Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1959

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1959 were Mary for girls (1,256 babies) and James for boys (2,424). James ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 101,722 babies born in North Carolina in 1959 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1959

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: 34 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Shelby: 51 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Teressa: 28 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Mamie: 31 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Delphine: 30 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Libby: 25 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Shelia: 234 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Myra: 128 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Hattie: 28 babies, 4× the national rate
Angelia: 41 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 57 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Shelton: 33 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Alton: 60 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Grady: 40 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Carlton: 82 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Timmy: 155 babies, 4× the national rate
Dexter: 39 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Carroll: 29 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Donnie: 152 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Horace: 41 babies, 3.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1959

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	Mary	1,256	–	1
2	Donna	1,219	↑10	5
3	Cynthia	1,060	↑1	8
4	Teresa	1,038	↑1	24
5	Linda	1,020	↓3	3
6	Deborah	949	↓3	9
7	Patricia	895	↓1	6
8	Susan	825	↓1	2
9	Sandra	802	↑7	13
10	Pamela	794	↑1	12
11	Debra	790	↓2	7
12	Sharon	764	↑3	17
13	Kathy	762	↓5	15
14	Karen	725	–	4
15	Brenda	722	↓5	16
16	Barbara	715	↓3	11
17	Debbie	573	↑1	20
18	Tammy	548	↑14	31
19	Wanda	541	↓2	65
20	Lisa	532	↑8	10
21	Elizabeth	496	↓2	21
22	Carolyn	480	↓2	42
23	Robin	458	↑4	32
24	Betty	427	↓2	59
25	Janet	414	–	28
26	Nancy	409	↓3	14
27	Cathy	393	↓3	39
28	Sheila	383	↑8	52
29	Cheryl	375	↓8	18
30	Cindy	370	↑7	25
31	Janice	350	↓5	37
32	Kimberly	350	↑13	33
33	Angela	349	↑10	68
34	Sherry	348	↑5	58
35	Joyce	328	↓5	50
36	Rebecca	324	↑2	38
37	Beverly	319	↓3	55
38	Shirley	312	↓7	61
39	Judy	311	↓10	41
40	Margaret	298	↑7	36
41	Rhonda	298	↑3	45
42	Carol	289	–	22
43	Phyllis	287	↓8	>100
44	Martha	282	↓3	72
45	Vickie	281	↓12	90
46	Connie	273	↑2	48
47	Gloria	261	↓1	81
48	Laura	235	↑2	30
49	Shelia	234	new	>100
50	Diane	213	new	19

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	James	2,424	–	3
2	David	1,865	↑3	2
3	Michael	1,843	↓1	1
4	William	1,707	↓1	7
5	Robert	1,577	↓1	5
6	John	1,408	–	4
7	Charles	1,155	–	11
8	Timothy	976	↑2	12
9	Kenneth	889	↑2	15
10	Ricky	884	↓1	34
11	Richard	850	↓3	8
12	Mark	810	↑2	6
13	Thomas	762	↓1	9
14	Donald	739	↑1	19
15	Larry	726	↓2	25
16	Gary	618	↑4	20
17	Ronald	603	↓1	21
18	Jerry	601	↓1	36
19	Jeffrey	576	↑5	16
20	Terry	569	↓1	33
21	Randy	546	↓3	31
22	Tony	531	–	53
23	Joseph	515	↓2	13
24	Steven	480	↑7	10
25	George	479	↑4	32
26	Ronnie	470	↓3	77
27	Dennis	468	↓2	29
28	Danny	449	↓1	48
29	Bobby	448	↓3	71
30	Gregory	432	–	23
31	Anthony	429	↓3	26
32	Johnny	426	↑1	64
33	Jimmy	407	↑2	69
34	Billy	362	–	65
35	Roger	343	↑3	47
36	Paul	339	↑1	17
37	Edward	327	↓5	27
38	Stephen	318	↑2	28
39	Keith	307	↑2	39
40	Steve	306	↑7	41
41	Willie	303	↓5	78
42	Douglas	298	↓3	30
43	Jeffery	298	new	55
44	Christopher	276	new	35
45	Daniel	274	↓2	18
46	Kevin	264	new	14
47	Walter	251	↑2	66
48	Samuel	233	↓6	86
49	Carl	231	↓3	54
50	Phillip	221	new	74

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