Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1956

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1956 were Deborah for girls (1,554 babies) and James for boys (2,923). Deborah ranked #4 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 107,266 babies born in North Carolina in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1956

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

Bettie: 38 babies, 6× the national rate
Shelby: 48 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Melba: 37 babies, 4× the national rate
Annie: 215 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Minnie: 49 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Hattie: 36 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Shelia: 176 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Wanda: 669 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Myra: 76 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Ernestine: 44 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 69 babies, 12.3× the national rate
Jasper: 37 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Donnell: 28 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Alton: 80 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dexter: 48 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Horace: 63 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Ervin: 51 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Donnie: 196 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Elvis: 45 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Clifton: 104 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Deborah	1,554	↑1	4
2	Mary	1,519	↓1	1
3	Linda	1,284	–	3
4	Debra	1,176	↑1	2
5	Patricia	1,163	↓1	6
6	Susan	989	↑2	5
7	Sharon	972	↑7	13
8	Cynthia	932	↑2	8
9	Brenda	887	↓3	19
10	Barbara	879	↓3	9
11	Donna	860	↑1	10
12	Pamela	856	↑1	12
13	Karen	828	↑5	7
14	Teresa	816	↓3	24
15	Kathy	788	–	20
16	Sandra	730	↓7	14
17	Wanda	669	–	61
18	Carolyn	630	↓2	33
19	Nancy	553	–	11
20	Betty	540	–	44
21	Cathy	523	↑6	36
22	Janice	498	↑3	26
23	Janet	488	↓1	21
24	Shirley	473	↓1	41
25	Joyce	463	↑1	30
26	Elizabeth	459	↓5	22
27	Vickie	421	↑1	68
28	Judy	414	↓4	35
29	Gloria	390	↑1	53
30	Rebecca	379	↓1	27
31	Beverly	376	↑3	40
32	Debbie	370	↑10	39
33	Carol	368	↑2	16
34	Phyllis	358	↑2	82
35	Martha	356	↓3	59
36	Cheryl	354	↑9	18
37	Robin	353	↑3	29
38	Margaret	343	↓7	25
39	Sheila	333	↓1	55
40	Sherry	320	↓1	54
41	Connie	307	↓8	43
42	Diane	298	↓5	15
43	Angela	295	new	93
44	Dorothy	267	↓3	72
45	Rhonda	258	new	62
46	Peggy	247	↓3	63
47	Doris	242	↓1	>100
48	Catherine	239	–	28
49	Jo	226	–	69
50	Sarah	225	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	2,923	–	2
2	William	2,042	–	6
3	Michael	1,949	↑1	1
4	David	1,843	↓1	4
5	Robert	1,764	–	3
6	John	1,665	–	5
7	Charles	1,316	–	11
8	Larry	990	–	21
9	Richard	956	–	7
10	Thomas	895	–	9
11	Donald	887	–	14
12	Kenneth	879	–	16
13	Ronald	852	↑2	15
14	Randy	736	↑3	28
15	Gary	721	↓2	13
16	Jerry	693	↓2	35
17	Joseph	667	↓1	12
18	Terry	609	–	31
19	Mark	574	↑11	8
20	Steven	572	↑2	10
21	Ricky	571	–	43
22	Timothy	569	↑1	19
23	George	553	↓3	27
24	Dennis	552	↓5	26
25	Ronnie	518	↑1	75
26	Johnny	475	↓1	55
27	Danny	468	↓3	46
28	Bobby	449	↓1	77
29	Tony	429	↑2	85
30	Stephen	422	↓1	23
31	Edward	412	↓3	25
32	Willie	402	↑3	58
33	Billy	401	–	68
34	Gregory	385	↑3	24
35	Anthony	379	↓1	30
36	Jeffrey	378	↑2	20
37	Roger	368	↓5	41
38	Jimmy	363	↑3	78
39	Paul	335	↓3	17
40	Daniel	321	↓1	18
41	Douglas	321	↓1	29
42	Walter	292	–	53
43	Keith	277	↑5	36
44	Samuel	264	↑1	74
45	Eddie	248	new	93
46	Carl	246	↓2	48
47	Barry	236	new	69
48	Phillip	233	↓1	76
49	Curtis	227	new	80
50	Harold	227	↓4	72

← North Carolina 1955 North Carolina: all years · US 1956 North Carolina 1957 →