State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1920 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 33,698 West Virginia births in 1920 across 794 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.

#44Fredaoutside the national top 200
#53Goldie#198 nationally
#51Junior#193 nationally
#75Denveroutside the national top 200
#96Dennisoutside the national top 200
#97Garnetoutside the national top 200
#76Ira#170 nationally
#66Delbert#150 nationally
#34Beulah#109 nationally
#31Opal#101 nationally
#87Erma#152 nationally
#70Naomi#134 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,379US #1
#2Virginia633US #7
#3Helen597US #3
#4Margaret438US #4
#5Ruth395US #5
#6Dorothy352US #2
#7Mildred349US #6
#8Frances256US #9
#9Betty253US #11
#10Elizabeth253US #8
#11Anna247US #10
#12Ruby239US #26
#13Edith217US #32
#14Evelyn217US #12
#15Thelma217US #31
#16Pauline197US #36
#17Hazel193US #34
#18Gladys192US #22
#19Irene186US #17
#20Ethel180US #30
#21Lillian174US #18
#22Martha172US #23
#23Juanita167US #61
#24Edna166US #27
#25Marie165US #13
#26Louise141US #19
#27Lucille140US #29
#28Nellie139US #76
#29Alice133US #15
#30Violet133US #77
#31Opal132US #101
#32Maxine122US #81
#33Mabel120US #83
#34Beulah119US #109
#35Eva113US #58
#36Catherine109US #21
#37Geraldine107US #60
#38Josephine107US #28
#39Kathleen104US #91
#40Myrtle101US #68
#41Rose100US #20
#42Stella98US #82
#43Pearl95US #62
#44Freda94
#45Emma93US #46
#46Katherine92US #45
#47June91US #53
#48Elsie90US #51
#49Marjorie90US #24
#50Clara89US #44
#51Grace89US #37
#52Sarah89US #50
#53Goldie88US #198
#54Florence86US #16
#55Lena86US #98
#56Alma85US #80
#57Beatrice84US #41
#58Eleanor84US #25
#59Georgia84US #113
#60Wanda83US #117
#61Wilma83US #78
#62Jean82US #33
#63Bessie78US #71
#64Vivian76US #64
#65Bertha74US #57
#66Ida73US #66
#67Kathryn73US #67
#68Agnes72US #54
#69Gertrude72US #42
#70Naomi72US #134
#71Bernice71US #40
#72Geneva69US #106
#73Sylvia69US #85
#74Mae68US #99
#75Nancy68US #95
#76Norma68US #69
#77Audrey67US #103
#78Doris65US #14
#79Jessie64US #84
#80Laura64US #63
#81Viola62US #59
#82Julia60US #55
#83Hilda58US #125
#84Leona58US #89
#85Madeline58US #138
#86Velma57US #105
#87Erma56US #152
#88Genevieve55US #86
#89Marguerite55US #93
#90Lucy54US #94
#91Ada53US #136
#92Ann51US #49
#93Ella50US #88
#94Esther50US #39
#95Charlotte49US #79
#96Nora49US #157
#97Garnet46
#98Phyllis45US #72
#99Blanche44US #102
#100Minnie44US #87

Boys

#1James969US #4
#2William910US #2
#3John831US #1
#4Charles726US #5
#5Robert589US #3
#6George398US #6
#7Paul319US #14
#8Harold267US #12
#9Edward224US #8
#10Joseph222US #7
#11Frank220US #9
#12Harry217US #21
#13Thomas217US #11
#14Carl200US #27
#15Ralph191US #22
#16Walter185US #13
#17Earl163US #31
#18Raymond162US #15
#19Clarence153US #26
#20Jack151US #20
#21Roy150US #32
#22Richard148US #10
#23Howard139US #24
#24Warren137US #39
#25Eugene126US #30
#26Albert122US #19
#27Donald119US #16
#28Kenneth117US #23
#29Arthur114US #18
#30Henry104US #17
#31Clyde101US #68
#32Fred101US #33
#33Samuel100US #44
#34David96US #25
#35Leonard94US #38
#36Herbert92US #41
#37Ray91US #67
#38Ernest89US #37
#39Lawrence89US #36
#40Joe82US #35
#41Cecil80US #77
#42Virgil75US #101
#43Russell72US #51
#44Lewis71US #72
#45Elmer70US #45
#46Chester68US #55
#47Homer65US #100
#48Willard64US #88
#49Bernard63US #46
#50Clifford63US #59
#51Junior62US #193
#52Herman61US #66
#53Alfred59US #42
#54Lester57US #69
#55Louis55US #28
#56Andrew49US #49
#57Lloyd49US #58
#58Stanley49US #40
#59Glenn48US #80
#60Norman48US #47
#61Arnold47US #91
#62Jesse47US #79
#63Everett46US #95
#64Luther46US #123
#65Daniel45US #52
#66Delbert45US #150
#67Edgar45US #89
#68Francis45US #34
#69Gerald41US #64
#70Frederick40US #60
#71Claude39US #92
#72Glen39US #122
#73Melvin39US #54
#74Billy38US #132
#75Denver37
#76Ira37US #170
#77Benjamin36US #83
#78Earnest36US #140
#79Lee36US #82
#80Marvin36US #62
#81Floyd35US #61
#82Harvey35US #87
#83Vernon35US #65
#84Willie35US #29
#85Allen33US #94
#86Hubert33US #113
#87Wayne33US #86
#88Calvin32US #139
#89Edwin32US #53
#90Franklin32US #119
#91Guy32US #154
#92Orville31US #134
#93Theodore31US #63
#94Victor31US #81
#95Curtis30US #120
#96Dennis30
#97Michael30US #50
#98Tony30US #136
#99Philip29US #71
#100Bill28US #121

On the move since 1919

Rising

↑63Warren#24
↑29June#47
↑28Luther#64
↑25Frederick#70
↑21Naomi#70
↑20Wanda#60
↑19Virgil#42
↑18Alfred#53

Falling

↓34Genevieve#88
↓29Julia#82
↓24Esther#94
↓23Floyd#81
↓23Theodore#93
↓21Edwin#89
↓20Ann#92
↓20Francis#68

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1919 rankings.