Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1953

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1953 were Mary for girls (1,784 babies) and James for boys (3,117). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 105,349 babies born in North Carolina in 1953 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1953

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

Beulah: 30 babies, 6× the national rate
Bettie: 47 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Shelby: 38 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Delois: 36 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Pattie: 27 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Pearlie: 26 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Katie: 64 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Hattie: 60 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Mable: 30 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Fannie: 47 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 86 babies, 12× the national rate
Shelton: 33 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Donnell: 32 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Jasper: 36 babies, 7× the national rate
Thurman: 32 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Alton: 81 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Ervin: 61 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Carlton: 80 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Cleveland: 36 babies, 4× the national rate
Tony: 298 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1953

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Mary	1,784	↑1	1
2	Linda	1,725	↓1	2
3	Deborah	1,645	–	3
4	Patricia	1,425	↑1	4
5	Brenda	1,233	↓1	18
6	Barbara	1,091	–	6
7	Sandra	856	–	11
8	Debra	837	↑11	7
9	Carolyn	819	↓1	25
10	Susan	810	–	5
11	Cynthia	782	↑10	12
12	Pamela	753	↑10	10
13	Kathy	739	↑1	23
14	Betty	692	↓5	33
15	Shirley	660	↑2	29
16	Judy	656	↓5	27
17	Nancy	650	↓5	8
18	Wanda	624	↓5	57
19	Donna	623	↓3	13
20	Sharon	606	↑3	15
21	Joyce	541	↓6	26
22	Elizabeth	536	↓4	21
23	Janice	504	↓3	22
24	Rebecca	494	↑1	24
25	Karen	474	↑3	9
26	Martha	465	–	41
27	Gloria	463	↓3	38
28	Margaret	437	↓1	20
29	Teresa	428	↑3	42
30	Cathy	408	↑7	56
31	Vickie	393	↑4	79
32	Beverly	383	↑7	34
33	Janet	382	↓4	19
34	Peggy	368	↓4	44
35	Phyllis	358	↓1	69
36	Dorothy	349	↓3	49
37	Doris	339	↓6	87
38	Carol	306	↓2	16
39	Alice	289	↑3	73
40	Frances	289	–	72
41	Diane	275	↑4	17
42	Sheila	274	new	60
43	Catherine	271	↑1	35
44	Marilyn	268	new	36
45	Sarah	266	↑4	93
46	Annie	259	↓8	>100
47	Helen	257	↓1	65
48	Jo	253	↓5	54
49	Virginia	242	↓8	53
50	Connie	238	new	47

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	James	3,117	–	2
2	William	2,255	–	6
3	Robert	1,886	–	1
4	John	1,802	–	4
5	David	1,798	–	5
6	Michael	1,770	–	3
7	Charles	1,444	–	9
8	Larry	1,290	–	18
9	Richard	1,022	↑1	7
10	Thomas	978	↓1	8
11	Donald	894	–	14
12	Kenneth	836	↑3	17
13	Jerry	822	↓1	29
14	Gary	794	↓1	10
15	Ronald	788	↓1	15
16	Joseph	681	–	13
17	George	652	–	22
18	Danny	525	–	41
19	Willie	499	↑2	49
20	Dennis	498	↑8	19
21	Bobby	495	↑1	74
22	Roger	482	↑3	31
23	Terry	474	↑4	30
24	Edward	473	↓4	23
25	Ronnie	458	↑1	79
26	Steven	451	↓2	11
27	Johnny	450	↓8	52
28	Ricky	441	↑17	51
29	Stephen	423	↓6	21
30	Billy	422	↓1	65
31	Paul	413	–	16
32	Randy	395	↑7	35
33	Jimmy	367	↓3	72
34	Timothy	330	↑2	26
35	Walter	321	↓3	45
36	Samuel	317	↓2	70
37	Daniel	314	↓2	20
38	Douglas	308	↓5	27
39	Tony	298	↑9	>100
40	Carl	273	↑1	44
41	Harold	260	↓4	56
42	Anthony	259	↑4	32
43	Roy	252	↓5	55
44	Henry	248	↓4	54
45	Gregory	247	new	24
46	Phillip	238	↓2	76
47	Mark	234	new	12
48	Steve	224	new	84
49	Bruce	221	new	28
50	Wayne	217	↓7	40

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