Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1929

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1929 were Mary for girls (1,994 babies) and James for boys (1,975). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 50,989 babies born in Kentucky in 1929 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1929

Names given at least 15 times in Kentucky that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Mayme: 17 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Nannie: 53 babies, 6× the national rate
Emogene: 29 babies, 6× the national rate
Jewell: 75 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Hallie: 17 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lona: 15 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Hester: 26 babies, 5× the national rate
Garnet: 16 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Dortha: 24 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Oma: 20 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Boys

Estill: 16 babies, 33.4× the national rate
Hobert: 31 babies, 11.5× the national rate
Pearl: 15 babies, 9× the national rate
Denver: 31 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Kelly: 27 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Shelby: 19 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Clay: 18 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Jewell: 15 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Arlie: 16 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Ollie: 28 babies, 4.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1929

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928	US rank
1	Mary	1,994	–	1
2	Betty	1,040	–	2
3	Dorothy	823	–	3
4	Helen	509	↑1	4
5	Anna	478	↓1	20
6	Margaret	430	↑1	5
7	Virginia	417	↓1	11
8	Ruth	416	↑1	8
9	Martha	386	↑2	27
10	Ruby	369	–	36
11	Mildred	355	↓3	18
12	Doris	349	–	6
13	Juanita	290	–	60
14	Elizabeth	284	–	15
15	Thelma	268	–	41
16	Frances	254	–	16
17	Evelyn	244	–	19
18	Wanda	242	↑9	61
19	Edna	241	↑1	51
20	Wilma	229	↑9	66
21	Lois	219	↑2	17
22	Jean	215	↓3	12
23	Pauline	213	↓5	50
24	Hazel	211	↑2	64
25	Edith	200	–	59
26	Gladys	198	↓4	44
27	Geneva	197	↓6	>100
28	Norma	197	↓4	25
29	Emma	189	↑2	69
30	Marie	184	↓2	22
31	Nancy	178	↑2	32
32	Barbara	177	–	7
33	Louise	176	↓3	31
34	Joyce	164	↑10	23
35	Alice	155	↑4	21
36	Irene	152	↓2	29
37	Clara	149	new	65
38	Ethel	148	↑2	56
39	Lucille	147	↑3	57
40	Eva	146	↑7	83
41	Christine	138	↑7	>100
42	Shirley	137	new	9
43	Patricia	135	↑7	10
44	Alma	133	↓6	>100
45	Lillian	131	↓10	40
46	Billie	130	new	79
47	Sarah	127	↓4	68
48	Dolores	125	new	14
49	Myrtle	125	–	>100
50	Joan	124	new	13

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928	US rank
1	James	1,975	–	2
2	William	1,539	–	4
3	Charles	1,178	–	5
4	Robert	1,079	–	1
5	John	1,020	–	3
6	George	549	–	8
7	Paul	393	–	13
8	Donald	371	↑6	7
9	Billy	365	↑2	23
10	Joseph	328	↓1	9
11	Thomas	324	↓3	11
12	Harold	310	↓2	16
13	Edward	308	–	10
14	Jack	299	↓2	14
15	Kenneth	297	↑1	18
16	Herbert	290	↑2	25
17	Eugene	268	↑3	20
18	Richard	262	↓3	6
19	Carl	258	↑4	28
20	Earl	242	↑1	36
21	Raymond	238	↓4	15
22	Roy	233	↓3	35
23	Joe	232	↓1	30
24	David	228	↑4	17
25	Walter	212	↓1	19
26	Henry	199	↓1	21
27	Ralph	194	↓1	26
28	Ray	186	↓1	57
29	Frank	178	↑1	12
30	Bobby	175	↑12	50
31	Clarence	168	–	37
32	Albert	152	↓3	24
33	Fred	152	↓1	34
34	Harry	148	↑4	27
35	Elmer	146	↓1	70
36	Howard	144	↓3	31
37	Willie	143	↓2	29
38	Arthur	134	↑5	22
39	Marvin	130	↑1	46
40	Ernest	126	↓3	43
41	Chester	119	↑5	96
42	Clyde	114	↓1	74
43	Cecil	110	↓7	>100
44	Herman	109	new	75
45	Gene	104	↑3	68
46	Bill	102	new	63
47	Lawrence	102	↓8	38
48	Jesse	101	↑1	93
49	Samuel	99	new	53
50	Alfred	95	↓5	41

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