Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1938

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1938 were Mary for girls (2,347 babies) and James for boys (2,885). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 72,676 babies born in North Carolina in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1938

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

Nannie: 49 babies, 7× the national rate
Pattie: 26 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Shelby: 304 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Doretha: 22 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Hilda: 123 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Maggie: 83 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Peggie: 26 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Sadie: 74 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Shelba: 35 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Queen: 31 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Haywood: 38 babies, 12.7× the national rate
Lacy: 27 babies, 12.7× the national rate
Durwood: 21 babies, 10.7× the national rate
Sherrill: 19 babies, 10.5× the national rate
Linwood: 51 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Shelton: 25 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Lynwood: 20 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Jasper: 47 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Everette: 30 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Graham: 23 babies, 6.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	2,347	–	1
2	Betty	1,662	–	4
3	Barbara	1,323	↑1	2
4	Shirley	1,106	↓1	5
5	Dorothy	695	–	8
6	Nancy	675	↑2	7
7	Peggy	634	↑3	35
8	Margaret	619	↓2	9
9	Annie	602	–	47
10	Carolyn	545	↑5	15
11	Martha	541	–	26
12	Doris	525	↓5	25
13	Patricia	489	↑1	3
14	Frances	460	↓1	23
15	Joyce	431	↑1	11
16	Helen	420	↓4	13
17	Elizabeth	385	↑3	17
18	Sarah	365	↑4	67
19	Alice	329	↑2	29
20	Virginia	327	↓1	22
21	Ruby	323	↓3	61
22	Ruth	312	↑3	21
23	Shelby	304	↓6	>100
24	Mildred	295	↓1	52
25	Sylvia	284	↑2	56
26	Evelyn	262	–	38
27	Linda	243	↑15	31
28	Janice	240	↑6	24
29	Jean	236	↓5	27
30	Patsy	235	↑1	55
31	Edna	233	↓2	82
32	Lois	228	↑1	33
33	Hazel	224	↓1	>100
34	Ann	211	↓6	32
35	Carol	211	↑6	6
36	Rebecca	200	↑11	>100
37	Geraldine	198	–	45
38	Emma	193	↓2	96
39	Louise	180	↓9	59
40	Catherine	173	new	48
41	Marie	173	new	37
42	Norma	173	↓3	34
43	Rosa	172	new	>100
44	Thelma	168	↓9	86
45	Clara	166	↓2	98
46	Rachel	166	↓1	>100
47	Margie	165	↓9	>100
48	Phyllis	164	↑1	28
49	Edith	161	↓1	>100
50	Sandra	160	new	14

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	2,885	–	2
2	William	1,912	–	4
3	Robert	1,514	–	1
4	John	1,399	–	3
5	Charles	1,177	–	6
6	Bobby	864	–	27
7	Thomas	661	–	9
8	David	649	↑2	8
9	George	646	↓1	11
10	Donald	578	↑1	7
11	Billy	571	↓2	24
12	Jerry	523	↑4	17
13	Willie	495	↓1	34
14	Richard	462	↑1	5
15	Joseph	445	↓2	12
16	Harold	381	↑1	23
17	Joe	381	↓3	28
18	Edward	357	↑1	13
19	Jimmy	355	↑1	45
20	Kenneth	355	↓2	14
21	Larry	344	↑3	16
22	Walter	314	–	26
23	Paul	310	↓2	15
24	Henry	297	↓1	30
25	Roy	270	↑2	41
26	Johnny	265	↑4	63
27	Carl	247	↑1	29
28	Fred	239	↓3	38
29	Jack	235	↓3	25
30	Ronald	231	↑8	10
31	Charlie	228	–	>100
32	Clarence	215	–	58
33	Samuel	201	↑2	62
34	Ralph	192	↓1	35
35	Howard	189	↑2	42
36	Earl	183	↑4	50
37	Frank	181	↓8	18
38	Raymond	180	↓4	20
39	Ernest	174	↑8	55
40	Eugene	170	↓4	33
41	Arthur	164	↑8	32
42	Jimmie	162	↑6	76
43	Marvin	162	↑2	53
44	Wayne	161	new	40
45	Gene	156	↑1	65
46	Albert	154	↓7	37
47	Melvin	153	new	54
48	Jesse	150	↑2	>100
49	Harry	149	new	44
50	Clyde	145	↓9	97

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