Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1939

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,733 babies) and James for boys (2,109). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 54,894 babies born in Kentucky in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1939

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

Girls

Maudie: 21 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Oma: 22 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Nannie: 36 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Zella: 17 babies, 6× the national rate
Annetta: 21 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Alene: 17 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Glenna: 59 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Jewell: 37 babies, 5× the national rate
Reva: 21 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Wanda: 470 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Estill: 15 babies, 33.8× the national rate
Denver: 35 babies, 10.5× the national rate
Shelby: 39 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Elmo: 15 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Carson: 15 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Hershel: 23 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Billie: 67 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Donnie: 72 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Kelly: 17 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Randall: 55 babies, 4.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,733	–	1
2	Betty	1,367	–	4
3	Barbara	907	–	2
4	Shirley	753	–	5
5	Joyce	524	–	12
6	Patricia	490	–	3
7	Nancy	474	–	7
8	Wanda	470	–	50
9	Anna	449	↑1	43
10	Martha	395	↑1	27
11	Phyllis	395	↑5	30
12	Margaret	372	↑2	10
13	Dorothy	359	↓4	9
14	Carolyn	327	↑4	14
15	Helen	314	↓2	16
16	Doris	311	↓4	29
17	Janice	307	↑6	24
18	Linda	296	↑12	15
19	Peggy	294	↑3	34
20	Norma	291	↓5	38
21	Ruth	285	↓2	22
22	Elizabeth	265	↓5	18
23	Virginia	263	↓3	21
24	Wilma	246	↓3	87
25	Alice	220	–	31
26	Carol	220	↑2	6
27	Ruby	213	↓3	67
28	Frances	206	↓2	26
29	Lois	205	↓2	35
30	Janet	191	↑13	17
31	Bonnie	188	↑2	61
32	Patsy	188	↓3	56
33	Juanita	182	↑7	77
34	Judith	171	new	8
35	Sue	167	↑3	92
36	Donna	160	↓1	20
37	Mildred	160	↓6	55
38	Ann	159	↓4	33
39	Thelma	148	↓3	88
40	Jo	146	↓8	70
41	Emma	145	–	89
42	Edna	139	↓5	81
43	Evelyn	135	↑7	40
44	Geraldine	134	↑2	41
45	Marilyn	129	new	19
46	Judy	123	new	28
47	Joan	122	↓8	11
48	Loretta	122	↓6	65
49	Jean	121	↓5	32
50	Geneva	117	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	2,109	–	2
2	William	1,274	–	4
3	Charles	1,164	–	6
4	Robert	1,144	–	1
5	John	969	–	3
6	Donald	817	–	8
7	Bobby	569	↑1	29
8	David	545	↑2	7
9	Billy	498	↓2	24
10	George	442	↑2	11
11	Kenneth	440	↓2	13
12	Paul	437	↓1	17
13	Thomas	427	–	9
14	Ronald	403	–	10
15	Jerry	377	↑2	16
16	Harold	366	↓1	23
17	Joseph	341	↓1	12
18	Richard	339	–	5
19	Larry	301	↑1	14
20	Carl	277	↑1	30
21	Edward	265	↓2	15
22	Joe	254	–	27
23	Raymond	220	–	22
24	Roy	214	–	42
25	Gerald	183	↑10	19
26	Jimmy	171	↑7	43
27	Earl	168	↑1	50
28	Ralph	164	↑2	35
29	Roger	164	new	28
30	Jack	157	↓5	26
31	Henry	155	↓5	31
32	Eugene	152	↑2	37
33	Jimmie	149	↓1	80
34	Jackie	146	↓5	>100
35	Frank	144	↓4	20
36	Gary	138	↑11	21
37	Harry	132	new	45
38	Ray	132	↑1	74
39	Johnny	131	↓2	62
40	Clarence	130	↑3	60
41	Wayne	126	↓1	39
42	Walter	124	↓15	25
43	Bill	118	↓1	67
44	Fred	117	↓8	40
45	Don	116	↑1	56
46	Marvin	116	↓8	52
47	Jesse	113	new	99
48	Howard	112	↓4	47
49	Lawrence	110	new	36
50	Cecil	108	new	>100

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