Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1938

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,784 babies) and James for boys (2,172). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 56,194 babies born in Kentucky in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1938

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

Girls

Vina: 17 babies, 10.4× the national rate
Oma: 21 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Sophia: 15 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Garnet: 15 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Zella: 18 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Nannie: 30 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Alene: 17 babies, 5× the national rate
Ima: 16 babies, 5× the national rate
Jewell: 42 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Virgie: 32 babies, 4.8× the national rate

Boys

Estill: 22 babies, 34.9× the national rate
Alben: 16 babies, 33.4× the national rate
Estil: 20 babies, 28.3× the national rate
Rondal: 25 babies, 17.7× the national rate
Hobert: 26 babies, 10.7× the national rate
Denver: 33 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Denzil: 15 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Arlie: 17 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Shelby: 40 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Kelly: 17 babies, 4.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,784	–	1
2	Betty	1,369	–	4
3	Barbara	940	↑1	2
4	Shirley	930	↓1	5
5	Joyce	498	↑1	11
6	Patricia	495	↓1	3
7	Nancy	453	↑6	7
8	Wanda	440	↓1	49
9	Dorothy	409	–	8
10	Anna	407	↓2	40
11	Martha	404	–	26
12	Doris	354	↑2	25
13	Helen	353	↓1	13
14	Margaret	338	↓4	9
15	Norma	331	–	34
16	Phyllis	327	–	28
17	Elizabeth	301	↑5	17
18	Carolyn	288	↑6	15
19	Ruth	288	↓1	21
20	Virginia	284	↓3	22
21	Wilma	279	↓1	85
22	Peggy	266	↓3	35
23	Janice	264	↑3	24
24	Ruby	239	↓3	61
25	Alice	226	↑11	29
26	Frances	218	↑2	23
27	Lois	218	–	33
28	Carol	217	↓3	6
29	Patsy	200	↑3	55
30	Linda	197	↑11	31
31	Mildred	195	↓8	52
32	Jo	184	↑1	78
33	Bonnie	181	↓4	65
34	Ann	176	↑11	32
35	Donna	175	↑13	20
36	Thelma	171	↓5	86
37	Edna	168	↑2	82
38	Sue	152	–	>100
39	Joan	151	↑4	10
40	Juanita	149	↓6	80
41	Emma	145	↑9	96
42	Loretta	145	↓2	62
43	Janet	144	↓6	16
44	Jean	143	↓9	27
45	Shelby	141	↓15	>100
46	Geraldine	136	↑3	45
47	Alma	135	new	>100
48	Margie	133	new	>100
49	Sarah	129	new	67
50	Evelyn	121	↓4	38

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	2,172	–	2
2	William	1,421	–	4
3	Charles	1,206	–	6
4	Robert	1,186	–	1
5	John	978	–	3
6	Donald	877	–	7
7	Billy	574	↑1	24
8	Bobby	573	↓1	27
9	Kenneth	485	↑3	14
10	David	443	↑3	8
11	Paul	440	–	15
12	George	434	↓3	11
13	Thomas	400	↓3	9
14	Ronald	382	↑2	10
15	Harold	360	↓1	23
16	Joseph	359	↑3	12
17	Jerry	336	↑3	17
18	Richard	309	↓3	5
19	Edward	283	↓1	13
20	Larry	260	↑10	16
21	Carl	255	↓4	29
22	Joe	239	↓1	28
23	Raymond	230	↑1	20
24	Roy	222	↓2	41
25	Jack	212	–	25
26	Henry	187	↓3	30
27	Walter	184	↑2	26
28	Earl	172	↓2	50
29	Jackie	171	↓2	>100
30	Ralph	170	↓2	35
31	Frank	167	–	18
32	Jimmie	166	↑7	76
33	Jimmy	163	↓1	45
34	Eugene	160	↓1	33
35	Gerald	158	↓1	19
36	Fred	135	↑12	38
37	Johnny	132	new	63
38	Marvin	132	↑4	53
39	Ray	130	↓4	72
40	Wayne	126	new	40
41	Albert	124	–	37
42	Bill	120	↑2	67
43	Clarence	119	↓6	58
44	Howard	116	↓4	42
45	Clyde	115	↑2	97
46	Don	115	new	52
47	Gary	111	new	22
48	Gene	111	↓2	65
49	Norman	110	–	43
50	Ernest	106	↓7	55

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