Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1944

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1944 were Mary for girls (1,598 babies) and James for boys (2,256). Social Security records list 56,478 babies born in Kentucky in 1944 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1944

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

Girls

Reva: 20 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Nannie: 18 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Opal: 44 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Jewell: 34 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Imogene: 26 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Zelma: 16 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Beulah: 48 babies, 5× the national rate
Wanda: 418 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Glenna: 48 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Freda: 44 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Boys

Estill: 17 babies, 42.5× the national rate
Shelby: 31 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Hobert: 16 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Hershel: 26 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Clay: 18 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Gayle: 20 babies, 7× the national rate
Denver: 18 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Shirley: 18 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Kennith: 19 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Donnie: 108 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1944

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	Mary	1,598	–	1
2	Linda	932	↑2	3
3	Betty	843	↓1	10
4	Barbara	817	↓1	2
5	Patricia	744	–	4
6	Brenda	599	↑3	30
7	Carolyn	593	↓1	11
8	Shirley	561	↓1	15
9	Joyce	494	↓1	18
10	Judy	483	↑2	12
11	Nancy	435	–	7
12	Wanda	418	↓2	58
13	Sandra	398	↑6	6
14	Carol	396	–	5
15	Phyllis	382	↓2	40
16	Martha	351	↑1	29
17	Judith	345	↓2	9
18	Sharon	343	↑3	8
19	Janice	306	↓1	28
20	Anna	297	↑3	74
21	Donna	297	↓1	17
22	Dorothy	293	–	19
23	Margaret	285	↓7	14
24	Bonnie	275	↑2	34
25	Helen	268	↑2	31
26	Elizabeth	251	↓2	23
27	Virginia	246	↑4	26
28	Doris	229	↑2	42
29	Janet	227	↓1	21
30	Ruth	227	↓5	32
31	Peggy	222	↓2	45
32	Alice	197	↑3	38
33	Wilma	197	↓1	>100
34	Patsy	182	↓1	72
35	Frances	180	↑1	33
36	Norma	179	↑4	66
37	Charlotte	176	–	50
38	Ruby	162	–	87
39	Lois	158	↓5	47
40	Sue	155	↓1	62
41	Marilyn	149	↑9	27
42	Glenda	143	↑6	79
43	Mildred	139	↑1	81
44	Jo	138	↓2	61
45	Beverly	136	↓4	35
46	Gloria	132	↓1	25
47	Joan	126	↓1	22
48	Susan	125	new	13
49	Jane	121	new	41
50	Margie	120	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	James	2,256	–	1
2	William	1,424	–	4
3	Charles	1,174	–	7
4	Robert	1,083	–	2
5	John	1,026	–	3
6	David	724	–	6
7	Larry	653	↑2	12
8	Jerry	625	–	19
9	Donald	620	↓2	11
10	Ronald	495	↑2	10
11	Thomas	495	↓1	8
12	Richard	457	↑3	5
13	Kenneth	431	↑1	16
14	Billy	404	↑2	38
15	Paul	403	↓2	17
16	George	378	↓5	14
17	Bobby	360	–	50
18	Joseph	358	–	13
19	Roger	333	↑5	23
20	Michael	322	–	9
21	Gary	321	↑2	15
22	Harold	276	↓3	27
23	Roy	252	↓2	39
24	Jimmy	244	↑2	41
25	Edward	242	↓3	18
26	Carl	224	↓1	36
27	Joe	196	–	33
28	Raymond	195	–	22
29	Ronnie	174	↑2	69
30	Gerald	167	↑2	24
31	Johnny	165	↓1	45
32	Ralph	159	↑1	42
33	Walter	158	↑3	26
34	Earl	157	–	65
35	Tommy	154	↑5	70
36	Danny	144	↑6	76
37	Henry	144	↑1	35
38	Jack	144	↑6	30
39	Douglas	141	↓10	34
40	Frank	139	↓1	21
41	Jimmie	131	↑5	98
42	Wayne	131	↑1	37
43	Dennis	130	↑2	20
44	Ernest	127	new	59
45	Jackie	127	new	>100
46	Phillip	127	↓11	83
47	Arthur	121	–	29
48	Clarence	119	↓11	74
49	Daniel	118	new	25
50	Terry	113	↓2	43

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