Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1961

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1961 were Mary for girls (1,172 babies) and James for boys (2,532). James ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 101,613 babies born in North Carolina in 1961 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1961

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: 55 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Teressa: 33 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Pattie: 32 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Mamie: 26 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Libby: 26 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Mitzi: 46 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Shelia: 182 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Frankie: 27 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Annie: 109 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Amanda: 87 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 53 babies, 12.9× the national rate
Dewey: 34 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Alton: 58 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Hubert: 37 babies, 4× the national rate
Dexter: 40 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Grady: 32 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Ervin: 30 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Clifton: 76 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Dallas: 29 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Bobby: 448 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1961

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	Mary	1,172	↑1	1
2	Lisa	1,150	↑4	2
3	Teresa	1,099	–	18
4	Donna	1,022	↓3	7
5	Cynthia	890	↓1	8
6	Sandra	844	↑2	9
7	Linda	842	↓2	4
8	Susan	799	↑3	3
9	Sharon	789	↑4	17
10	Karen	786	↓3	5
11	Deborah	782	↓2	10
12	Pamela	760	↑2	15
13	Brenda	735	↓1	11
14	Angela	682	↑10	38
15	Patricia	677	↓5	6
16	Tammy	592	↑2	28
17	Robin	572	↑3	27
18	Kimberly	557	↑5	22
19	Barbara	528	↓3	12
20	Kathy	519	↓3	25
21	Debra	511	↓6	13
22	Elizabeth	508	↓3	19
23	Wanda	482	↓2	70
24	Janet	423	↑1	32
25	Debbie	419	↓3	31
26	Carolyn	408	–	42
27	Sherry	404	↑5	53
28	Sheila	367	–	59
29	Beverly	363	–	66
30	Cheryl	350	↑1	20
31	Nancy	346	↓1	16
32	Laura	334	↑3	21
33	Rhonda	334	↑6	46
34	Carol	327	↑2	24
35	Betty	325	↓8	87
36	Lori	321	new	14
37	Jacqueline	314	new	37
38	Janice	308	↓1	52
39	Cathy	290	↓6	55
40	Cindy	285	↓6	33
41	Gloria	282	↓1	82
42	Tina	268	new	41
43	Judy	267	↓1	58
44	Shirley	267	↓3	85
45	Connie	254	↑1	50
46	Anita	253	new	91
47	Margaret	252	↓4	40
48	Rebecca	252	↓10	44
49	Joyce	247	↓4	62
50	Denise	243	new	30

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	James	2,532	–	4
2	Michael	1,995	↑1	1
3	David	1,798	↓1	2
4	William	1,792	–	7
5	John	1,528	↑1	3
6	Robert	1,506	↓1	5
7	Charles	1,105	–	13
8	Mark	989	↑1	6
9	Timothy	919	↓1	15
10	Jeffrey	863	↑4	11
11	Kenneth	849	↓1	16
12	Richard	766	↓1	8
13	Thomas	747	↓1	9
14	Gary	667	↑4	21
15	Ricky	664	↓2	44
16	Donald	633	–	22
17	Terry	632	↓2	32
18	Tony	608	↑3	53
19	Jerry	571	↑1	37
20	Joseph	563	↑2	12
21	Anthony	562	↑5	25
22	Larry	557	↓5	30
23	Gregory	555	↑1	23
24	Ronald	515	↓1	24
25	Randy	486	↓6	33
26	Bobby	448	↑1	76
27	Steven	445	↓2	10
28	Christopher	429	↑2	26
29	Danny	425	↓1	54
30	George	412	↑2	31
31	Billy	389	↑3	68
32	Dennis	381	↓1	34
33	Jimmy	376	–	71
34	Jeffery	374	↑4	50
35	Roger	365	↑5	47
36	Johnny	356	↓7	70
37	Paul	347	↓1	18
38	Kevin	335	↑1	14
39	Ronnie	330	↓2	91
40	Stephen	316	↑1	27
41	Keith	299	↑5	35
42	Edward	293	↓7	29
43	Willie	292	–	86
44	Douglas	279	↓2	28
45	Barry	275	↑3	66
46	Daniel	258	↓1	17
47	Phillip	255	↓3	69
48	Jeff	235	new	49
49	Scott	217	new	19
50	Darryl	216	new	80

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