Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1937

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1937 were Mary for girls (2,304 babies) and James for boys (2,942). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 71,557 babies born in North Carolina in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1937

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

Johnsie: 21 babies, 21.9× the national rate
Doretha: 33 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Pattie: 23 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Shelby: 386 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Pearline: 20 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Nannie: 38 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Queen: 35 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Peggie: 27 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Delois: 28 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Maggie: 92 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Boys

Worth: 24 babies, 18.3× the national rate
Linwood: 64 babies, 10.3× the national rate
Haywood: 26 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Lacy: 29 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Graham: 22 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Boyce: 21 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Wade: 64 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Jasper: 42 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Thurman: 47 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Shelton: 20 babies, 5.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	2,304	–	1
2	Betty	1,494	↑1	5
3	Shirley	1,365	↓1	4
4	Barbara	1,057	–	2
5	Dorothy	744	–	8
6	Margaret	671	↑1	10
7	Doris	620	↑2	22
8	Nancy	616	↑2	7
9	Annie	607	↓1	46
10	Peggy	603	↓4	31
11	Martha	491	↑3	24
12	Helen	459	↓1	12
13	Frances	455	↓1	19
14	Patricia	438	↑1	3
15	Carolyn	419	↑1	20
16	Joyce	406	↓3	11
17	Shelby	386	↑15	>100
18	Ruby	376	↑1	52
19	Virginia	363	↓1	16
20	Elizabeth	339	↓3	17
21	Alice	332	↑3	28
22	Sarah	321	↓2	65
23	Mildred	311	↓2	43
24	Jean	292	↓1	23
25	Ruth	292	↓3	15
26	Evelyn	259	↓1	36
27	Sylvia	255	↑1	50
28	Ann	229	↑6	30
29	Edna	229	↓3	74
30	Louise	220	–	48
31	Patsy	219	↑4	54
32	Hazel	211	↓1	>100
33	Lois	200	↓4	29
34	Janice	199	new	25
35	Thelma	195	↓2	78
36	Emma	190	↓9	89
37	Geraldine	184	↑1	44
38	Margie	184	↑1	>100
39	Norma	173	↑5	33
40	Ethel	169	↓3	88
41	Carol	167	new	6
42	Linda	167	new	49
43	Clara	160	↓7	100
44	Gladys	160	↓4	86
45	Rachel	159	↑5	>100
46	Bessie	158	new	>100
47	Rebecca	156	↓2	>100
48	Edith	151	↓6	96
49	Phyllis	149	new	27
50	Willie	149	↓2	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	James	2,942	–	2
2	William	1,815	–	4
3	Robert	1,570	–	1
4	John	1,361	–	3
5	Charles	1,268	–	6
6	Bobby	886	–	24
7	Thomas	647	↑2	9
8	George	635	–	10
9	Billy	603	↓2	22
10	David	551	↑2	8
11	Donald	548	↓1	7
12	Willie	506	↓1	32
13	Joseph	474	↑1	12
14	Joe	439	↓1	25
15	Richard	422	–	5
16	Jerry	402	–	17
17	Harold	364	↑5	21
18	Kenneth	359	–	14
19	Edward	356	–	13
20	Jimmy	345	↓3	45
21	Paul	341	↑2	15
22	Walter	325	↓2	26
23	Henry	312	↓2	30
24	Larry	299	↑7	16
25	Fred	242	↑3	35
26	Jack	242	↓2	23
27	Roy	236	↓2	40
28	Carl	230	↓1	28
29	Frank	229	↓3	18
30	Johnny	217	↑12	69
31	Charlie	205	↓1	>100
32	Clarence	204	–	54
33	Ralph	197	↓4	34
34	Raymond	195	↑1	19
35	Samuel	195	↑8	66
36	Eugene	188	↑4	33
37	Howard	187	↓4	42
38	Ronald	185	↑1	11
39	Albert	170	↑5	37
40	Earl	167	↓4	48
41	Clyde	160	↓4	93
42	Johnnie	160	new	>100
43	Tommy	160	new	84
44	Franklin	158	↓10	77
45	Marvin	157	new	49
46	Gene	149	new	61
47	Ernest	148	↓9	53
48	Jimmie	147	↓7	72
49	Arthur	146	↑1	31
50	Jesse	137	↓5	>100

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