Popular baby names in Virginia, 1942

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,620 babies) and James for boys (2,284). Social Security records list 58,726 babies born in Virginia in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1942

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: 29 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Shelby: 71 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Flossie: 17 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Delois: 18 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Beulah: 39 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Gracie: 34 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Virgie: 17 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Cornelia: 19 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Bettie: 50 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Rosa: 107 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Waverly: 18 babies, 33.7× the national rate
Ryland: 15 babies, 27× the national rate
Linwood: 73 babies, 16.3× the national rate
Junius: 16 babies, 12.5× the national rate
Beverly: 21 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Haywood: 17 babies, 8.6× the national rate
Carson: 17 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Garland: 49 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Buford: 21 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Everette: 15 babies, 5.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,620	–	1
2	Barbara	1,160	–	2
3	Betty	943	–	9
4	Shirley	794	–	12
5	Patricia	722	↑1	3
6	Linda	644	↑6	4
7	Carolyn	638	↑3	10
8	Nancy	609	↓3	8
9	Joyce	600	↓2	13
10	Dorothy	481	↓2	17
11	Margaret	473	↓2	14
12	Sandra	451	↑3	6
13	Brenda	407	↑6	40
14	Frances	404	↓3	30
15	Virginia	404	↑1	23
16	Peggy	333	↓3	42
17	Elizabeth	332	↓3	22
18	Martha	322	–	29
19	Doris	315	↑3	41
20	Carol	307	↑3	5
21	Phyllis	303	↑4	37
22	Judith	300	↑2	7
23	Helen	294	↓6	26
24	Judy	288	↑4	15
25	Gloria	283	↓4	31
26	Ruth	249	↑3	33
27	Alice	229	↓7	39
28	Jean	228	↓2	36
29	Joan	214	↓2	18
30	Ann	208	–	38
31	Evelyn	194	↑2	53
32	Annie	186	↑8	62
33	Mildred	182	↓2	71
34	Lois	177	↑3	44
35	Patsy	177	↓3	57
36	Rebecca	174	↑5	85
37	Janet	170	↑5	19
38	Ruby	169	↓3	77
39	Charlotte	168	↓5	51
40	Janice	165	↓4	25
41	Sarah	162	↓3	67
42	Bonnie	153	↑4	34
43	Norma	152	↓4	52
44	Jane	141	↑5	46
45	Juanita	140	new	90
46	Edith	137	↑1	>100
47	Gladys	137	new	>100
48	Wanda	137	–	54
49	Catherine	132	↓5	49
50	Louise	131	new	61

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	2,284	–	1
2	William	1,703	–	4
3	Robert	1,445	–	2
4	John	1,369	–	3
5	Charles	1,025	–	7
6	Thomas	696	↑1	8
7	Richard	632	↑1	5
8	George	601	↓2	14
9	David	567	–	6
10	Donald	449	–	10
11	Joseph	435	–	11
12	Douglas	430	↑27	23
13	Jerry	365	↑1	16
14	Edward	356	↓2	17
15	Kenneth	345	–	15
16	Ronald	345	↓3	9
17	Larry	296	↑2	12
18	Walter	269	↑6	26
19	Paul	259	↓2	19
20	Bobby	248	↓4	43
21	Henry	238	↑6	31
22	Roy	233	↓2	42
23	Raymond	232	↓5	24
24	Harold	225	↑6	27
25	Clarence	219	–	67
26	Billy	214	↓5	35
27	Frank	207	↓5	21
28	Roger	207	–	25
29	Harry	204	↑2	48
30	Samuel	204	↑2	59
31	Earl	201	↑3	62
32	Willie	201	↓9	37
33	Ralph	195	↑3	38
34	Wayne	186	↓8	41
35	Melvin	182	↓2	60
36	Arthur	171	↑9	29
37	Howard	168	↓2	49
38	Lawrence	164	–	30
39	Carl	163	↓10	36
40	Michael	163	new	13
41	Ernest	156	↓1	61
42	Fred	155	↑1	46
43	Albert	144	↑1	40
44	Gerald	137	new	22
45	Herbert	135	↑4	83
46	Gary	132	new	18
47	Daniel	130	new	28
48	Charlie	129	↓6	>100
49	Joe	125	↓8	33
50	Curtis	124	new	98

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