State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1951 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 47,281 West Virginia births in 1951 across 786 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.

#69Dremaoutside the national top 200
#53Wilma#178 nationally
#86Sheliaoutside the national top 200
#77Dianna#187 nationally
#93Glennaoutside the national top 200
#98Thelma#189 nationally
#94Cecil#181 nationally
#98Dana#185 nationally
#37Darrell#109 nationally
#82Franklin#152 nationally
#69Jackie#133 nationally
#91Mildred#146 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,223US #1
#2Mary843US #2
#3Brenda732US #14
#4Deborah709US #4
#5Patricia685US #3
#6Sharon591US #13
#7Barbara585US #5
#8Sandra480US #9
#9Karen478US #8
#10Donna467US #12
#11Nancy417US #7
#12Carolyn361US #22
#13Rebecca326US #32
#14Pamela320US #16
#15Carol302US #11
#16Susan294US #6
#17Joyce286US #28
#18Janet275US #19
#19Judy275US #26
#20Betty270US #29
#21Debra270US #18
#22Connie263US #44
#23Judith257US #25
#24Margaret224US #17
#25Diana213US #50
#26Elizabeth209US #23
#27Beverly207US #33
#28Kathy189US #35
#29Shirley189US #27
#30Bonnie182US #37
#31Janice170US #21
#32Martha161US #38
#33Peggy152US #40
#34Wanda152US #52
#35Ruth149US #53
#36Phyllis143US #57
#37Cynthia140US #20
#38Helen140US #54
#39Gloria133US #31
#40Charlotte127US #84
#41Frances123US #59
#42Virginia123US #47
#43Alice120US #62
#44Cathy115US #71
#45Sherry114US #70
#46Sheila113US #69
#47Kathryn112US #45
#48Vicki111US #58
#49Jane109US #43
#50Cheryl106US #30
#51Diane105US #15
#52Rita101US #61
#53Wilma101US #178
#54Marilyn100US #41
#55Teresa100US #63
#56Paula96US #51
#57Rose96US #65
#58Doris94US #80
#59Anna93US #94
#60Dorothy93US #42
#61Catherine92US #34
#62Jo90US #67
#63Vickie87US #87
#64Sarah86US #91
#65Lois85US #85
#66Kathleen82US #10
#67Marsha82US #76
#68Katherine81US #55
#69Drema73
#70Sally72US #77
#71Jacqueline71US #56
#72Norma71US #107
#73Darlene69US #79
#74Christine67US #24
#75Jean67US #49
#76Anita63US #96
#77Dianna62US #187
#78Laura60US #60
#79Sue60US #106
#80Evelyn59US #88
#81Joan58US #39
#82Ellen57US #68
#83Roberta57US #92
#84Ann56US #46
#85Patsy56US #121
#86Shelia56
#87Victoria56US #81
#88Charlene55US #103
#89Constance54US #86
#90Loretta54US #135
#91Mildred53US #146
#92Rhonda53US #111
#93Glenna51
#94Delores50US #141
#95Regina50US #137
#96Terry46US #115
#97Juanita45US #126
#98Thelma45US #189
#99Jennifer44US #119
#100Julia43US #127

Boys

#1James1,362US #1
#2David1,058US #5
#3Robert1,015US #2
#4William1,011US #6
#5John993US #3
#6Charles876US #9
#7Michael799US #4
#8Larry738US #11
#9Gary702US #10
#10Richard649US #7
#11Thomas593US #8
#12Roger520US #29
#13Donald393US #15
#14Ronald381US #12
#15Jerry341US #24
#16Joseph322US #14
#17Paul315US #18
#18Stephen307US #19
#19Kenneth292US #16
#20Terry276US #30
#21George273US #22
#22Danny264US #41
#23Steven264US #13
#24Daniel222US #21
#25Dennis212US #17
#26Edward212US #23
#27Harold179US #46
#28Gregory168US #25
#29Mark162US #20
#30Douglas149US #27
#31Carl146US #43
#32Roy142US #52
#33Timothy138US #28
#34Raymond137US #32
#35Johnny132US #50
#36Randall129US #66
#37Darrell127US #109
#38Jack124US #48
#39Ralph123US #51
#40Rodney123US #84
#41Billy116US #64
#42Ronnie113US #82
#43Bruce110US #26
#44Samuel109US #67
#45Lawrence97US #33
#46Frank96US #31
#47Harry96US #70
#48Howard96US #74
#49Randy93US #56
#50Gerald92US #36
#51Walter91US #42
#52Jeffrey89US #35
#53Stanley86US #54
#54Russell85US #73
#55Allen84US #72
#56Jimmy83US #62
#57Bobby79US #77
#58Ernest78US #83
#59Wayne78US #37
#60Phillip76US #79
#61Curtis75US #91
#62Earl71US #95
#63Henry71US #47
#64Clarence69US #98
#65Dale69US #49
#66Fred69US #87
#67Marvin69US #96
#68Eugene68US #65
#69Jackie67US #133
#70Philip67US #55
#71Glenn66US #58
#72Alan65US #40
#73Anthony63US #34
#74Arthur63US #44
#75Bernard63US #107
#76Eddie61US #89
#77Frederick61US #78
#78Leonard61US #80
#79Clyde59US #132
#80Glen58US #127
#81Keith57US #59
#82Franklin56US #152
#83Norman56US #90
#84Tommy56US #94
#85Barry55US #71
#86Ray55US #114
#87Melvin54US #88
#88Micheal54US #97
#89Patrick54US #39
#90Lewis53US #135
#91Albert51US #60
#92Ricky50US #102
#93Calvin49US #106
#94Cecil49US #181
#95Lonnie49US #139
#96Andrew47US #69
#97Joe47US #57
#98Dana46US #185
#99Don45US #117
#100Steve45US #86

On the move since 1950

Rising

↑39Jeffrey#52
↑27Debra#21
↑26Cathy#44
↑24Bruce#43
↑23Fred#66
↑20Jean#75
↑19Randy#49
↑18Christine#74

Falling

↓33Loretta#90
↓21Keith#81
↓21Albert#91
↓20Clarence#64
↓20Steve#100
↓18Dorothy#60
↓18Constance#89
↓17Jacqueline#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1950 rankings.