Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1936

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1936 were Mary for girls (2,257 babies) and James for boys (2,856). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 69,684 babies born in North Carolina in 1936 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1936

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

Girls

Doretha: 29 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Pattie: 28 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Shelby: 210 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Nannie: 46 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Betsy: 62 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Shelba: 26 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Donnie: 22 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Hilda: 125 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Addie: 51 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Pansy: 27 babies, 4.4× the national rate

Boys

Haywood: 39 babies, 12.6× the national rate
Lacy: 26 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Linwood: 44 babies, 8.6× the national rate
Shelton: 24 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Jasper: 58 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Boyce: 21 babies, 7× the national rate
Graham: 21 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Wade: 60 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Fletcher: 18 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Grady: 83 babies, 5.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1936

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	Mary	2,257	–	1
2	Shirley	1,664	–	2
3	Betty	1,578	–	4
4	Barbara	1,023	–	3
5	Dorothy	779	–	6
6	Peggy	665	↑3	35
7	Margaret	604	–	9
8	Annie	594	↓2	45
9	Doris	580	↓1	15
10	Nancy	580	–	8
11	Helen	494	–	11
12	Frances	447	↑1	19
13	Joyce	423	↑1	12
14	Martha	418	↓2	24
15	Patricia	406	↑7	5
16	Carolyn	368	↑4	23
17	Elizabeth	357	–	18
18	Virginia	341	↑1	14
19	Ruby	333	↓1	51
20	Sarah	321	↑1	63
21	Mildred	319	↓5	40
22	Ruth	287	↓7	16
23	Jean	282	↑3	20
24	Alice	279	–	27
25	Evelyn	271	↓2	34
26	Edna	254	↓1	71
27	Emma	229	↑5	85
28	Sylvia	218	↑12	53
29	Lois	214	–	26
30	Louise	212	–	46
31	Hazel	210	↓3	96
32	Shelby	210	new	>100
33	Thelma	200	–	74
34	Ann	194	↑3	28
35	Patsy	192	↓4	52
36	Clara	181	↓9	91
37	Ethel	181	↑7	90
38	Geraldine	180	↑4	41
39	Margie	179	↑4	>100
40	Gladys	176	↓2	84
41	Marie	175	↑7	33
42	Edith	171	↓3	87
43	Nellie	171	new	>100
44	Norma	168	↑2	29
45	Rebecca	167	new	>100
46	Joan	160	new	7
47	Lillie	160	↓11	>100
48	Willie	159	↓7	>100
49	Jo	157	new	72
50	Rachel	154	–	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	James	2,856	–	2
2	William	1,778	–	4
3	Robert	1,435	–	1
4	John	1,338	–	3
5	Charles	1,132	–	6
6	Bobby	863	–	24
7	Billy	617	↑1	22
8	George	591	↓1	9
9	Thomas	588	–	8
10	Donald	534	↑1	7
11	Willie	504	↑1	32
12	David	502	↓2	10
13	Joe	480	↑2	23
14	Joseph	441	–	11
15	Richard	438	↓2	5
16	Jerry	378	↑1	18
17	Jimmy	370	↑2	46
18	Kenneth	350	↑5	14
19	Edward	338	↓1	13
20	Walter	320	↑2	26
21	Henry	317	–	28
22	Harold	313	↓6	21
23	Paul	310	↓3	15
24	Jack	305	–	20
25	Roy	266	–	42
26	Frank	254	↑1	16
27	Carl	240	↑2	27
28	Fred	233	↑2	36
29	Ralph	221	↓3	31
30	Charlie	214	↓2	>100
31	Larry	209	–	25
32	Clarence	199	–	52
33	Howard	198	↑1	40
34	Franklin	194	↑15	64
35	Raymond	190	↓2	17
36	Earl	184	↑4	47
37	Clyde	181	↓1	89
38	Ernest	181	↑3	55
39	Ronald	179	↑11	12
40	Eugene	174	↑2	29
41	Jimmie	173	↓6	71
42	Johnny	170	↓3	72
43	Samuel	170	↓5	67
44	Albert	157	–	34
45	Jesse	155	new	>100
46	Ray	148	↓9	65
47	Leroy	142	↓2	57
48	Harry	141	–	39
49	Herbert	140	new	62
50	Arthur	136	↓3	30

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