Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1970

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1970 were Melissa for girls (766 babies) and James for boys (1,571). Melissa ranked #7 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 54,916 babies born in Kentucky in 1970 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1970

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

Girls

Phyllis: 44 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Ladonna: 28 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Bonita: 16 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Patty: 29 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Lesa: 17 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Marsha: 65 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Bridgett: 22 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Shelia: 52 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Lea: 26 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Lois: 22 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Elmer: 24 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Dewey: 17 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Jackie: 51 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Timmy: 39 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Scotty: 34 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Willard: 20 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Scottie: 22 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Donnie: 49 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Billy: 194 babies, 3× the national rate
Robbie: 31 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1970

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1969	US rank
1	Melissa	766	↑1	7
2	Kimberly	726	↑1	3
3	Angela	724	↑1	6
4	Lisa	714	↓3	2
5	Jennifer	706	↑1	1
6	Tammy	630	↓1	8
7	Mary	462	–	9
8	Amy	447	↑1	5
9	Michelle	433	↓1	4
10	Stephanie	346	↑2	17
11	Tina	336	↓1	21
12	Tracy	334	↑5	10
13	Rebecca	311	↑3	29
14	Shannon	300	↑9	22
15	Karen	290	↓4	12
16	Laura	289	↓2	13
17	Pamela	281	↑5	26
18	Donna	276	↓3	32
19	Susan	258	↓6	15
20	Julie	252	↑1	11
21	Rhonda	252	↓1	46
22	Teresa	250	↓4	34
23	Lori	248	↑5	23
24	Elizabeth	238	–	18
25	Patricia	237	↓6	24
26	Tonya	223	↑8	49
27	Sandra	222	↓2	27
28	Cynthia	205	↑2	25
29	Sherry	204	–	60
30	Kelly	190	↓4	20
31	Robin	188	↓4	51
32	Dana	177	↓1	54
33	Dawn	177	↑7	16
34	Heather	166	new	19
35	Linda	165	↓3	38
36	Kathy	159	↑5	77
37	Sharon	155	↓1	37
38	Deborah	145	↓5	33
39	Paula	143	↓4	57
40	Stacy	135	↑5	42
41	Leslie	129	new	64
42	Melinda	126	↑5	93
43	Regina	125	↓5	86
44	Barbara	124	↓5	41
45	Brenda	124	↓3	40
46	Christina	124	↑2	35
47	Stacey	123	new	48
48	Sheila	112	↑2	75
49	Wendy	106	new	28
50	Christine	105	new	14

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1969	US rank
1	James	1,571	–	2
2	Michael	1,319	–	1
3	David	1,150	–	3
4	William	983	↑1	7
5	John	955	↑1	4
6	Robert	914	↓2	5
7	Christopher	818	↑1	6
8	Charles	615	↑2	21
9	Brian	544	↑2	8
10	Timothy	544	↓1	20
11	Jeffrey	507	↑1	11
12	Mark	502	↓5	9
13	Kevin	491	↑4	14
14	Richard	448	–	10
15	Steven	444	↓2	15
16	Joseph	417	↓1	16
17	Anthony	412	↑1	22
18	Thomas	404	↓2	17
19	Paul	352	↑1	23
20	Jason	328	↑15	13
21	Kenneth	311	–	25
22	Stephen	304	–	27
23	Gregory	300	↓4	26
24	Scott	300	↓1	12
25	Eric	281	↑3	18
26	Gary	272	↓1	35
27	Donald	271	↓3	30
28	Larry	268	↓2	43
29	Ronald	262	↓2	29
30	Daniel	254	↓1	19
31	Jerry	238	↓1	45
32	Jeffery	206	–	50
33	Todd	203	↓2	28
34	Troy	199	↓1	41
35	Billy	194	↑2	78
36	Matthew	188	–	24
37	Terry	185	↓3	54
38	George	169	↑4	40
39	Bobby	165	↑1	87
40	Douglas	157	↓2	36
41	Tony	156	–	57
42	Patrick	152	new	33
43	Edward	146	–	31
44	Keith	143	↓5	38
45	Roger	140	↓1	61
46	Bryan	134	–	53
47	Johnny	134	↑2	65
48	Danny	132	↓1	85
49	Rodney	131	↓4	55
50	Shawn	130	new	34

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