State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1939 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,741 West Virginia births in 1939 across 767 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.

#58Delorisoutside the national top 200
#47Patty#181 nationally
#79Fredaoutside the national top 200
#89Violet#196 nationally
#65Shelby#170 nationally
#69Naomi#174 nationally
#97Deweyoutside the national top 200
#63Lowell#166 nationally
#99Glennaoutside the national top 200
#91Cora#183 nationally
#91Delbert#174 nationally
#25Jackie#105 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,026US #1
#2Betty700US #4
#3Barbara640US #2
#4Patricia569US #3
#5Shirley551US #5
#6Nancy472US #7
#7Carol332US #6
#8Phyllis319US #30
#9Janet296US #17
#10Margaret281US #10
#11Carolyn280US #14
#12Helen262US #16
#13Judith246US #8
#14Joyce245US #12
#15Ruth239US #22
#16Linda236US #15
#17Dorothy226US #9
#18Janice219US #24
#19Sandra218US #13
#20Norma204US #38
#21Donna196US #20
#22Peggy196US #34
#23Martha193US #27
#24Virginia193US #21
#25Wanda193US #50
#26Frances187US #26
#27Anna164US #43
#28Elizabeth154US #18
#29Doris138US #29
#30Loretta138US #65
#31Alice129US #31
#32Joan115US #11
#33Ruby113US #67
#34Jo112US #70
#35Lois112US #35
#36Charlotte111US #66
#37Judy111US #28
#38Juanita109US #77
#39Bonnie106US #61
#40Wilma103US #87
#41Delores102US #79
#42Mildred101US #55
#43Evelyn99US #40
#44Emma92US #89
#45Sylvia92US #62
#46Thelma91US #88
#47Patty90US #181
#48Sharon87US #23
#49Eleanor84US #63
#50Gloria80US #36
#51Rose78US #42
#52Joann77US #57
#53Geraldine76US #41
#54Jean75US #32
#55Sarah75US #68
#56Patsy73US #56
#57Sally73US #52
#58Deloris71
#59Hazel71US #118
#60Sue69US #92
#61Gladys67US #104
#62Marilyn66US #19
#63Beverly65US #25
#64Ethel65US #100
#65Shelby65US #170
#66Ann63US #33
#67Clara62US #103
#68Jane62US #46
#69Naomi62US #174
#70Lillian60US #99
#71Roberta60US #71
#72Susan59US #44
#73Carole57US #47
#74Edith56US #102
#75Eva54US #129
#76Kathryn54US #106
#77Yvonne54US #90
#78Alma53US #150
#79Freda53
#80Catherine52US #49
#81June52US #83
#82Edna51US #81
#83Jacqueline51US #72
#84Marjorie51US #60
#85Brenda50US #86
#86Connie50US #111
#87Julia50US #91
#88Pauline50US #105
#89Violet50US #196
#90Rebecca49US #134
#91Cora48US #183
#92Ellen48US #80
#93Marie48US #37
#94Kay47US #76
#95Dolores46US #58
#96Vivian46US #128
#97Ella45US #132
#98Irene45US #74
#99Glenna44
#100Maxine44US #137

Boys

#1James1,210US #2
#2Robert1,048US #1
#3Charles859US #6
#4William842US #4
#5John775US #3
#6David485US #7
#7Donald477US #8
#8Richard432US #5
#9Ronald394US #10
#10Thomas364US #9
#11Paul339US #17
#12George325US #11
#13Larry313US #14
#14Kenneth295US #13
#15Jerry286US #16
#16Harold244US #23
#17Joseph208US #12
#18Carl207US #30
#19Gary199US #21
#20Billy185US #24
#21Bobby176US #29
#22Edward176US #15
#23Jack174US #26
#24Ralph163US #35
#25Jackie159US #105
#26Harry147US #45
#27Roy143US #42
#28Frank132US #20
#29Howard127US #47
#30Raymond121US #22
#31Clarence116US #60
#32Earl107US #50
#33Michael107US #18
#34Franklin104US #106
#35Gerald102US #19
#36Roger102US #28
#37Walter102US #25
#38Arthur96US #32
#39Eugene94US #37
#40Lawrence92US #36
#41Joe91US #27
#42Jimmy89US #43
#43Fred84US #40
#44Melvin84US #51
#45Samuel82US #63
#46Marvin81US #52
#47Gene78US #69
#48Leonard78US #54
#49Daniel77US #38
#50Ernest76US #55
#51Johnny74US #62
#52Wayne72US #39
#53Bernard69US #76
#54Norman69US #44
#55Russell69US #73
#56Lewis68US #107
#57Cecil67US #114
#58Henry67US #31
#59Dennis66US #34
#60Darrell62US #130
#61Ronnie62US #109
#62Jimmie60US #80
#63Lowell60US #166
#64Clyde58US #101
#65Curtis58US #98
#66Tommy58US #77
#67Willard58US #147
#68Dale57US #59
#69Don57US #56
#70Glen56US #123
#71Freddie55US #138
#72Ray55US #74
#73Arnold54US #113
#74Glenn54US #87
#75Herbert52US #68
#76Albert51US #41
#77Clifford50US #88
#78Douglas49US #58
#79Elmer49US #132
#80Stanley49US #57
#81Allen48US #72
#82Eddie48US #81
#83Bill47US #67
#84Danny47US #137
#85Frederick44US #71
#86Lloyd43US #95
#87Phillip43US #92
#88Vernon40US #100
#89Keith39US #117
#90Virgil39US #164
#91Delbert38US #174
#92Alfred36US #70
#93Herman36US #111
#94Leroy36US #61
#95Alvin35US #103
#96Bob35US #89
#97Dewey34
#98Floyd34US #94
#99Gordon34US #82
#100Homer34US #180

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑33Leonard#48
↑29Lowell#63
↑27Sue#60
↑24Judy#37
↑24Willard#67
↑23Naomi#69
↑22Darrell#60
↑20Marilyn#62

Falling

↓34Ellen#92
↓33Edna#82
↓26Shelby#65
↓25Danny#84
↓24Floyd#98
↓22Albert#76
↓18Frederick#85
↓17Jean#54

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.