Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1950

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1950 were Linda for girls (2,343 babies) and James for boys (3,323). Social Security records list 98,502 babies born in North Carolina in 1950 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1950

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

Shelby: 51 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Delois: 44 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Sybil: 28 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Mable: 46 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Sadie: 40 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Hilda: 84 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Willa: 31 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Addie: 30 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Jannie: 30 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Annie: 386 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 101 babies, 13.2× the national rate
Haywood: 32 babies, 10× the national rate
Jasper: 45 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Thurman: 41 babies, 7× the national rate
Wiley: 31 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Alton: 93 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Garland: 52 babies, 5× the national rate
Ervin: 57 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Cleveland: 44 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Roscoe: 30 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Linda	2,343	–	1
2	Mary	2,033	–	2
3	Brenda	1,604	–	14
4	Patricia	1,354	–	3
5	Barbara	1,178	–	4
6	Carolyn	913	–	20
7	Sandra	868	↑1	8
8	Betty	841	↓1	26
9	Judy	810	–	25
10	Shirley	770	–	19
11	Deborah	742	↑12	7
12	Nancy	715	↓1	6
13	Susan	592	–	5
14	Joyce	590	–	27
15	Martha	565	↑2	32
16	Wanda	565	↑2	52
17	Margaret	536	↓5	15
18	Janice	519	↓3	22
19	Donna	503	–	13
20	Elizabeth	501	↓4	24
21	Gloria	439	↑1	30
22	Dorothy	431	↓1	35
23	Peggy	424	↓3	41
24	Rebecca	406	↑1	36
25	Sharon	404	↑3	11
26	Phyllis	387	↑6	53
27	Annie	386	↓3	>100
28	Cynthia	376	↑6	23
29	Kathy	365	↑2	38
30	Carol	361	–	9
31	Doris	354	↓5	74
32	Pamela	353	↑4	17
33	Alice	333	↓6	57
34	Frances	319	↓5	51
35	Helen	315	↓2	50
36	Janet	306	↑2	18
37	Karen	302	↑11	12
38	Sarah	300	↓3	88
39	Sylvia	267	↑2	97
40	Glenda	263	–	87
41	Beverly	251	↑1	31
42	Vickie	251	new	>100
43	Virginia	241	↓6	43
44	Catherine	240	↓1	34
45	Jane	236	new	39
46	Evelyn	218	↓2	86
47	Bonnie	217	↓8	33
48	Jo	217	↑2	64
49	Joan	217	↓3	40
50	Patsy	213	↓5	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	James	3,323	–	1
2	William	2,311	–	6
3	Robert	1,832	↑1	2
4	John	1,706	↓1	3
5	Larry	1,601	↑2	11
6	Charles	1,494	↓1	9
7	David	1,364	↓1	5
8	Michael	1,132	–	4
9	Thomas	928	–	8
10	Jerry	916	–	24
11	Ronald	816	–	12
12	Donald	780	↑1	14
13	Richard	777	↓1	7
14	George	722	–	20
15	Kenneth	686	–	15
16	Gary	613	↑2	10
17	Joseph	577	↓1	13
18	Willie	545	↓1	42
19	Roger	509	↑2	27
20	Bobby	470	↓1	65
21	Johnny	470	↓1	50
22	Edward	464	↑1	22
23	Danny	452	↑2	39
24	Jimmy	419	↓2	55
25	Stephen	400	↑6	19
26	Billy	373	–	57
27	Dennis	367	↑1	17
28	Terry	366	↑4	30
29	Ronnie	358	↓5	76
30	Henry	351	↑4	47
31	Paul	341	↓1	18
32	Walter	331	↓5	40
33	Steven	321	↑6	16
34	Harold	310	↓5	45
35	Roy	296	–	51
36	Samuel	291	↓3	62
37	Daniel	259	↓1	21
38	Douglas	249	↑2	28
39	Wayne	247	↑9	35
40	Carl	244	↓3	44
41	Phillip	241	↓3	64
42	Tommy	230	↑7	94
43	Donnie	219	new	>100
44	Eddie	217	↓3	89
45	Harry	215	↑2	61
46	Clarence	208	–	95
47	Ralph	205	new	52
48	Frank	201	↓4	29
49	Melvin	201	↓6	87
50	Raymond	201	↓5	31

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