State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1938 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,216 West Virginia births in 1938 across 765 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.

#34Patty#175 nationally
#56Deloris#196 nationally
#89Fredaoutside the national top 200
#97Buddyoutside the national top 200
#39Shelby#142 nationally
#91Violet#194 nationally
#98Glennaoutside the national top 200
#64Nellie#152 nationally
#26Jackie#105 nationally
#59Danny#137 nationally
#94Delbert#169 nationally
#96Homer#171 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,087US #1
#2Betty800US #4
#3Barbara635US #2
#4Shirley634US #5
#5Patricia491US #3
#6Nancy437US #7
#7Phyllis292US #28
#8Carol280US #6
#9Margaret279US #9
#10Carolyn267US #15
#11Janet267US #16
#12Ruth259US #21
#13Helen253US #13
#14Dorothy244US #8
#15Norma226US #34
#16Wanda211US #49
#17Virginia202US #22
#18Martha200US #26
#19Peggy200US #35
#20Doris198US #25
#21Joyce195US #11
#22Donna185US #20
#23Anna182US #40
#24Janice179US #24
#25Alice169US #29
#26Linda169US #31
#27Sandra168US #14
#28Elizabeth158US #17
#29Frances155US #23
#30Judith144US #12
#31Loretta142US #62
#32Lois129US #33
#33Charlotte117US #70
#34Patty117US #175
#35Delores116US #75
#36Evelyn113US #38
#37Jean112US #27
#38Jo111US #78
#39Shelby105US #142
#40Ruby104US #61
#41Wilma104US #85
#42Thelma103US #86
#43Juanita102US #80
#44Mildred102US #52
#45Sylvia98US #56
#46Bonnie89US #65
#47Patsy89US #55
#48Joan88US #10
#49Edna85US #82
#50Eleanor85US #60
#51Emma84US #96
#52Gloria84US #36
#53Joann84US #68
#54Beverly83US #18
#55Rose83US #39
#56Deloris80US #196
#57Rosalie78US #66
#58Ellen77US #89
#59Hazel77US #111
#60Sally74US #54
#61Judy73US #41
#62Ann72US #32
#63Sharon70US #30
#64Nellie67US #152
#65Jane66US #44
#66Gladys64US #103
#67Sarah64US #67
#68Geraldine63US #45
#69Clara62US #98
#70Carole61US #46
#71Connie60US #110
#72Edith60US #102
#73Roberta60US #73
#74Ethel58US #94
#75June58US #79
#76Alma57US #147
#77Marjorie57US #53
#78Julia56US #107
#79Kay56US #81
#80Kathryn55US #114
#81Louise55US #59
#82Marilyn54US #19
#83Pauline53US #97
#84Dolores52US #43
#85Ella52US #140
#86Elsie52US #137
#87Sue52US #104
#88Anita51US #99
#89Freda51
#90Ida51US #141
#91Violet51US #194
#92Naomi50US #166
#93Margie48US #109
#94Eva47US #126
#95Marlene47US #51
#96Irene46US #72
#97Catherine45US #48
#98Glenna45
#99Marie45US #37
#100Geneva44US #171

Boys

#1James1,309US #2
#2Robert1,030US #1
#3Charles866US #6
#4William831US #4
#5John729US #3
#6Donald555US #7
#7Richard440US #5
#8David430US #8
#9Ronald359US #10
#10Thomas327US #9
#11George325US #11
#12Paul316US #15
#13Larry294US #16
#14Jerry262US #17
#15Kenneth260US #14
#16Harold251US #23
#17Billy217US #24
#18Gary209US #22
#19Jack208US #25
#20Edward206US #13
#21Joseph204US #12
#22Carl201US #29
#23Bobby185US #27
#24Raymond173US #20
#25Harry172US #44
#26Jackie157US #105
#27Frank146US #18
#28Howard145US #42
#29Ralph145US #35
#30Franklin131US #100
#31Roy129US #41
#32Joe126US #28
#33Walter109US #26
#34Eugene102US #33
#35Clarence99US #58
#36Earl99US #50
#37Gerald95US #19
#38Lawrence92US #36
#39Samuel90US #62
#40Arthur89US #32
#41Fred89US #38
#42Roger86US #31
#43Michael84US #21
#44Henry81US #30
#45Bernard79US #75
#46Ernest79US #55
#47Gene79US #65
#48Norman79US #43
#49Jimmy77US #45
#50Johnny77US #63
#51Russell76US #70
#52Daniel75US #39
#53Clyde74US #97
#54Albert72US #37
#55Wayne69US #40
#56Dale68US #56
#57Melvin68US #54
#58Ray68US #72
#59Danny65US #137
#60Freddie62US #132
#61Curtis61US #101
#62Jimmie61US #76
#63Marvin61US #53
#64Don59US #52
#65Glenn59US #83
#66Clifford58US #89
#67Frederick58US #71
#68Tommy58US #77
#69Bill57US #67
#70Cecil57US #118
#71Douglas57US #60
#72Lloyd56US #92
#73Dennis55US #49
#74Floyd55US #96
#75Lewis55US #109
#76Arnold53US #111
#77Glen53US #121
#78Ronnie52US #113
#79Phillip51US #95
#80Edwin50US #90
#81Leonard50US #57
#82Darrell49US #128
#83Herbert49US #68
#84Stanley49US #59
#85Terry46US #86
#86Alfred45US #69
#87Francis45US #51
#88Allen44US #73
#89Virgil44US #151
#90Keith43US #120
#91Willard43US #148
#92Lowell42US #164
#93Claude41US #131
#94Delbert41US #169
#95Everett40US #159
#96Homer38US #171
#97Buddy37
#98Herman36US #108
#99Jesse36US #107
#100Lester36US #115

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑36Danny#59
↑30Freddie#60
↑28Sharon#63
↑25Judith#30
↑21Kay#79
↑20Julia#78
↑18Patty#34
↑16Ellen#58

Falling

↓33Sue#87
↓32Violet#91
↓28Naomi#92
↓28Homer#96
↓24Dolores#84
↓19Jimmie#62
↓19Bill#69
↓18Joan#48

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.