State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1946 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 45,054 West Virginia births in 1946 across 753 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.

#63Patty#191 nationally
#81Dremaoutside the national top 200
#86Delorisoutside the national top 200
#89Fredaoutside the national top 200
#91Delmasoutside the national top 200
#94Glennaoutside the national top 200
#96Dottieoutside the national top 200
#47Jackie#139 nationally
#51Darrell#131 nationally
#64Wilma#144 nationally
#82Cecil#159 nationally
#74Thelma#150 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,057US #2
#2Mary1,016US #1
#3Barbara732US #4
#4Patricia678US #3
#5Sandra628US #6
#6Sharon571US #9
#7Carolyn530US #12
#8Brenda507US #24
#9Nancy471US #7
#10Betty451US #14
#11Carol450US #5
#12Shirley376US #18
#13Judith370US #10
#14Judy368US #11
#15Donna354US #13
#16Karen324US #15
#17Joyce272US #20
#18Janet241US #21
#19Margaret239US #17
#20Susan225US #8
#21Connie221US #45
#22Wanda217US #59
#23Phyllis214US #41
#24Gloria201US #26
#25Bonnie197US #33
#26Rebecca189US #68
#27Elizabeth184US #25
#28Janice180US #22
#29Diana176US #42
#30Virginia174US #31
#31Peggy173US #43
#32Helen171US #36
#33Martha168US #32
#34Charlotte166US #64
#35Dorothy164US #23
#36Beverly160US #30
#37Ruth159US #38
#38Frances144US #39
#39Norma125US #77
#40Doris124US #51
#41Alice120US #44
#42Anna114US #87
#43Loretta112US #111
#44Cheryl110US #27
#45Jo107US #53
#46Lois105US #55
#47Pamela104US #34
#48Sue101US #61
#49Jane94US #35
#50Joan94US #28
#51Rita87US #56
#52Rose87US #60
#53Evelyn82US #65
#54Marilyn81US #29
#55Patsy81US #85
#56Sarah81US #92
#57Sheila77US #70
#58Kathryn76US #63
#59Jean75US #37
#60Juanita75US #110
#61Ann73US #40
#62Sylvia71US #82
#63Patty70US #191
#64Wilma69US #144
#65Delores67US #115
#66Ruby66US #105
#67Paula64US #69
#68Kathleen62US #16
#69Mildred62US #103
#70Diane60US #19
#71Sherry60US #73
#72Constance59US #100
#73Ellen59US #58
#74Thelma59US #150
#75Edith58US #136
#76Roberta56US #86
#77Darlene55US #71
#78Emma55US #131
#79Jacqueline55US #62
#80Joann53US #90
#81Drema52
#82Julia52US #114
#83Edna50US #126
#84Catherine49US #48
#85Carole48US #72
#86Deloris48
#87Kay48US #101
#88Cynthia47US #46
#89Freda46
#90Anita45US #84
#91Katherine45US #78
#92Laura43US #75
#93Sally43US #67
#94Glenna42
#95Rosemary42US #74
#96Dottie40
#97Geraldine40US #66
#98Kathy40US #79
#99Marie40US #54
#100Clara39US #145

Boys

#1James1,514US #1
#2Robert1,091US #2
#3John1,083US #3
#4William983US #4
#5Charles899US #9
#6David809US #6
#7Larry763US #11
#8Richard638US #5
#9Gary633US #12
#10Roger569US #23
#11Thomas527US #8
#12Ronald481US #10
#13Michael407US #7
#14Donald404US #13
#15Jerry404US #20
#16Kenneth338US #15
#17Paul308US #18
#18George307US #16
#19Danny256US #46
#20Joseph244US #14
#21Harold203US #33
#22Edward202US #19
#23Terry195US #26
#24Dennis171US #17
#25Roy171US #43
#26Carl170US #39
#27Ronnie157US #54
#28Billy155US #45
#29Daniel154US #21
#30Ralph153US #48
#31Stephen152US #24
#32Harry149US #50
#33Raymond139US #25
#34Johnny132US #47
#35Frank124US #22
#36Howard118US #55
#37Walter117US #30
#38Jack115US #35
#39Douglas112US #34
#40Bobby106US #53
#41Samuel106US #70
#42Jimmy104US #42
#43Gerald103US #27
#44Clarence101US #89
#45Russell96US #66
#46Ernest94US #71
#47Jackie94US #139
#48Lawrence90US #31
#49Wayne88US #29
#50Eugene86US #57
#51Darrell82US #131
#52Earl82US #82
#53Rodney81US #93
#54Joe75US #37
#55Arthur74US #36
#56Fred72US #51
#57Steven71US #28
#58Allen70US #74
#59Lewis70US #118
#60Philip70US #61
#61Clyde69US #122
#62Stanley68US #65
#63Tommy68US #77
#64Leonard67US #67
#65Dale66US #62
#66Frederick66US #75
#67Franklin64US #140
#68Marvin64US #88
#69Bernard63US #102
#70Eddie63US #85
#71Melvin63US #86
#72Curtis60US #99
#73Glenn60US #81
#74Phillip59US #83
#75Henry57US #41
#76Timothy57US #60
#77Lloyd55US #106
#78Albert50US #52
#79Gene49US #98
#80Gregory49US #56
#81Herbert49US #97
#82Cecil48US #159
#83Clifford48US #100
#84Randall48US #123
#85Steve47US #69
#86Patrick46US #59
#87Ray45US #95
#88Arnold44US #153
#89Norman44US #76
#90Lonnie43US #136
#91Delmas42
#92Garry42US #162
#93Barry41US #68
#94Freddie41US #151
#95Glen41US #143
#96Jimmie41US #104
#97Bill40US #72
#98Chester40US #149
#99Dwight39US #137
#100Floyd39US #121

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑26Pamela#47
↑22Diane#70
↑22Philip#60
↑18Ronnie#27
↑17Sheila#57
↑16Rebecca#26
↑16Drema#81
↑15Susan#20

Falling

↓30Ray#87
↓30Bill#97
↓24Franklin#67
↓24Henry#75
↓24Glen#95
↓23Floyd#100
↓20Kay#87
↓19Dottie#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.