State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1921 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,168 West Virginia births in 1921 across 818 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.

#52Fredaoutside the national top 200
#68Goldieoutside the national top 200
#41Junior#167 nationally
#83Woodrowoutside the national top 200
#84Denveroutside the national top 200
#81Dennis#190 nationally
#67Delbert#156 nationally
#80Ira#166 nationally
#38Beulah#116 nationally
#71Ada#145 nationally
#34Opal#103 nationally
#69Orville#137 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,494US #1
#2Helen659US #3
#3Virginia637US #6
#4Ruth518US #5
#5Margaret490US #4
#6Dorothy488US #2
#7Betty351US #8
#8Mildred341US #7
#9Anna301US #11
#10Elizabeth260US #10
#11Frances256US #9
#12Evelyn246US #12
#13Thelma243US #30
#14Ruby242US #26
#15Pauline229US #37
#16Hazel222US #34
#17Irene215US #18
#18Juanita212US #57
#19Edith205US #33
#20Martha204US #21
#21Gladys185US #24
#22Alice178US #15
#23Edna176US #27
#24Lillian174US #19
#25Lucille160US #31
#26Ethel159US #32
#27Louise152US #22
#28Maxine146US #77
#29Marie141US #14
#30Nellie140US #80
#31Violet139US #81
#32Marjorie138US #16
#33Geraldine132US #62
#34Opal129US #103
#35Eva123US #63
#36Josephine122US #28
#37Kathleen120US #83
#38Beulah118US #116
#39Beatrice109US #41
#40Mabel109US #85
#41Wilma109US #72
#42Clara107US #45
#43Rose107US #20
#44Wanda106US #101
#45Elsie105US #55
#46Alma98US #78
#47Grace98US #35
#48Sarah98US #54
#49Catherine96US #23
#50Jean95US #25
#51Emma94US #52
#52Freda94
#53Katherine94US #49
#54Pearl94US #65
#55June93US #50
#56Eleanor91US #29
#57Nancy91US #87
#58Bessie89US #75
#59Doris88US #13
#60Kathryn88US #64
#61Myrtle88US #73
#62Norma87US #51
#63Bertha85US #59
#64Genevieve85US #90
#65Julia81US #58
#66Bernice79US #39
#67Gertrude79US #46
#68Goldie77
#69Vivian77US #68
#70Naomi73US #132
#71Ada72US #145
#72Florence72US #17
#73Geneva72US #113
#74Agnes71US #56
#75Leona71US #92
#76Georgia70US #117
#77Lucy70US #93
#78Sylvia70US #88
#79Lena69US #104
#80Laura67US #71
#81Madeline67US #139
#82Audrey65US #82
#83Marguerite65US #98
#84Phyllis65US #60
#85Esther63US #42
#86Ann60US #53
#87Jane58US #47
#88Lois58US #38
#89Margie58US #106
#90Stella58US #86
#91Velma57US #108
#92Cora55US #140
#93Ida55US #67
#94Viola55US #66
#95Charlotte54US #79
#96Dora54US #130
#97Mae52US #110
#98Ella51US #89
#99Alberta50US #133
#100Olive50US #154

Boys

#1James996US #4
#2William982US #3
#3John833US #1
#4Charles806US #5
#5Robert766US #2
#6George417US #6
#7Paul366US #14
#8Harold279US #12
#9Joseph255US #7
#10Thomas252US #11
#11Harry250US #21
#12Frank240US #9
#13Edward228US #8
#14Carl213US #30
#15Richard196US #10
#16Walter195US #15
#17Jack190US #18
#18Warren181US #24
#19Howard180US #27
#20Earl179US #31
#21Roy178US #32
#22Ralph168US #23
#23Raymond167US #16
#24Donald161US #13
#25Kenneth156US #22
#26Clarence154US #28
#27Eugene132US #26
#28Henry132US #17
#29David125US #25
#30Ray119US #67
#31Lawrence118US #37
#32Fred117US #33
#33Albert114US #20
#34Samuel109US #44
#35Arthur106US #19
#36Cecil100US #79
#37Ernest100US #38
#38Clyde96US #69
#39Herbert91US #42
#40Joe90US #36
#41Junior90US #167
#42Russell89US #52
#43Leonard86US #39
#44Bernard79US #45
#45Elmer79US #48
#46Virgil78US #98
#47Lewis76US #71
#48Clifford70US #62
#49Homer68US #105
#50Chester61US #56
#51Herman61US #64
#52Melvin60US #53
#53Lloyd59US #58
#54Stanley58US #41
#55Louis57US #29
#56Marvin57US #59
#57Jesse56US #77
#58Willard56US #89
#59Floyd55US #63
#60Everett50US #95
#61Glenn50US #80
#62Hubert50US #115
#63Alfred48US #43
#64Arnold48US #91
#65Billy48US #109
#66Daniel48US #49
#67Delbert48US #156
#68Gerald48US #60
#69Orville47US #137
#70Andrew46US #51
#71Curtis45US #122
#72Lester45US #66
#73Edgar44US #90
#74Edwin44US #54
#75Francis44US #35
#76Lee44US #86
#77Leo42US #50
#78Luther42US #123
#79Vernon42US #68
#80Ira40US #166
#81Dennis39US #190
#82Glen38US #119
#83Woodrow38
#84Denver37
#85Anthony36US #40
#86Claude36US #96
#87Guy36US #140
#88Steve36US #130
#89Allen35US #94
#90Norman35US #46
#91Harvey34US #87
#92Leroy34US #55
#93Ronald34US #154
#94Wayne34US #81
#95Benjamin33US #82
#96Wilbur33US #100
#97Dale32US #93
#98Earnest31US #138
#99Sam31US #85
#100Calvin30US #131

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑24Genevieve#64
↑24Marvin#56
↑24Hubert#62
↑24Curtis#71
↑23Orville#69
↑22Floyd#59
↑21Melvin#52
↑20Wilma#41

Falling

↓48Stella#90
↓30Norman#90
↓27Ida#93
↓24Lena#79
↓23Mae#97
↓21Myrtle#61
↓20Earnest#98
↓18Florence#72

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.