State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1942 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,418 West Virginia births in 1942 across 784 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.

#52Patty#186 nationally
#82Naomioutside the national top 200
#85Delorisoutside the national top 200
#86Fredaoutside the national top 200
#94Glennaoutside the national top 200
#94Homeroutside the national top 200
#97Dottieoutside the national top 200
#99Delmasoutside the national top 200
#98Delbert#197 nationally
#92Lowell#178 nationally
#98Nellie#183 nationally
#37Jackie#119 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,041US #1
#2Patricia688US #3
#3Barbara679US #2
#4Linda657US #4
#5Carolyn551US #10
#6Betty546US #9
#7Shirley485US #12
#8Sandra471US #6
#9Carol438US #5
#10Nancy431US #8
#11Judith398US #7
#12Joyce330US #13
#13Janet321US #19
#14Karen293US #16
#15Margaret276US #14
#16Sharon272US #11
#17Brenda263US #40
#18Donna259US #20
#19Phyllis258US #37
#20Judy254US #15
#21Ruth225US #33
#22Helen222US #26
#23Bonnie195US #34
#24Frances195US #30
#25Virginia189US #23
#26Elizabeth187US #22
#27Dorothy186US #17
#28Anna181US #59
#29Wanda177US #54
#30Peggy174US #42
#31Martha168US #29
#32Charlotte157US #51
#33Janice155US #25
#34Alice149US #39
#35Norma140US #52
#36Doris134US #41
#37Gloria131US #31
#38Lois124US #44
#39Rebecca120US #85
#40Connie117US #70
#41Susan101US #21
#42Wilma96US #114
#43Evelyn94US #53
#44Patsy94US #57
#45Carole93US #35
#46Delores93US #86
#47Loretta93US #79
#48Joan91US #18
#49Rita91US #55
#50Beverly90US #32
#51Rose87US #50
#52Patty84US #186
#53Sue84US #73
#54Jean83US #36
#55Sarah83US #67
#56Thelma82US #121
#57Jo79US #65
#58Mildred79US #71
#59Juanita77US #90
#60Ruby77US #77
#61Emma76US #108
#62Edna74US #99
#63Sylvia73US #72
#64Ann67US #38
#65Geraldine67US #47
#66Kay66US #75
#67Sally63US #56
#68Jane62US #46
#69Julia60US #95
#70Roberta59US #66
#71Marilyn57US #27
#72Ethel55US #124
#73Eva55US #140
#74Pauline55US #112
#75Eleanor54US #87
#76Lillian54US #111
#77Billie53US #143
#78Ellen53US #64
#79Hazel53US #139
#80Catherine52US #49
#81Louise52US #61
#82Naomi52
#83Sara52US #128
#84Kathryn51US #82
#85Deloris50
#86Freda50
#87Elsie49US #166
#88Joann49US #58
#89Marie48US #43
#90Clara47US #122
#91Diana47US #68
#92Alma46US #165
#93Gladys46US #127
#94Glenna43
#95Kathleen43US #24
#96Laura43US #115
#97Dottie42
#98Nellie42US #183
#99Sheila42US #94
#100Edith40US #113

Boys

#1James1,515US #1
#2Robert1,021US #2
#3William953US #4
#4John886US #3
#5Charles806US #7
#6David616US #6
#7Larry609US #12
#8Richard540US #5
#9Donald462US #10
#10Ronald438US #9
#11Thomas422US #8
#12Jerry387US #16
#13Gary348US #18
#14Douglas318US #23
#15George314US #14
#16Paul294US #19
#17Roger269US #25
#18Kenneth245US #15
#19Harold220US #27
#20Joseph218US #11
#21Carl205US #36
#22Michael184US #13
#23Roy174US #42
#24Billy171US #35
#25Edward167US #17
#26Ralph156US #38
#27Harry144US #48
#28Raymond140US #24
#29Jack138US #34
#30Bobby132US #43
#31Frank129US #21
#32Walter120US #26
#33Danny118US #111
#34Earl117US #62
#35Franklin110US #103
#36Howard105US #49
#37Jackie105US #119
#38Lawrence104US #30
#39Clarence98US #67
#40Gerald97US #22
#41Samuel94US #59
#42Daniel93US #28
#43Eugene91US #45
#44Albert89US #40
#45Dennis89US #20
#46Henry87US #31
#47Johnny84US #55
#48Joe82US #33
#49Stephen82US #32
#50Arthur81US #29
#51Fred81US #46
#52Ernest80US #61
#53Wayne80US #41
#54Jimmy76US #47
#55Darrell75US #135
#56Russell75US #70
#57Phillip73US #77
#58Tommy73US #73
#59Jimmie72US #94
#60Philip70US #54
#61Clyde68US #109
#62Ronnie67US #78
#63Bernard65US #90
#64Curtis65US #98
#65Norman65US #53
#66Lloyd63US #96
#67Marvin62US #66
#68Terry61US #52
#69Herbert60US #83
#70Dale59US #63
#71Lewis59US #112
#72Allen58US #71
#73Melvin58US #60
#74Cecil56US #131
#75Don55US #72
#76Glenn55US #88
#77Freddie54US #140
#78Stanley53US #56
#79Eddie51US #86
#80Glen50US #144
#81Bill48US #65
#82Leonard48US #57
#83Ray48US #84
#84Chester47US #137
#85Jesse46US #100
#86Willard46US #159
#87Frederick45US #68
#88Virgil45US #168
#89Floyd43US #113
#90Gene43US #82
#91Arnold42US #130
#92Lowell41US #178
#93Clifford40US #95
#94Homer40
#95Vernon40US #114
#96Alfred39US #76
#97Anthony39US #44
#98Delbert39US #197
#99Delmas39
#100Lonnie39US #148

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑44Douglas#14
↑25Carole#45
↑25Daniel#42
↑25Phillip#57
↑24Edna#62
↑19Danny#33
↑17Stephen#49
↑17Tommy#58

Falling

↓29Edith#100
↓27Leonard#82
↓27Gene#90
↓26Joann#88
↓25Gladys#93
↓24Melvin#73
↓23Juanita#59
↓19Deloris#85

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.