State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1917 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 28,155 West Virginia births in 1917 across 719 distinct names.

Distinctively West Virginia

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

#53Freda#188 nationally
#70Denveroutside the national top 200
#57Goldie#187 nationally
#55Delbert#162 nationally
#94Ivaoutside the national top 200
#94Harleyoutside the national top 200
#95Okeyoutside the national top 200
#98Junioroutside the national top 200
#99Roscoeoutside the national top 200
#59Ira#151 nationally
#90Nina#174 nationally
#89Ronald#165 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,230US #1
#2Virginia499US #10
#3Helen464US #2
#4Ruth383US #5
#5Margaret363US #4
#6Mildred310US #6
#7Dorothy282US #3
#8Elizabeth270US #8
#9Ruby223US #27
#10Hazel220US #31
#11Anna219US #7
#12Pauline202US #33
#13Frances190US #9
#14Edith188US #28
#15Evelyn187US #11
#16Ethel181US #24
#17Thelma179US #32
#18Gladys174US #23
#19Martha158US #22
#20Edna150US #20
#21Lillian140US #15
#22Betty127US #34
#23Nellie127US #64
#24Opal127US #95
#25Alice125US #13
#26Irene123US #17
#27Marie117US #12
#28Lucille114US #29
#29Myrtle113US #58
#30Mabel112US #68
#31Louise111US #19
#32Juanita110US #87
#33Beulah108US #102
#34Sarah100US #52
#35Elsie98US #50
#36Josephine95US #21
#37Bertha93US #51
#38Catherine92US #18
#39Grace92US #30
#40Emma90US #46
#41Genevieve90US #77
#42Stella90US #62
#43Bessie89US #61
#44Eva89US #54
#45Pearl89US #57
#46Alma88US #71
#47Kathleen87US #101
#48Florence84US #14
#49Rose83US #16
#50Katherine81US #49
#51Clara78US #41
#52Wilma77US #82
#53Freda76US #188
#54Nancy75US #98
#55Violet75US #84
#56Gertrude74US #37
#57Goldie71US #187
#58Julia69US #47
#59Kathryn68US #60
#60Beatrice67US #39
#61Eleanor66US #26
#62Marjorie66US #36
#63Georgia65US #105
#64Bernice64US #42
#65Sylvia63US #69
#66Ida62US #56
#67Mae62US #96
#68Maxine61US #93
#69Minnie61US #75
#70Esther59US #38
#71June59US #73
#72Charlotte58US #76
#73Lena58US #85
#74Ada57US #119
#75Blanche57US #91
#76Agnes56US #48
#77Ann56US #44
#78Ella56US #83
#79Madeline56US #127
#80Jessie54US #70
#81Laura53US #65
#82Geneva52US #113
#83Naomi52US #133
#84Lucy51US #88
#85Marguerite50US #78
#86Olive49US #138
#87Vivian49US #79
#88Geraldine47US #89
#89Wanda46US #140
#90Nina45US #174
#91Velma45US #99
#92Annie44US #35
#93Erma44US #148
#94Iva44
#95Nora44US #154
#96Daisy43US #150
#97Dora43US #125
#98Ellen43US #90
#99Lois43US #43
#100Jane42US #55

Boys

#1James705US #3
#2William678US #2
#3John659US #1
#4Charles567US #7
#5Robert470US #4
#6George300US #6
#7Paul238US #13
#8Harry205US #19
#9Frank198US #9
#10Joseph196US #5
#11Thomas182US #10
#12Edward163US #8
#13Harold160US #12
#14Carl157US #24
#15Roy154US #33
#16Walter148US #11
#17Howard140US #26
#18Richard135US #14
#19Raymond124US #16
#20Ralph123US #21
#21Clarence120US #25
#22Earl120US #32
#23Henry114US #15
#24Kenneth109US #27
#25Donald102US #20
#26Albert100US #18
#27Eugene95US #39
#28Jack90US #22
#29Lawrence90US #36
#30Clyde88US #64
#31David86US #28
#32Woodrow84US #73
#33Fred80US #29
#34Ernest78US #37
#35Samuel76US #42
#36Cecil72US #83
#37Willard72US #80
#38Herbert71US #40
#39Elmer70US #45
#40Joe68US #35
#41Arthur63US #17
#42Russell62US #52
#43Bernard61US #49
#44Chester61US #56
#45Virgil61US #103
#46Leonard60US #41
#47Homer59US #102
#48Gerald54US #69
#49Ray54US #74
#50Clifford50US #59
#51Edgar48US #88
#52Lloyd48US #53
#53Louis48US #23
#54Everett47US #94
#55Delbert46US #162
#56Lewis45US #70
#57Lee43US #85
#58Lester43US #61
#59Ira42US #151
#60Luther42US #116
#61Stanley42US #34
#62Willie42US #31
#63Alfred41US #43
#64Herman40US #58
#65Floyd39US #62
#66Jesse39US #79
#67Melvin39US #57
#68Andrew38US #48
#69Theodore37US #63
#70Denver36
#71Francis36US #30
#72Glenn36US #86
#73Marvin35US #68
#74Oscar35US #87
#75Vernon35US #71
#76Guy34US #146
#77Frederick33US #51
#78Leo33US #47
#79Daniel32US #54
#80Orville31US #134
#81Glen30US #122
#82Michael30US #44
#83Norman30US #46
#84Dale29US #120
#85Edwin29US #55
#86Hubert29US #115
#87Otis29US #145
#88Leslie28US #107
#89Ronald28US #165
#90Claude27US #98
#91Gilbert27US #105
#92Wilbur27US #92
#93Willis27US #140
#94Harley25
#95Okey25
#96Anthony24US #38
#97Arnold24US #91
#98Junior24
#99Roscoe24
#100Wayne24US #96

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑42Stella#42
↑39Nancy#54
↑26Marjorie#62
↑26Gerald#48
↑26Theodore#69
↑23Delbert#55
↑21Willie#62
↑20Eugene#27

Falling

↓35Arnold#97
↓29Ellen#98
↓24Edwin#85
↓22Roscoe#99
↓21Claude#90
↓20Norman#83
↓19Frederick#77
↓18Woodrow#32

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.