Popular baby names in Virginia, 1951

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1951 were Linda for girls (1,820 babies) and James for boys (2,267). Social Security records list 76,766 babies born in Virginia in 1951 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1951

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

Girls

Celestine: 20 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Laverne: 54 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Beverley: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Shelby: 20 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Mable: 29 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Sallie: 33 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Thelma: 102 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Blanche: 23 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Freda: 30 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Gracie: 21 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 56 babies, 12.3× the national rate
Garland: 57 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Elwood: 25 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Carlton: 77 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Aubrey: 40 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Carroll: 44 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Sterling: 21 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Alphonso: 21 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Preston: 38 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Nelson: 55 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1951

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	Linda	1,820	–	1
2	Mary	1,399	–	2
3	Patricia	1,263	↑1	3
4	Brenda	1,204	↓1	14
5	Barbara	983	–	5
6	Deborah	965	↑3	4
7	Sandra	736	↓1	9
8	Nancy	634	–	7
9	Carolyn	632	↓2	22
10	Susan	630	↑3	6
11	Joyce	523	↑3	28
12	Sharon	519	↓1	13
13	Betty	500	↓3	29
14	Donna	487	↑2	12
15	Shirley	450	↓3	27
16	Margaret	444	↓1	17
17	Elizabeth	427	↑1	23
18	Karen	407	↑16	8
19	Judy	402	↓2	26
20	Carol	365	↓1	11
21	Wanda	353	–	52
22	Pamela	345	↑8	16
23	Rebecca	339	↑1	32
24	Cynthia	337	↑3	20
25	Peggy	330	↑1	40
26	Gloria	309	↓6	31
27	Virginia	300	↑4	47
28	Janet	298	↓6	19
29	Janice	298	↓1	21
30	Debra	295	new	18
31	Bonnie	281	↓6	37
32	Martha	280	↓9	38
33	Diane	264	↑3	15
34	Phyllis	264	↓1	57
35	Frances	251	↓3	59
36	Judith	245	↓1	25
37	Kathy	241	↑13	35
38	Dorothy	240	↓9	42
39	Alice	230	↓2	62
40	Doris	206	–	80
41	Catherine	205	↓2	34
42	Joan	204	↑1	39
43	Beverly	202	↑1	33
44	Katherine	195	new	55
45	Jacqueline	179	new	56
46	Ann	173	↓4	46
47	Jean	173	–	49
48	Gail	169	new	36
49	Helen	169	↓11	54
50	Kathleen	169	new	10

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	James	2,267	–	1
2	William	1,820	–	6
3	Robert	1,724	–	2
4	John	1,661	–	3
5	Michael	1,256	↑1	4
6	David	1,106	↑1	5
7	Charles	1,088	↓2	9
8	Larry	1,012	–	11
9	Thomas	952	–	8
10	Richard	880	–	7
11	Gary	673	↑1	10
12	George	631	↑1	22
13	Ronald	625	↓2	12
14	Donald	620	–	15
15	Kenneth	542	–	16
16	Joseph	512	↑1	14
17	Jerry	447	↓1	24
18	Edward	444	–	23
19	Roger	419	–	29
20	Dennis	379	↑1	17
21	Stephen	367	↓1	19
22	Paul	339	–	18
23	Steven	330	↑2	13
24	Douglas	323	↓1	27
25	Walter	298	↑3	42
26	Wayne	276	↑1	37
27	Danny	256	↑3	41
28	Raymond	253	↓4	32
29	Daniel	247	↓3	21
30	Samuel	215	↑4	67
31	Mark	214	new	20
32	Roy	211	↓3	52
33	Harold	210	↑7	46
34	Frank	206	↓1	31
35	Bruce	205	↑4	26
36	Ronnie	204	↑6	82
37	Bobby	203	↑6	77
38	Willie	202	–	45
39	Henry	200	↓7	47
40	Harry	195	↓9	70
41	Carl	191	↓4	43
42	Arthur	186	new	44
43	Clarence	182	↓7	98
44	Melvin	179	↑4	88
45	Lawrence	178	↓4	33
46	Ralph	177	↓2	51
47	Terry	174	new	30
48	Barry	166	new	71
49	Earl	166	new	95
50	Allen	163	new	72

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