State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1941 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,443 West Virginia births in 1941 across 750 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.

#66Delorisoutside the national top 200
#43Patty#176 nationally
#75Glennaoutside the national top 200
#88Fredaoutside the national top 200
#88Dallasoutside the national top 200
#85Naomi#193 nationally
#95Shelbyoutside the national top 200
#100Dremaoutside the national top 200
#97Homer#189 nationally
#97Cora#186 nationally
#26Jackie#110 nationally
#84Willard#159 nationally

Girls

#1Mary992US #1
#2Barbara644US #2
#3Patricia614US #3
#4Betty588US #7
#5Linda492US #5
#6Carolyn482US #11
#7Nancy449US #8
#8Shirley434US #10
#9Judith413US #6
#10Sandra386US #9
#11Carol361US #4
#12Janet291US #18
#13Margaret281US #12
#14Phyllis279US #35
#15Joyce264US #13
#16Ruth244US #28
#17Brenda240US #41
#18Helen225US #24
#19Judy212US #16
#20Dorothy200US #14
#21Donna197US #20
#22Janice195US #22
#23Peggy191US #39
#24Wanda189US #53
#25Karen185US #19
#26Martha183US #25
#27Virginia182US #23
#28Bonnie181US #33
#29Sharon181US #15
#30Norma176US #47
#31Elizabeth173US #21
#32Frances157US #31
#33Anna149US #56
#34Doris149US #38
#35Alice146US #34
#36Juanita132US #84
#37Gloria131US #26
#38Charlotte129US #55
#39Lois118US #43
#40Patsy117US #52
#41Joan116US #17
#42Loretta109US #81
#43Patty107US #176
#44Delores105US #80
#45Sue105US #75
#46Beverly94US #29
#47Jo93US #66
#48Rebecca93US #86
#49Evelyn92US #50
#50Ruby89US #69
#51Sarah89US #60
#52Mildred84US #64
#53Wilma84US #106
#54Connie82US #79
#55Rose82US #49
#56Susan82US #27
#57Jean78US #32
#58Julia78US #88
#59Thelma78US #108
#60Sylvia76US #65
#61Eleanor73US #78
#62Joann72US #58
#63Emma71US #99
#64Geraldine70US #45
#65Rita70US #63
#66Deloris64
#67Ann62US #37
#68Gladys62US #118
#69Sally59US #61
#70Carole57US #48
#71Edith57US #103
#72Catherine56US #51
#73Ellen56US #67
#74Kay55US #70
#75Glenna53
#76Marilyn51US #30
#77Clara50US #111
#78Hazel50US #131
#79Jane49US #46
#80Margie49US #122
#81Deanna48US #137
#82Ethel48US #116
#83Eva48US #135
#84Kathleen47US #36
#85Naomi47US #193
#86Edna46US #89
#87Louise46US #62
#88Freda45
#89Maxine45US #139
#90Darlene44US #76
#91Ella44US #141
#92June44US #90
#93Kathryn43US #87
#94Nellie43US #167
#95Shelby43
#96Alma42US #163
#97Cora42US #186
#98Marjorie42US #71
#99Josephine41US #92
#100Drema40

Boys

#1James1,373US #1
#2Robert978US #2
#3William948US #4
#4Charles855US #6
#5John850US #3
#6David568US #7
#7Richard526US #5
#8Larry492US #11
#9Donald452US #10
#10Jerry420US #14
#11Ronald403US #9
#12Thomas383US #8
#13George338US #13
#14Gary300US #19
#15Paul296US #18
#16Kenneth251US #15
#17Joseph225US #12
#18Roger213US #25
#19Edward203US #17
#20Carl188US #29
#21Billy186US #27
#22Harold182US #24
#23Roy175US #39
#24Bobby174US #35
#25Harry150US #48
#26Jackie149US #110
#27Jack147US #32
#28Ralph147US #38
#29Michael132US #16
#30Raymond132US #22
#31Frank127US #21
#32Walter113US #26
#33Howard112US #47
#34Clarence110US #62
#35Earl109US #58
#36Franklin103US #98
#37Gerald102US #20
#38Fred101US #43
#39Johnny98US #55
#40Lawrence94US #34
#41Samuel90US #65
#42Jimmy89US #45
#43Ernest87US #61
#44Eugene86US #42
#45Joe85US #30
#46Albert83US #40
#47Russell82US #75
#48Arthur79US #33
#49Melvin78US #56
#50Henry77US #28
#51Ronnie76US #79
#52Danny75US #120
#53Dennis71US #23
#54Herbert71US #76
#55Leonard70US #54
#56Norman69US #49
#57Lewis68US #109
#58Douglas67US #53
#59Stanley67US #57
#60Don66US #66
#61Wayne66US #37
#62Bernard65US #87
#63Gene65US #72
#64Cecil62US #132
#65Clyde62US #113
#66Stephen61US #41
#67Daniel60US #31
#68Darrell59US #130
#69Dale58US #59
#70Jimmie58US #89
#71Allen57US #73
#72Marvin57US #63
#73Glen56US #139
#74Philip55US #52
#75Tommy55US #71
#76Curtis52US #100
#77Glenn51US #86
#78Jesse51US #99
#79Terry51US #64
#80Frederick50US #69
#81Lloyd50US #96
#82Phillip50US #77
#83Chester48US #136
#84Willard47US #159
#85Bill46US #68
#86Eddie46US #78
#87Willie46US #36
#88Dallas45
#89Floyd44US #102
#90Vernon44US #108
#91Arnold43US #123
#92Everett41US #166
#93Ray41US #83
#94Freddie40US #138
#95Alfred39US #74
#96Herman39US #114
#97Homer38US #189
#98Warren38US #105
#99Calvin37US #133
#100Clifford37US #94

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑37Karen#25
↑25Catherine#72
↑25Herbert#54
↑25Leonard#55
↑22Beverly#46
↑22Stanley#59
↑21Susan#56
↑21Glen#73

Falling

↓34Ray#93
↓27Daniel#67
↓26Clifford#100
↓23Edna#86
↓22Alma#96
↓21Marvin#72
↓20Shelby#95
↓20Curtis#76

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.