Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1942

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1942 were Mary for girls (2,416 babies) and James for boys (3,620). Social Security records list 83,552 babies born in North Carolina in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1942

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

Libby: 22 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Pattie: 27 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Shelby: 100 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Nannie: 28 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Bettie: 109 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Hilda: 117 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Peggie: 29 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Annie: 601 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Addie: 45 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Brenda: 975 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Boys

Haywood: 36 babies, 12.8× the national rate
Lynwood: 28 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Lacy: 28 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Linwood: 61 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Shelton: 23 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Graham: 21 babies, 7× the national rate
Wade: 61 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Thurman: 45 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Grady: 78 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Jasper: 36 babies, 5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	2,416	–	1
2	Linda	1,495	↑2	4
3	Barbara	1,356	–	2
4	Betty	1,296	↓2	9
5	Brenda	975	↑3	40
6	Carolyn	923	↑1	10
7	Patricia	864	↓2	3
8	Shirley	818	↓2	12
9	Nancy	753	–	8
10	Dorothy	689	↑1	17
11	Margaret	646	↓1	14
12	Joyce	630	–	13
13	Judy	612	↑4	15
14	Annie	601	–	62
15	Peggy	561	↓2	42
16	Martha	552	↓1	29
17	Doris	480	↓1	41
18	Elizabeth	465	–	22
19	Frances	455	–	30
20	Sandra	455	↑6	6
21	Helen	441	↓1	26
22	Alice	384	↓1	39
23	Virginia	347	↓1	23
24	Judith	342	–	7
25	Carol	340	↑4	5
26	Rebecca	298	↑5	85
27	Sarah	292	↓2	67
28	Patsy	290	↓1	57
29	Ruth	280	↑3	33
30	Janice	272	↓7	25
31	Evelyn	268	↑3	53
32	Gloria	262	↑3	31
33	Sylvia	259	↓3	72
34	Phyllis	256	↑2	37
35	Ann	252	↑6	38
36	Mildred	251	↓3	71
37	Ruby	251	↓9	77
38	Edna	240	↓1	99
39	Jean	225	–	36
40	Geraldine	204	–	47
41	Lois	201	↓3	44
42	Janet	195	↑3	19
43	Joan	190	new	18
44	Emma	185	↓2	>100
45	Julia	185	↑2	95
46	Wanda	184	↑2	54
47	Glenda	181	↓4	89
48	Jo	180	new	65
49	Jane	170	new	46
50	Louise	163	new	61

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	3,620	–	1
2	William	2,220	–	4
3	Robert	1,723	–	2
4	John	1,605	–	3
5	Charles	1,343	–	7
6	Jerry	845	–	16
7	Thomas	825	↑1	8
8	Larry	798	↑1	12
9	David	790	↓2	6
10	George	706	–	14
11	Richard	644	↑2	5
12	Bobby	643	↓1	43
13	Donald	590	↓1	10
14	Willie	582	↑1	37
15	Billy	525	↓1	35
16	Joseph	524	–	11
17	Kenneth	457	–	15
18	Jimmy	455	–	47
19	Douglas	445	new	23
20	Ronald	427	↑3	9
21	Edward	420	↑1	17
22	Johnny	371	↑4	55
23	Paul	361	↑1	19
24	Walter	346	↓5	26
25	Henry	339	↓4	31
26	Joe	333	↑1	33
27	Roy	324	↓2	42
28	Harold	321	↓8	27
29	Clarence	247	↑7	67
30	Samuel	247	↑2	59
31	Frank	246	↓3	21
32	Ralph	246	↓3	38
33	Tommy	223	↑8	73
34	Raymond	215	–	24
35	Charlie	213	↓2	>100
36	Jack	213	↑2	34
37	Carl	208	↓7	36
38	Wayne	207	↓7	41
39	Ernest	199	↓4	61
40	Fred	199	↑3	46
41	Earl	192	↓1	62
42	Gerald	192	↑2	22
43	Howard	191	↓6	49
44	Michael	189	new	13
45	Harry	188	new	48
46	Albert	186	↓7	40
47	Arthur	183	↑2	29
48	Roger	178	new	25
49	Jesse	171	↓4	100
50	Melvin	169	new	60

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