US #84
#84Lisa122US #48
#85Sylvia122US #107
#86Angela121US #109
#87Shelia120US #181
#88Ruth118US #70
#89Marsha105US #106
#90Regina105US #127
#91Constance102US #118
#92Dianne102US #121
#93Charlotte101US #129
#94Yvonne101US #119
#95Jennifer99US #104
#96Patsy96US #172
#97Julia94US #131
#98Audrey91US #143
#99Lois90US #124
#100Vivian87US #154

Boys

#1James2,132US #3
#2Michael1,819US #1
#3Robert1,780US #4
#4David1,771US #2
#5William1,735US #6
#6John1,660US #5
#7Charles1,040US #11
#8Richard1,020US #7
#9Thomas909US #8
#10Larry735US #19
#11Gary683US #12
#12Ronald649US #18
#13Donald622US #14
#14Kenneth585US #15
#15Steven558US #10
#16George523US #26
#17Joseph520US #13
#18Mark520US #9
#19Stephen440US #21
#20Edward434US #25
#21Paul423US #16
#22Dennis420US #23
#23Jerry413US #33
#24Roger355US #37
#25Timothy340US #22
#26Gregory330US #24
#27Daniel327US #17
#28Douglas320US #29
#29Jeffrey316US #20
#30Danny291US #45
#31Anthony270US #31
#32Terry263US #28
#33Bruce252US #32
#34Raymond249US #36
#35Wayne242US #44
#36Ronnie239US #80
#37Walter236US #51
#38Carl235US #47
#39Samuel232US #71
#40Frank222US #34
#41Ricky219US #46
#42Barry216US #70
#43Keith206US #39
#44Randy205US #30
#45Roy194US #58
#46Bobby189US #75
#47Lawrence188US #42
#48Curtis182US #79
#49Harold180US #63
#50Russell178US #57
#51Harry177US #89
#52Glenn168US #59
#53Calvin165US #110
#54Ralph165US #67
#55Melvin164US #95
#56Christopher162US #49
#57Kevin162US #27
#58Billy159US #69
#59Howard158US #83
#60Johnny157US #55
#61Phillip157US #74
#62Henry156US #61
#63Willie155US #54
#64Earl146US #106
#65Stanley145US #64
#66Steve144US #72
#67Clarence143US #117
#68Ernest141US #90
#69Arthur140US #56
#70Gerald140US #48
#71Allen136US #84
#72Marvin134US #94
#73Alvin129US #134
#74Jack127US #60
#75Alan126US #43
#76Rodney121US #65
#77Jeffery120US #73
#78Frederick118US #86
#79Lewis116US #160
#80Dale115US #52
#81Jimmy115US #78
#82Randall115US #53
#83Leonard110US #88
#84Norman107US #102
#85Tony104US #93
#86Andrew103US #66
#87Bernard103US #127
#88Eddie103US #92
#89Jerome103US #112
#90Reginald103US #144
#91Darrell101US #91
#92Franklin100US #163
#93Eugene99US #81
#94Philip99US #62
#95Patrick98US #41
#96Albert97US #76
#97Scott96US #38
#98Herbert95US #129
#99Ray93US #113
#100Clyde91US #164

On the move since 1954

Rising

↑26Christopher#56
↑23Cheryl#33
↑20Jeffery#77
↑17Sherry#52
↑15Darlene#66
↑14Sarah#63
↑14Valerie#69
↑14Dale#80

Falling

↓27Herbert#98
↓24Arthur#69
↓23Ruth#88
↓20Clarence#67
↓20Albert#96
↓19Joan#57
↓18Patsy#96
↓17Helen#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1954 rankings.