State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1950 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 47,221 West Virginia births in 1950 across 800 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.

#81Dremaoutside the national top 200
#59Wilma#171 nationally
#84Dianna#188 nationally
#97Pattyoutside the national top 200
#56Jackie#140 nationally
#91Belinda#173 nationally
#77Franklin#153 nationally
#96Cecil#171 nationally
#45Darrell#116 nationally
#57Loretta#120 nationally
#99Edna#157 nationally
#99Freddie#155 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,379US #1
#2Mary889US #2
#3Brenda736US #14
#4Patricia665US #3
#5Sharon602US #11
#6Barbara595US #4
#7Sandra564US #8
#8Deborah471US #7
#9Nancy441US #6
#10Karen429US #12
#11Donna428US #13
#12Carolyn415US #20
#13Susan322US #5
#14Carol315US #9
#15Joyce308US #27
#16Judy298US #25
#17Judith288US #21
#18Betty282US #26
#19Pamela276US #17
#20Shirley269US #19
#21Rebecca267US #36
#22Janet260US #18
#23Margaret245US #15
#24Connie239US #44
#25Diana209US #47
#26Beverly208US #31
#27Elizabeth208US #24
#28Wanda170US #52
#29Bonnie169US #33
#30Martha162US #32
#31Kathy158US #38
#32Peggy153US #41
#33Virginia151US #43
#34Helen145US #50
#35Phyllis138US #53
#36Ruth134US #49
#37Charlotte133US #80
#38Janice132US #22
#39Rita125US #56
#40Gloria124US #30
#41Cheryl117US #29
#42Dorothy116US #35
#43Cynthia113US #23
#44Kathryn112US #46
#45Frances108US #51
#46Alice106US #57
#47Sherry104US #62
#48Debra102US #59
#49Anna100US #93
#50Sheila98US #70
#51Catherine96US #34
#52Jane94US #39
#53Lois93US #83
#54Jacqueline91US #55
#55Paula90US #54
#56Diane89US #16
#57Loretta87US #120
#58Marilyn86US #37
#59Wilma86US #171
#60Doris85US #74
#61Marsha85US #68
#62Rose82US #69
#63Jo81US #64
#64Vicki80US #61
#65Darlene79US #79
#66Teresa77US #81
#67Vickie77US #108
#68Norma75US #104
#69Katherine74US #58
#70Cathy73US #75
#71Constance72US #85
#72Kathleen72US #10
#73Sarah72US #88
#74Patsy71US #117
#75Ellen70US #66
#76Sue70US #100
#77Evelyn66US #86
#78Sally65US #78
#79Victoria65US #94
#80Ann62US #45
#81Drema61
#82Delores60US #129
#83Laura60US #63
#84Dianna59US #188
#85Jennifer59US #118
#86Roberta58US #96
#87Joan57US #40
#88Rhonda55US #125
#89Ruby55US #130
#90Theresa54US #65
#91Belinda53US #173
#92Christine53US #28
#93Juanita51US #115
#94Sylvia51US #97
#95Jean49US #48
#96Elaine47US #60
#97Patty47
#98Regina47US #143
#99Edna45US #157
#100Mildred45US #135

Boys

#1James1,435US #1
#2Robert1,119US #2
#3John1,098US #3
#4William1,028US #6
#5David1,012US #5
#6Charles871US #9
#7Michael810US #4
#8Larry718US #11
#9Gary626US #10
#10Richard583US #7
#11Roger579US #27
#12Thomas539US #8
#13Ronald460US #12
#14Donald427US #14
#15Jerry383US #24
#16George351US #20
#17Paul324US #18
#18Kenneth310US #15
#19Danny296US #39
#20Joseph293US #13
#21Stephen279US #19
#22Steven239US #16
#23Terry235US #30
#24Edward226US #22
#25Daniel223US #21
#26Dennis173US #17
#27Harold158US #45
#28Gregory155US #25
#29Roy142US #51
#30Harry136US #61
#31Jack134US #48
#32Johnny131US #50
#33Billy129US #57
#34Carl129US #44
#35Ralph127US #52
#36Raymond127US #31
#37Frank120US #29
#38Douglas119US #28
#39Randall107US #70
#40Ronnie105US #76
#41Lawrence104US #33
#42Samuel101US #62
#43Walter100US #40
#44Clarence99US #95
#45Darrell97US #116
#46Gerald95US #34
#47Mark94US #23
#48Timothy94US #32
#49Wayne91US #35
#50Howard90US #63
#51Earl87US #92
#52Russell87US #67
#53Bobby86US #65
#54Phillip86US #64
#55Ernest84US #81
#56Jackie81US #140
#57Rodney81US #88
#58Allen80US #71
#59Stanley80US #60
#60Keith78US #78
#61Arthur77US #46
#62Dale77US #49
#63Glenn74US #59
#64Henry73US #47
#65Jimmy69US #55
#66Eugene68US #58
#67Bruce67US #26
#68Randy67US #80
#69Philip65US #53
#70Albert62US #56
#71Curtis62US #97
#72Ray62US #111
#73Anthony61US #36
#74Marvin60US #93
#75Patrick60US #38
#76Barry58US #74
#77Franklin58US #153
#78Alan57US #41
#79Leonard57US #77
#80Steve57US #83
#81Tommy57US #94
#82Clyde54US #136
#83Joe54US #54
#84Eddie53US #89
#85Glen53US #125
#86Lewis53US #132
#87Lonnie52US #135
#88Micheal52US #104
#89Fred51US #84
#90Melvin51US #87
#91Jeffrey50US #43
#92Bernard48US #110
#93Clifford48US #100
#94Frederick46US #75
#95Calvin44US #105
#96Cecil44US #171
#97Victor44US #106
#98Norman43US #90
#99Freddie42US #155
#100Jesse42US #114

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑37Keith#60
↑21Cathy#70
↑21Ray#72
↑20Clarence#44
↑19Kathryn#44
↑18Katherine#69
↑17Tommy#81
↑16Marsha#61

Falling

↓35Jean#95
↓31Fred#89
↓23Patty#97
↓22Drema#81
↓21Evelyn#77
↓21Frederick#94
↓18Sarah#73
↓17Bruce#67

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.