State roster

Top names in West Virginia

The names most likely to appear on 1956 West Virginia birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,479 West Virginia births in 1956 across 798 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.

#88Dremaoutside the national top 200
#90Wilmaoutside the national top 200
#86Shelia#183 nationally
#69Jackie#164 nationally
#92Dana#178 nationally
#82Franklin#167 nationally
#62Charlotte#133 nationally
#97Penny#158 nationally
#69Marsha#129 nationally
#95Lonnie#155 nationally
#68Regina#125 nationally
#65Clarence#120 nationally

Girls

#1Debra713US #2
#2Deborah671US #4
#3Mary643US #1
#4Linda525US #3
#5Patricia462US #6
#6Sharon426US #13
#7Donna422US #10
#8Pamela400US #12
#9Barbara399US #9
#10Kathy388US #20
#11Brenda374US #19
#12Karen370US #7
#13Susan321US #5
#14Sandra308US #14
#15Teresa292US #24
#16Rebecca240US #27
#17Cynthia232US #8
#18Nancy232US #11
#19Connie221US #43
#20Cathy217US #36
#21Cheryl200US #18
#22Joyce188US #30
#23Diana183US #56
#24Vickie177US #68
#25Robin173US #29
#26Carol172US #16
#27Elizabeth171US #22
#28Janet170US #21
#29Betty169US #44
#30Beverly162US #40
#31Sherry148US #54
#32Judy144US #35
#33Carolyn139US #33
#34Kimberly136US #74
#35Anita128US #83
#36Sheila127US #55
#37Debbie121US #39
#38Margaret117US #25
#39Rhonda112US #62
#40Bonnie111US #51
#41Judith111US #45
#42Martha109US #59
#43Paula109US #47
#44Rose106US #64
#45Vicki106US #57
#46Catherine102US #28
#47Kathryn97US #60
#48Darlene95US #71
#49Diane94US #15
#50Terri91US #81
#51Rita90US #79
#52Janice87US #26
#53Ruth87US #77
#54Shirley87US #41
#55Cindy85US #37
#56Virginia83US #75
#57Helen82US #90
#58Jennifer82US #97
#59Peggy82US #63
#60Jo79US #69
#61Lisa79US #31
#62Charlotte78US #133
#63Phyllis77US #82
#64Wanda77US #61
#65Tina73US #87
#66Terry72US #91
#67Jane71US #50
#68Regina70US #125
#69Marsha69US #129
#70Alice68US #98
#71Denise68US #23
#72Katherine68US #67
#73Anna67US #103
#74Kathleen66US #17
#75Victoria64US #85
#76Laura63US #34
#77Gloria62US #53
#78Theresa60US #32
#79Loretta58US #126
#80Sarah58US #115
#81Roberta56US #116
#82Jacqueline55US #78
#83Ann53US #46
#84Dorothy53US #72
#85Marilyn53US #70
#86Shelia53US #183
#87Sue52US #118
#88Drema51
#89Frances51US #107
#90Wilma51
#91Doris50US #109
#92Kim50US #38
#93Lois50US #135
#94Norma49US #138
#95Vanessa49US #145
#96Christine48US #42
#97Penny46US #158
#98Melissa45US #150
#99Vicky45US #146
#100Ellen44US #84

Boys

#1James1,130US #2
#2David948US #4
#3Robert832US #3
#4John821US #5
#5Michael815US #1
#6William722US #6
#7Charles654US #11
#8Richard594US #7
#9Mark454US #8
#10Gary417US #13
#11Thomas406US #9
#12Donald372US #14
#13Larry359US #21
#14Steven346US #10
#15Joseph333US #12
#16Ronald328US #15
#17Kenneth323US #16
#18Terry317US #31
#19Timothy299US #19
#20Roger295US #41
#21Paul289US #17
#22Randy273US #28
#23Gregory248US #24
#24Jeffrey245US #20
#25Stephen241US #23
#26Danny226US #46
#27Daniel221US #18
#28Jerry221US #35
#29George193US #27
#30Dennis179US #26
#31Edward174US #25
#32Douglas159US #29
#33Randall151US #54
#34Ricky147US #43
#35Carl122US #48
#36Billy121US #68
#37Rodney114US #65
#38Kevin113US #22
#39Jack112US #66
#40Roy112US #62
#41Ralph107US #67
#42Bruce105US #33
#43Johnny103US #55
#44Raymond101US #39
#45Harold97US #72
#46Keith96US #36
#47Jeffery94US #57
#48Darrell90US #88
#49Samuel88US #74
#50Steve88US #59
#51Ronnie86US #75
#52Dale84US #50
#53Barry81US #69
#54Bobby76US #77
#55Walter75US #53
#56Anthony73US #30
#57Frank72US #38
#58Harry72US #95
#59Jimmy72US #78
#60Patrick69US #40
#61Russell69US #52
#62Howard68US #84
#63Micheal68US #83
#64Lawrence66US #42
#65Clarence65US #120
#66Allen64US #87
#67Brian63US #32
#68Eugene61US #86
#69Jackie61US #164
#70Alan60US #44
#71Earl57US #110
#72Stanley56US #70
#73Wayne56US #45
#74Arthur55US #60
#75Christopher55US #47
#76Ernest55US #94
#77Phillip54US #76
#78Scott54US #34
#79Curtis52US #80
#80Gerald52US #49
#81Glenn51US #61
#82Franklin50US #167
#83Eddie49US #93
#84Henry48US #71
#85Glen47US #125
#86Leonard47US #89
#87Marvin47US #105
#88Tommy46US #115
#89Andrew45US #56
#90Joe44US #63
#91Tony43US #85
#92Dana42US #178
#93Frederick42US #91
#94Rickey42US #112
#95Lonnie41US #155
#96Bernard40US #129
#97Norman40US #107
#98Clifford39US #122
#99Dwight39US #139
#100Fred39US #102

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑52Kimberly#34
↑28Tina#65
↑23Lisa#61
↑22Anita#35
↑21Rhonda#39
↑21Helen#57
↑17Jeffery#47
↑17Micheal#63

Falling

↓24Doris#91
↓23Marilyn#85
↓19Lois#93
↓18Peggy#59
↓17Shirley#54
↓17Virginia#56
↓17Denise#71
↓15Ellen#100

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.