State roster

Top names in Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1979 Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 62,468 Virginia births in 1979 across 1,266 distinct names.

Distinctively Virginia

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

#75Dwayneoutside the national top 200
#88Marvin#196 nationally
#80Virginia#169 nationally
#87Sherry#175 nationally
#93Jermaine#180 nationally
#85Shannon#159 nationally
#90Tabitha#155 nationally
#72Roger#132 nationally
#92Latoya#148 nationally
#86Andre#141 nationally
#96Meredith#143 nationally
#64Natasha#110 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer1,241US #1
#2Melissa729US #2
#3Amanda709US #3
#4Jessica609US #4
#5Crystal500US #18
#6Amy490US #5
#7Sarah478US #6
#8Elizabeth474US #11
#9Heather467US #7
#10Angela466US #8
#11Kimberly460US #12
#12Stephanie408US #15
#13Christina389US #14
#14Kelly373US #16
#15Michelle353US #10
#16Rebecca336US #17
#17Lisa330US #13
#18Laura306US #20
#19Mary299US #24
#20April294US #23
#21Shannon288US #25
#22Nicole286US #9
#23Katherine218US #36
#24Jamie215US #19
#25Emily200US #34
#26Tiffany193US #28
#27Erin192US #21
#28Rachel181US #27
#29Amber176US #22
#30Megan172US #31
#31Carrie168US #41
#32Brandy163US #39
#33Sara162US #30
#34Karen156US #46
#35Wendy154US #64
#36Susan152US #51
#37Tara148US #38
#38Catherine145US #78
#39Kathryn143US #50
#40Dana142US #54
#41Tracy142US #49
#42Julie140US #29
#43Ashley139US #67
#44Samantha137US #66
#45Tonya132US #86
#46Courtney130US #71
#47Danielle128US #33
#48Erica126US #32
#49Tina126US #58
#50Christine125US #35
#51Patricia124US #44
#52Holly123US #48
#53Monica121US #40
#54Lauren120US #45
#55Andrea112US #26
#56Cynthia111US #55
#57Kristen110US #62
#58Christy109US #72
#59Kristy107US #56
#60Leslie106US #65
#61Melanie104US #53
#62Stacy103US #43
#63Dawn102US #57
#64Natasha98US #110
#65Alicia96US #47
#66Misty96US #42
#67Tammy96US #79
#68Pamela95US #90
#69Teresa94US #87
#70Anna93US #59
#71Robin93US #95
#72Anne92US #115
#73Kristin92US #73
#74Lori92US #69
#75Margaret89US #108
#76Stacey89US #60
#77Brandi88US #61
#78Sharon88US #117
#79Melinda84US #82
#80Virginia84US #169
#81Allison79US #70
#82Katrina79US #99
#83Natalie79US #68
#84Lindsay77US #88
#85Kristina74US #74
#86Julia73US #122
#87Sherry73US #175
#88Tanya73US #93
#89Sandra72US #77
#90Tabitha71US #155
#91Tamara71US #104
#92Latoya70US #148
#93Sabrina68US #106
#94Jacqueline67US #80
#95Brooke66US #85
#96Meredith65US #143
#97Valerie65US #89
#98Kathleen64US #84
#99Theresa64US #100
#100Denise62US #92

Boys

#1Michael1,429US #1
#2Christopher1,244US #2
#3Jason1,200US #3
#4James1,130US #5
#5David937US #4
#6Robert866US #8
#7John855US #7
#8William797US #13
#9Matthew738US #6
#10Brian656US #10
#11Daniel507US #12
#12Joseph507US #11
#13Joshua506US #9
#14Kevin477US #19
#15Timothy458US #18
#16Jeremy442US #16
#17Jonathan435US #31
#18Charles423US #28
#19Richard396US #25
#20Thomas390US #26
#21Travis387US #36
#22Andrew370US #20
#23Anthony341US #21
#24Eric339US #17
#25Adam315US #23
#26Jeffrey311US #24
#27Ryan309US #14
#28Steven302US #27
#29Stephen297US #40
#30Justin293US #22
#31Mark281US #30
#32Nicholas273US #15
#33Kenneth266US #41
#34Benjamin259US #33
#35Brandon237US #35
#36Aaron218US #32
#37Paul217US #34
#38Scott210US #29
#39Shawn204US #43
#40Gregory194US #42
#41Patrick194US #39
#42Edward183US #48
#43Donald179US #51
#44George171US #57
#45Keith170US #52
#46Nathan168US #37
#47Bryan147US #46
#48Samuel144US #55
#49Chad143US #38
#50Ronald141US #54
#51Sean126US #49
#52Jacob124US #45
#53Shaun124US #64
#54Gary121US #59
#55Bradley119US #47
#56Phillip119US #68
#57Douglas115US #58
#58Marcus113US #76
#59Derek109US #72
#60Derrick109US #80
#61Corey105US #63
#62Larry105US #69
#63Antonio101US #79
#64Wesley101US #89
#65Jerry98US #85
#66Jesse98US #50
#67Dennis94US #75
#68Jamie89US #88
#69Philip87US #83
#70Raymond86US #70
#71Curtis85US #91
#72Roger84US #132
#73Nathaniel82US #95
#74Russell82US #92
#75Dwayne80
#76Peter80US #53
#77Carl77US #100
#78Zachary77US #74
#79Bobby76US #106
#80Troy75US #99
#81Terry72US #96
#82Ricky71US #124
#83Walter71US #128
#84Jared69US #65
#85Shannon68US #159
#86Andre66US #141
#87Frank66US #78
#88Marvin65US #196
#89Shane65US #67
#90Jeremiah64US #81
#91Rodney64US #117
#92Erik63US #66
#93Jermaine61US #180
#94Alexander60US #94
#95Joel60US #71
#96Kyle60US #56
#97Allen58US #139
#98Billy58US #97
#99Cory58US #82
#100Lawrence58US #122

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑29Megan#30
↑24Travis#21
↑21Alicia#65
↑21Robin#71
↑20Margaret#75
↑19Samantha#44
↑19Jacob#52
↑18Curtis#71

Falling

↓26Tammy#67
↓20Andrea#55
↓19Christy#58
↓18Christine#50
↓18Melanie#61
↓16Kristina#85
↓15Tina#49
↓15Leslie#60

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1978 rankings.