Popular baby names in Virginia, 1939

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,348 babies) and James for boys (1,726). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 46,955 babies born in Virginia in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1939

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: 50 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Kitty: 16 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Lelia: 20 babies, 6× the national rate
Shelby: 130 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Maude: 15 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Gracie: 42 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Claudine: 15 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Goldie: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Mable: 47 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Bettie: 56 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Boys

Ryland: 23 babies, 38× the national rate
Linwood: 43 babies, 12.6× the national rate
Kyle: 18 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Everette: 21 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Garland: 55 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Randolph: 51 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Aubrey: 45 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Thurman: 24 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Winston: 17 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Buford: 16 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,348	–	1
2	Betty	919	↑2	4
3	Shirley	884	↓1	5
4	Barbara	870	↓1	2
5	Nancy	600	–	7
6	Patricia	447	↑4	3
7	Dorothy	423	↓1	9
8	Margaret	405	↓1	10
9	Joyce	397	↓1	12
10	Frances	352	↓1	26
11	Virginia	346	↑1	21
12	Peggy	340	↓1	34
13	Doris	315	–	29
14	Martha	288	↑3	27
15	Elizabeth	284	–	18
16	Helen	278	↓2	16
17	Phyllis	251	↑2	30
18	Alice	240	↑2	31
19	Ruth	239	↓1	22
20	Jean	217	↓4	32
21	Carolyn	214	↑1	14
22	Evelyn	208	↑1	40
23	Mildred	198	↓2	55
24	Ann	176	↑3	33
25	Joan	172	–	11
26	Thelma	164	↑3	88
27	Sarah	157	↑16	68
28	Linda	156	new	15
29	Annie	155	↓5	54
30	Janice	155	↑6	24
31	Carol	152	↑13	6
32	Gloria	152	↑6	36
33	Ruby	151	↓7	67
34	Charlotte	148	↓1	66
35	Lois	145	↓7	35
36	Norma	145	↓6	38
37	Patsy	145	↑4	56
38	Sandra	141	↑11	13
39	Sylvia	136	↓5	62
40	Janet	130	↓1	17
41	Judith	130	new	8
42	Shelby	130	↓11	>100
43	Gladys	129	↓11	>100
44	Juanita	128	new	77
45	Anna	127	↓10	43
46	Edith	122	↓9	>100
47	Edna	121	↓5	81
48	Marie	117	–	37
49	Catherine	113	↓2	49
50	Jane	113	new	46

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	1,726	–	2
2	William	1,323	–	4
3	Robert	1,205	–	1
4	John	1,014	–	3
5	Charles	829	–	6
6	Thomas	478	↑2	9
7	George	451	↓1	11
8	Donald	450	↓1	8
9	Richard	450	–	5
10	David	418	–	7
11	Joseph	344	–	12
12	Edward	320	–	15
13	Bobby	306	–	29
14	Kenneth	259	↑1	13
15	Walter	251	↑2	25
16	Paul	224	↓2	17
17	Raymond	218	↑2	22
18	Ronald	215	↑3	10
19	Billy	209	↓3	24
20	Jerry	205	↑12	16
21	Frank	196	↓1	20
22	Roy	190	↑2	42
23	Harold	185	↓5	23
24	Henry	184	↓1	31
25	Willie	170	↑4	33
26	Harry	169	↓4	45
27	Ralph	168	↓2	35
28	Samuel	167	↑9	63
29	Wayne	160	new	39
30	Carl	158	↑1	30
31	Clarence	155	↓4	60
32	Earl	149	↑1	50
33	Joe	143	↓7	27
34	Melvin	134	↓4	51
35	Howard	133	↓7	47
36	Arthur	132	↑4	32
37	Ernest	131	↑1	55
38	Larry	131	↑3	14
39	Lawrence	129	↑3	36
40	Eugene	127	↓1	37
41	Herbert	124	↑2	68
42	Lewis	117	↑2	>100
43	Jack	116	↓9	26
44	Fred	111	↓8	40
45	Charlie	106	↓10	>100
46	Curtis	106	–	98
47	Alfred	104	new	70
48	Albert	102	↓3	41
49	Franklin	98	↓1	>100
50	Jimmy	98	↓3	43

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