Popular baby names in Virginia, 1937

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1937 were Mary for girls (1,452 babies) and James for boys (1,735). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 45,179 babies born in Virginia in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1937

Names given at least 15 times in Virginia that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Nannie: 39 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Maude: 16 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Goldie: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Flossie: 18 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Florine: 17 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Shelby: 173 babies, 4× the national rate
Queen: 20 babies, 4× the national rate
Shelva: 17 babies, 4× the national rate
Dolly: 24 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Nell: 24 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 59 babies, 15.1× the national rate
Lacy: 16 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Kyle: 16 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Randolph: 45 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Garland: 48 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Aubrey: 39 babies, 5× the national rate
Emory: 19 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Preston: 36 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Thurman: 21 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Emmett: 25 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	1,452	↑1	1
2	Shirley	1,145	↓1	4
3	Betty	925	–	5
4	Barbara	799	–	2
5	Nancy	474	–	7
6	Dorothy	436	–	8
7	Margaret	398	–	10
8	Frances	352	–	19
9	Virginia	352	↑1	16
10	Helen	326	↑3	12
11	Joyce	325	↓2	11
12	Doris	321	–	22
13	Patricia	319	↑3	3
14	Peggy	312	↓3	31
15	Elizabeth	305	–	17
16	Jean	253	↓2	23
17	Ruth	242	–	15
18	Martha	239	–	24
19	Ruby	211	↑4	52
20	Phyllis	207	↑4	27
21	Mildred	206	↓2	43
22	Alice	193	↓1	28
23	Evelyn	189	↓3	36
24	Annie	184	↑2	46
25	Joan	177	↓3	9
26	Lois	175	↓1	29
27	Shelby	173	new	>100
28	Thelma	167	–	78
29	Ann	165	↓2	30
30	Sarah	157	↓1	65
31	Louise	154	↑5	48
32	Gladys	144	↓2	86
33	Carolyn	143	↓1	20
34	Anna	136	↑1	39
35	Sylvia	135	↑5	50
36	Edith	131	↓5	96
37	Gloria	127	–	32
38	Norma	126	↓5	33
39	Charlotte	121	↓5	67
40	Jane	120	↑10	42
41	Janice	118	new	25
42	Patsy	116	↑5	54
43	Carol	114	new	6
44	Edna	114	↓2	74
45	Catherine	112	↓6	47
46	Delores	106	new	68
47	Audrey	105	↓1	85
48	Emma	103	↓3	89
49	Hazel	103	↓11	>100
50	Janet	103	new	18

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	James	1,735	–	2
2	William	1,241	–	4
3	Robert	1,184	–	1
4	John	968	–	3
5	Charles	758	–	6
6	George	520	–	10
7	Thomas	443	–	9
8	Richard	439	↑1	5
9	Donald	403	↓1	7
10	Bobby	322	↑1	24
11	Joseph	316	↓1	12
12	Edward	312	–	13
13	David	305	–	8
14	Walter	228	↑4	26
15	Paul	226	–	15
16	Kenneth	222	↑3	14
17	Billy	218	↓1	22
18	Raymond	197	↓4	19
19	Joe	195	↑7	25
20	Harold	194	↓3	21
21	Willie	194	↑2	32
22	Clarence	190	–	54
23	Henry	190	↑2	30
24	Frank	170	↓4	18
25	Harry	170	↓4	41
26	Ralph	166	↑2	34
27	Roy	161	–	40
28	Carl	157	↓4	28
29	Ronald	156	↑4	11
30	Samuel	151	–	66
31	Jack	149	↑1	23
32	Earl	148	↓1	48
33	Howard	139	↓4	42
34	Franklin	132	–	77
35	Lawrence	132	↑6	38
36	Arthur	129	↑6	31
37	Eugene	129	↓1	33
38	Fred	129	↓1	35
39	Melvin	127	↓1	50
40	Ernest	122	↓1	53
41	Jerry	120	↑3	17
42	Curtis	116	↑1	>100
43	Herbert	111	↑2	65
44	Albert	107	↓4	37
45	Larry	107	new	16
46	Charlie	105	↓11	>100
47	Alfred	103	↑2	60
48	Jimmy	99	new	45
49	Gene	98	new	61
50	Norman	97	new	43

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