State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1928 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,487 West Virginia births in 1928 across 781 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.

#60Fredaoutside the national top 200
#63Glennaoutside the national top 200
#92Darrelloutside the national top 200
#94Deweyoutside the national top 200
#97Goldieoutside the national top 200
#98Denveroutside the national top 200
#51Opal#146 nationally
#59Beulah#154 nationally
#79Guy#167 nationally
#35Junior#120 nationally
#94Jo#179 nationally
#52Mabel#135 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,413US #1
#2Betty1,267US #2
#3Helen502US #4
#4Dorothy444US #3
#5Virginia403US #9
#6Margaret366US #5
#7Ruth363US #6
#8Anna299US #16
#9Doris266US #7
#10Mildred260US #15
#11Elizabeth228US #14
#12Ruby221US #34
#13Frances212US #13
#14Evelyn208US #17
#15Phyllis190US #26
#16Thelma183US #40
#17Alice175US #19
#18Juanita172US #58
#19Martha170US #22
#20Norma168US #23
#21Wanda165US #63
#22Pauline159US #48
#23Barbara155US #8
#24Irene151US #28
#25Patricia149US #11
#26Edith147US #56
#27Lois145US #18
#28Jean144US #12
#29Maxine130US #84
#30Edna124US #45
#31Hazel124US #59
#32Nancy122US #43
#33Gladys120US #41
#34Ethel119US #55
#35Lillian115US #35
#36Wilma112US #69
#37Marie109US #21
#38Eleanor107US #36
#39Geraldine105US #50
#40Louise105US #31
#41Rose105US #24
#42Kathleen102US #82
#43Eva98US #79
#44Marjorie97US #29
#45Nellie97US #111
#46Clara96US #65
#47Violet94US #113
#48June91US #44
#49Emma90US #67
#50Lucille90US #51
#51Opal88US #146
#52Mabel87US #135
#53Peggy83US #76
#54Josephine82US #42
#55Alma81US #107
#56Catherine79US #33
#57Dolores79US #20
#58Pearl79US #110
#59Beulah78US #154
#60Freda77
#61Sarah77US #64
#62Charlotte76US #72
#63Glenna76
#64Joyce75US #30
#65Julia75US #80
#66Georgia73US #115
#67Elsie72US #73
#68Audrey70US #60
#69Bonnie69US #89
#70Margie68US #108
#71Gloria67US #25
#72Geneva66US #124
#73Ramona66US #117
#74Velma66US #114
#75Bernice65US #53
#76Joan65US #27
#77Sylvia65US #119
#78Katherine63US #75
#79Naomi63US #141
#80Billie62US #96
#81Lena62US #131
#82Myrtle61US #116
#83Kathryn60US #99
#84Vivian60US #78
#85Florence59US #32
#86Genevieve59US #134
#87Beatrice58US #70
#88Ida58US #87
#89Laura58US #83
#90Ella57US #100
#91Bertha56US #81
#92Bessie56US #101
#93Grace56US #52
#94Jo55US #179
#95Shirley55US #10
#96Erma54US #157
#97Goldie54
#98Loretta54US #123
#99Leona50US #122
#100Agnes49US #85

Boys

#1James1,207US #3
#2William994US #4
#3Robert992US #1
#4Charles951US #5
#5John768US #2
#6Donald391US #7
#7George380US #8
#8Paul324US #13
#9Harold307US #14
#10Jack297US #15
#11Richard291US #6
#12Thomas277US #11
#13Edward238US #10
#14Harry213US #26
#15Billy211US #27
#16Joseph202US #9
#17Kenneth201US #17
#18Carl200US #28
#19Ralph189US #24
#20Herbert187US #25
#21Frank177US #12
#22Eugene176US #20
#23Howard173US #31
#24Roy173US #34
#25Raymond171US #16
#26David163US #19
#27Clarence159US #35
#28Earl159US #37
#29Walter136US #18
#30Ray132US #57
#31Fred120US #36
#32Albert118US #23
#33Ernest116US #43
#34Alfred108US #33
#35Junior107US #120
#36Gene104US #62
#37Arthur98US #22
#38Henry95US #21
#39Lawrence94US #38
#40Joe92US #30
#41Bernard88US #49
#42Russell88US #55
#43Samuel88US #52
#44Leonard85US #42
#45Ronald82US #50
#46Cecil80US #97
#47Norman78US #39
#48Clifford75US #68
#49Clyde75US #74
#50Elmer73US #63
#51Gerald73US #41
#52Lewis73US #86
#53Bobby69US #65
#54Homer67US #131
#55Louis66US #32
#56Glen65US #115
#57Arnold62US #98
#58Virgil62US #126
#59Melvin59US #48
#60Marvin58US #46
#61Herman55US #78
#62Glenn54US #76
#63Bill53US #64
#64Vernon53US #70
#65Floyd52US #54
#66Daniel51US #47
#67Hubert50US #121
#68Edwin49US #58
#69Jesse49US #91
#70Stanley47US #45
#71Willard45US #113
#72Calvin44US #94
#73Curtis44US #101
#74Lester44US #89
#75Lloyd44US #59
#76Willie44US #29
#77Francis42US #40
#78Edgar41US #114
#79Guy41US #167
#80Chester40US #88
#81Delbert40US #154
#82Leroy40US #51
#83Dale39US #75
#84Dennis39US #159
#85Everett39US #123
#86Jimmie38US #100
#87Alvin37US #72
#88Andrew37US #60
#89Jimmy37US #138
#90Johnny37US #117
#91Allen36US #93
#92Darrell35
#93Wayne35US #69
#94Dewey34
#95Leon34US #81
#96Billie33US #133
#97Claude33US #116
#98Denver33
#99Frederick33US #67
#100Harvey32US #90

On the move since 1927

Rising

↑34Pearl#58
↑33Georgia#66
↑28Glenn#62
↑26Herman#61
↑26Edwin#68
↑21Mabel#52
↑21Margie#70
↑20Herbert#20

Falling

↓31Beatrice#87
↓28Calvin#72
↓24Katherine#78
↓24Florence#85
↓24Everett#85
↓23Agnes#100
↓23Claude#97
↓22Andrew#88

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1927 rankings.