Popular baby names in Virginia, 1950

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1950 were Linda for girls (1,910 babies) and James for boys (2,358). Social Security records list 71,984 babies born in Virginia in 1950 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1950

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: 19 babies, 10.2× the national rate
Shelby: 31 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Celestine: 22 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Alfreda: 18 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Beverley: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Freda: 35 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Beulah: 21 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Elsie: 45 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Bettie: 28 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Shelia: 56 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Lynwood: 19 babies, 11.9× the national rate
Linwood: 66 babies, 11.7× the national rate
Garland: 55 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Elwood: 23 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Carroll: 59 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Carlton: 56 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Alphonso: 20 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Aubrey: 26 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Irvin: 29 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Grover: 26 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Linda	1,910	–	1
2	Mary	1,448	–	2
3	Brenda	1,133	–	14
4	Patricia	1,106	↑1	3
5	Barbara	909	↓1	4
6	Sandra	751	↑1	8
7	Carolyn	662	↓1	20
8	Nancy	627	↑2	6
9	Deborah	613	↑9	7
10	Betty	582	↓2	26
11	Sharon	533	↑3	11
12	Shirley	528	↓3	19
13	Susan	512	↓2	5
14	Joyce	475	↓2	27
15	Margaret	434	↓2	15
16	Donna	427	↑1	13
17	Judy	427	↓2	25
18	Elizabeth	415	↓2	24
19	Carol	378	–	9
20	Gloria	360	–	30
21	Wanda	326	↑6	52
22	Janet	318	↑12	18
23	Martha	307	–	32
24	Rebecca	288	↑9	36
25	Bonnie	287	↑1	33
26	Peggy	284	↓5	41
27	Cynthia	281	↑3	23
28	Janice	280	↑7	22
29	Dorothy	276	↓5	35
30	Pamela	272	↑6	17
31	Virginia	268	↓9	43
32	Frances	259	↓4	51
33	Phyllis	257	↓4	53
34	Karen	255	↓2	12
35	Judith	251	↓10	21
36	Diane	234	↑1	16
37	Alice	206	↑2	57
38	Helen	201	–	50
39	Catherine	199	↑5	34
40	Doris	194	↓9	74
41	Ruth	193	↑2	49
42	Ann	187	↓1	45
43	Joan	186	↓3	40
44	Beverly	184	↓2	31
45	Jane	169	↑5	39
46	Patsy	163	–	>100
47	Jean	157	↑1	48
48	Connie	156	↑1	44
49	Charlotte	153	new	80
50	Kathy	153	new	38

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	James	2,358	–	1
2	William	1,788	–	6
3	Robert	1,668	–	2
4	John	1,561	–	3
5	Charles	1,088	–	9
6	Michael	1,055	↑3	4
7	David	992	↓1	5
8	Larry	975	↓1	11
9	Thomas	878	↓1	8
10	Richard	806	–	7
11	Ronald	635	↑1	12
12	Gary	632	↑5	10
13	George	604	–	20
14	Donald	594	↓3	14
15	Kenneth	536	↑1	15
16	Jerry	506	↓1	24
17	Joseph	485	↓3	13
18	Edward	427	–	22
19	Roger	411	–	27
20	Stephen	382	↑1	19
21	Dennis	307	↑1	17
22	Paul	303	↓2	18
23	Douglas	265	↑11	28
24	Raymond	259	–	31
25	Steven	256	↑5	16
26	Daniel	250	↑10	21
27	Wayne	250	↓4	35
28	Walter	248	↓3	40
29	Roy	238	–	51
30	Danny	236	↓3	39
31	Harry	218	↑4	61
32	Henry	208	↓1	47
33	Frank	196	↓1	29
34	Samuel	188	↑5	62
35	Gerald	182	↑8	34
36	Clarence	181	↑8	95
37	Carl	180	↓4	44
38	Willie	178	↑2	42
39	Bruce	176	new	26
40	Harold	176	↓14	45
41	Lawrence	176	↓4	33
42	Ronnie	175	↓14	76
43	Bobby	171	↓2	65
44	Ralph	165	↓6	52
45	Billy	156	↑1	57
46	Calvin	156	new	>100
47	Gregory	156	new	25
48	Melvin	155	↓3	87
49	Howard	154	↓7	63
50	Johnny	150	new	50

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