State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 85,770 Virginia births in 1956 across 1,140 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#91Patsy#192 nationally
#97Shelia#183 nationally
#90Lewis#168 nationally
#98Franklin#167 nationally
#80Reginald#144 nationally
#76Herbert#137 nationally
#85Vanessa#145 nationally
#62Clarence#120 nationally
#54Frances#107 nationally
#59Calvin#109 nationally
#98Vivian#148 nationally
#99Audrey#149 nationally

Girls

#1Deborah1,490US #4
#2Mary1,286US #1
#3Linda1,121US #3
#4Patricia1,082US #6
#5Debra954US #2
#6Sharon920US #13
#7Karen864US #7
#8Susan809US #5
#9Brenda766US #19
#10Barbara748US #9
#11Donna730US #10
#12Cynthia716US #8
#13Pamela593US #12
#14Sandra568US #14
#15Teresa515US #24
#16Kathy513US #20
#17Nancy492US #11
#18Carolyn467US #33
#19Joyce417US #30
#20Elizabeth383US #22
#21Janet381US #21
#22Wanda378US #61
#23Diane359US #15
#24Carol351US #16
#25Cheryl350US #18
#26Betty347US #44
#27Robin341US #29
#28Margaret328US #25
#29Shirley318US #41
#30Cathy301US #36
#31Judy300US #35
#32Rebecca289US #27
#33Catherine284US #28
#34Janice284US #26
#35Connie255US #43
#36Sheila253US #55
#37Martha247US #59
#38Gloria245US #53
#39Debbie239US #39
#40Virginia233US #75
#41Bonnie230US #51
#42Sherry226US #54
#43Katherine223US #67
#44Theresa222US #32
#45Beverly218US #40
#46Phyllis213US #82
#47Peggy208US #63
#48Vickie207US #68
#49Darlene203US #71
#50Denise200US #23
#51Rhonda198US #62
#52Dorothy195US #72
#53Kathleen185US #17
#54Frances182US #107
#55Jacqueline167US #78
#56Laura167US #34
#57Anita166US #83
#58Jo163US #69
#59Angela162US #93
#60Doris161US #109
#61Rita160US #79
#62Lisa158US #31
#63Gail157US #49
#64Ruth157US #77
#65Ann155US #46
#66Judith154US #45
#67Terry150US #91
#68Sarah148US #115
#69Jane145US #50
#70Kathryn144US #60
#71Anne142US #86
#72Joan142US #52
#73Helen140US #90
#74Paula139US #47
#75Jean137US #65
#76Valerie137US #80
#77Cindy133US #37
#78Alice132US #98
#79Ellen132US #84
#80Vicki130US #57
#81Evelyn128US #120
#82Marilyn128US #70
#83Kim127US #38
#84Rose125US #64
#85Vanessa122US #145
#86Christine120US #42
#87Diana120US #56
#88Regina118US #125
#89Victoria116US #85
#90Gwendolyn106US #128
#91Patsy106US #192
#92Charlotte105US #133
#93Sylvia103US #108
#94Jennifer101US #97
#95Annette99US #119
#96Tina99US #87
#97Shelia98US #183
#98Vivian94US #148
#99Audrey93US #149
#100Julia92US #131

Boys

#1James2,191US #2
#2Michael1,900US #1
#3William1,868US #6
#4Robert1,815US #3
#5David1,657US #4
#6John1,609US #5
#7Charles1,066US #11
#8Richard960US #7
#9Thomas905US #9
#10Larry740US #21
#11Mark695US #8
#12Gary683US #13
#13Donald636US #14
#14Ronald628US #15
#15Kenneth624US #16
#16Steven578US #10
#17Joseph570US #12
#18George511US #27
#19Stephen465US #23
#20Edward411US #25
#21Dennis409US #26
#22Jerry402US #35
#23Timothy397US #19
#24Paul396US #17
#25Jeffrey371US #20
#26Gregory352US #24
#27Daniel340US #18
#28Douglas339US #29
#29Terry300US #31
#30Anthony294US #30
#31Wayne285US #45
#32Randy269US #28
#33Roger267US #41
#34Bruce262US #33
#35Raymond251US #39
#36Walter251US #53
#37Ricky250US #43
#38Keith247US #36
#39Kevin227US #22
#40Barry213US #69
#41Carl213US #48
#42Danny212US #46
#43Ronnie209US #75
#44Samuel205US #74
#45Roy193US #62
#46Ralph190US #67
#47Curtis185US #80
#48Lawrence185US #42
#49Brian181US #32
#50Tony179US #85
#51Henry176US #71
#52Harold175US #72
#53Frank169US #38
#54Bobby168US #77
#55Christopher168US #47
#56Howard165US #84
#57Phillip162US #76
#58Melvin159US #101
#59Calvin158US #109
#60Billy157US #68
#61Russell157US #52
#62Clarence155US #120
#63Harry155US #95
#64Arthur154US #60
#65Glenn153US #61
#66Johnny150US #55
#67Willie147US #58
#68Steve142US #59
#69Scott139US #34
#70Stanley138US #70
#71Marvin136US #105
#72Allen135US #87
#73Earl135US #110
#74Ernest134US #94
#75Rodney133US #65
#76Herbert131US #137
#77Alan127US #44
#78Gerald125US #49
#79Patrick125US #40
#80Reginald124US #144
#81Dale123US #50
#82Andrew120US #56
#83Jeffery120US #57
#84Darrell115US #88
#85Alvin112US #134
#86Eddie112US #93
#87Randall110US #54
#88Norman108US #107
#89Philip107US #64
#90Lewis106US #168
#91Jimmy105US #78
#92Jack103US #66
#93Micheal103US #83
#94Warren103US #141
#95Bernard102US #129
#96Ray99US #113
#97Eugene97US #86
#98Franklin97US #167
#99Fred96US #102
#100Peter96US #37

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑35Tony#50
↑29Debbie#39
↑28Scott#69
↑27Angela#59
↑24Ruth#64
↑22Lisa#62
↑22Herbert#76
↑20Laura#56

Falling

↓35Vanessa#85
↓20Ann#65
↓18Jack#92
↓16Alice#78
↓15Joan#72
↓14Jean#75
↓14Rose#84
↓13Vicki#80

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.