State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1940 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,308 West Virginia births in 1940 across 769 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.

#48Patty#175 nationally
#78Fredaoutside the national top 200
#81Glennaoutside the national top 200
#85Delorisoutside the national top 200
#75Shelby#187 nationally
#100Opaloutside the national top 200
#87Delbert#180 nationally
#82Lowell#172 nationally
#91Naomi#179 nationally
#26Jackie#108 nationally
#52Darrell#131 nationally
#99Geneva#178 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,045US #1
#2Betty624US #5
#3Barbara609US #2
#4Patricia558US #3
#5Shirley480US #9
#6Nancy462US #7
#7Linda412US #8
#8Carolyn348US #15
#9Judith346US #4
#10Carol309US #6
#11Sandra307US #10
#12Phyllis294US #33
#13Janet276US #19
#14Margaret272US #11
#15Helen240US #18
#16Joyce231US #13
#17Dorothy229US #12
#18Wanda226US #52
#19Ruth225US #24
#20Anna193US #51
#21Frances192US #28
#22Norma191US #43
#23Virginia183US #21
#24Elizabeth179US #20
#25Doris176US #31
#26Brenda174US #42
#27Judy170US #16
#28Janice167US #22
#29Martha162US #26
#30Donna161US #23
#31Bonnie159US #39
#32Alice152US #32
#33Peggy139US #37
#34Lois136US #38
#35Charlotte130US #55
#36Loretta126US #69
#37Sharon125US #17
#38Gloria117US #30
#39Juanita109US #78
#40Delores98US #83
#41Joan98US #14
#42Jo97US #72
#43Rebecca96US #96
#44Jean94US #29
#45Thelma93US #101
#46Evelyn91US #48
#47Mildred91US #58
#48Patty91US #175
#49Connie89US #88
#50Eleanor87US #68
#51Sue85US #81
#52Wilma85US #93
#53Rose83US #44
#54Sylvia80US #62
#55Emma77US #94
#56Ruby77US #66
#57Patsy76US #57
#58Geraldine75US #46
#59Sarah69US #60
#60Edith68US #98
#61Jane67US #47
#62Karen67US #34
#63Edna66US #86
#64Joann66US #63
#65Ann65US #35
#66Ethel64US #106
#67Julia63US #91
#68Beverly62US #27
#69Ellen61US #74
#70Lillian60US #97
#71Hazel59US #123
#72Clara58US #111
#73Sally56US #61
#74Alma55US #152
#75Shelby55US #187
#76Carole54US #49
#77Susan52US #36
#78Freda51
#79Rita50US #70
#80Dolores49US #67
#81Glenna49
#82Anita48US #87
#83Kay48US #77
#84Marie48US #41
#85Deloris47
#86Irene47US #73
#87June47US #82
#88Gladys46US #116
#89Ella45US #146
#90Laura45US #108
#91Naomi45US #179
#92Nellie45US #161
#93Sara43US #122
#94Marilyn42US #25
#95Marjorie42US #64
#96Pauline42US #104
#97Catherine41US #53
#98Deanna41US #136
#99Geneva41US #178
#100Opal41

Boys

#1James1,332US #1
#2Robert973US #2
#3William896US #4
#4Charles825US #6
#5John797US #3
#6Donald466US #9
#7David459US #7
#8Richard459US #5
#9Larry437US #13
#10Thomas405US #8
#11Ronald392US #10
#12Jerry318US #14
#13George310US #11
#14Paul294US #17
#15Gary253US #19
#16Kenneth237US #15
#17Carl209US #32
#18Harold209US #23
#19Joseph208US #12
#20Billy187US #27
#21Edward187US #16
#22Roger163US #26
#23Jack160US #29
#24Bobby157US #30
#25Franklin155US #87
#26Jackie151US #108
#27Roy141US #42
#28Harry138US #47
#29Ralph137US #37
#30Walter132US #25
#31Frank130US #20
#32Raymond129US #22
#33Howard127US #45
#34Michael121US #18
#35Clarence103US #64
#36Lawrence103US #36
#37Joe99US #28
#38Fred95US #40
#39Gerald95US #21
#40Daniel94US #34
#41Earl93US #52
#42Arthur88US #33
#43Norman88US #48
#44Johnny86US #51
#45Russell85US #72
#46Melvin82US #53
#47Eugene81US #38
#48Samuel81US #65
#49Gene76US #70
#50Jimmy75US #44
#51Marvin74US #63
#52Darrell73US #131
#53Dennis73US #24
#54Albert72US #41
#55Jimmie71US #86
#56Curtis68US #97
#57Ernest68US #58
#58Henry66US #31
#59Ray66US #77
#60Allen64US #71
#61Lewis64US #107
#62Glenn63US #83
#63Bernard62US #82
#64Dale60US #57
#65Bill57US #67
#66Cecil57US #117
#67Don57US #62
#68Ronnie56US #101
#69Clyde55US #102
#70Tommy54US #76
#71Danny53US #126
#72Frederick53US #68
#73Wayne52US #39
#74Clifford51US #94
#75Douglas51US #56
#76Stephen51US #49
#77Wendell51US #114
#78Eddie50US #81
#79Herbert50US #75
#80Leonard50US #54
#81Stanley49US #59
#82Lowell47US #172
#83Terry47US #73
#84Floyd45US #103
#85Lloyd45US #100
#86Philip45US #60
#87Delbert44US #180
#88Phillip44US #79
#89Alfred43US #69
#90Elmer43US #144
#91Leroy42US #66
#92Willard42US #151
#93Arnold41US #118
#94Glen41US #130
#95Vernon40US #105
#96Everett39US #168
#97Freddie39US #138
#98Claude37US #145
#99Lonnie37US #153
#100Virgil37US #166

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑59Brenda#26
↑47Rebecca#43
↑37Connie#49
↑23Ellen#69
↑22Albert#54
↑21Allen#60
↑20Julia#67
↑19Edna#63

Falling

↓32Marilyn#94
↓32Leonard#80
↓27Deloris#85
↓27Gladys#88
↓26Freddie#97
↓25Willard#92
↓24Glen#94
↓23Ruby#56

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.