State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1929 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 34,903 West Virginia births in 1929 across 777 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.

#61Fredaoutside the national top 200
#88Denveroutside the national top 200
#55Beulah#161 nationally
#75Jackie#179 nationally
#52Opal#150 nationally
#99Darrell#194 nationally
#31Junior#120 nationally
#55Homer#141 nationally
#56Naomi#139 nationally
#49Geneva#130 nationally
#98Guy#173 nationally
#67Jo#140 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,287US #1
#2Betty1,183US #2
#3Helen472US #4
#4Dorothy425US #3
#5Virginia366US #11
#6Margaret356US #5
#7Ruth332US #8
#8Doris299US #6
#9Anna271US #20
#10Evelyn224US #19
#11Mildred221US #18
#12Frances209US #16
#13Phyllis195US #24
#14Barbara189US #7
#15Patricia186US #10
#16Norma182US #25
#17Wanda178US #61
#18Elizabeth175US #15
#19Thelma175US #41
#20Ruby162US #36
#21Jean150US #12
#22Juanita147US #60
#23Martha146US #27
#24Lois141US #17
#25Edith137US #59
#26Edna135US #51
#27Pauline134US #50
#28Nancy133US #32
#29Wilma129US #66
#30Alice126US #21
#31Hazel124US #64
#32Geraldine119US #43
#33Joan117US #13
#34Emma116US #69
#35Gladys110US #44
#36Maxine109US #85
#37Louise99US #31
#38Marie99US #22
#39Kathleen98US #89
#40Violet95US #111
#41June94US #48
#42Peggy94US #70
#43Irene93US #29
#44Clara92US #65
#45Lillian89US #40
#46Eva88US #83
#47Rose87US #26
#48Ethel85US #56
#49Geneva83US #130
#50Dolores81US #14
#51Joyce81US #23
#52Opal81US #150
#53Catherine77US #34
#54Sarah77US #68
#55Beulah76US #161
#56Naomi75US #139
#57Nellie72US #113
#58Alma71US #106
#59Marjorie71US #30
#60Sylvia69US #119
#61Freda68
#62Grace68US #54
#63Eleanor65US #38
#64Shirley65US #9
#65Billie64US #79
#66Gloria64US #28
#67Jo64US #140
#68Josephine64US #45
#69Lucille64US #57
#70Audrey61US #58
#71Myrtle61US #117
#72Carolyn60US #77
#73Joann60US #144
#74Ella59US #102
#75Elsie59US #78
#76Bonnie57US #86
#77Charlotte57US #73
#78Ramona56US #120
#79Lena55US #138
#80Pearl54US #114
#81Velma54US #128
#82Vivian54US #81
#83Florence53US #35
#84Katherine53US #84
#85Bernice52US #55
#86Jane51US #62
#87Laura51US #90
#88Ann50US #46
#89Beatrice50US #72
#90Janice50US #136
#91Julia50US #88
#92Delores49US #74
#93Erma49US #166
#94Loretta49US #127
#95Mabel49US #147
#96Roberta49US #126
#97Bessie48US #107
#98Janet48US #82
#99Bertha47US #93
#100Lucy47US #116

Boys

#1James1,147US #2
#2Robert1,044US #1
#3William974US #4
#4Charles819US #5
#5John691US #3
#6Donald361US #7
#7George325US #8
#8Richard316US #6
#9Paul289US #13
#10Jack275US #14
#11Thomas274US #11
#12Billy244US #23
#13Harold244US #16
#14Edward196US #10
#15Carl193US #28
#16Harry187US #27
#17Joseph184US #9
#18Kenneth179US #18
#19Ralph176US #26
#20Herbert171US #25
#21David159US #17
#22Frank157US #12
#23Eugene152US #20
#24Raymond149US #15
#25Roy146US #35
#26Walter145US #19
#27Howard129US #31
#28Clarence128US #37
#29Earl127US #36
#30Bobby122US #50
#31Junior108US #120
#32Albert107US #24
#33Henry103US #21
#34Arthur100US #22
#35Fred100US #34
#36Ray91US #57
#37Ernest89US #43
#38Joe88US #30
#39Clyde85US #74
#40Ronald81US #45
#41Lawrence80US #38
#42Russell75US #56
#43Alfred74US #41
#44Samuel69US #53
#45Cecil67US #101
#46Lewis67US #84
#47Bernard65US #52
#48Clifford63US #72
#49Gerald63US #33
#50Melvin62US #49
#51Bill59US #63
#52Gene59US #68
#53Norman59US #40
#54Glen56US #123
#55Homer56US #141
#56Marvin54US #46
#57Elmer53US #70
#58Leonard53US #42
#59Stanley52US #48
#60Chester51US #96
#61Floyd50US #58
#62Jesse50US #93
#63Lester50US #88
#64Curtis49US #99
#65Arnold48US #95
#66Herman48US #75
#67Don46US #78
#68Louis46US #32
#69Willard46US #114
#70Glenn45US #80
#71Lloyd45US #62
#72Virgil45US #127
#73Claude44US #119
#74Daniel43US #47
#75Jackie42US #179
#76Luther42US #145
#77Lee41US #85
#78Frederick40US #67
#79Andrew39US #59
#80Edwin39US #66
#81Hubert39US #124
#82Jimmie39US #98
#83Theodore39US #65
#84Willie39US #29
#85Billie38US #122
#86Vernon38US #71
#87Delbert37US #157
#88Denver37
#89Everett37US #130
#90Leroy37US #51
#91Edgar35US #116
#92Johnny34US #113
#93Wayne34US #69
#94Leo33US #60
#95Leon32US #81
#96Anthony31US #44
#97Dale31US #73
#98Guy31US #173
#99Darrell29US #194
#100Franklin29US #148

On the move since 1928

Rising

↑43Joan#33
↑31Grace#62
↑31Shirley#64
↑27Jo#67
↑24Claude#73
↑23Geneva#49
↑23Naomi#56
↑23Bobby#30

Falling

↓43Mabel#95
↓26Julia#91
↓25Eleanor#63
↓22Pearl#80
↓22Vernon#86
↓19Irene#43
↓19Lucille#69
↓19Guy#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1928 rankings.