Popular baby names in Virginia, 1953

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1953 were Linda for girls (1,539 babies) and James for boys (2,234). Linda ranked #2 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 81,798 babies born in Virginia in 1953 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1953

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: 21 babies, 12.6× the national rate
Shelby: 40 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Shelia: 107 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Vanessa: 138 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Freda: 35 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Myrtle: 23 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Laverne: 32 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Thelma: 72 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Elsie: 33 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Violet: 23 babies, 2.6× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 75 babies, 13.4× the national rate
Garland: 56 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Aubrey: 46 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Carroll: 45 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Irvin: 29 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Carlton: 60 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Dewey: 28 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Cecil: 84 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Clifton: 64 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Lewis: 118 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1953

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Linda	1,539	–	2
2	Deborah	1,449	↑1	3
3	Mary	1,367	↓1	1
4	Patricia	1,293	–	4
5	Brenda	953	–	18
6	Barbara	915	–	6
7	Susan	768	↑2	5
8	Nancy	661	–	8
9	Debra	628	↑7	7
10	Sandra	605	↓3	11
11	Sharon	595	–	15
12	Cynthia	589	↑9	12
13	Carolyn	567	↓3	25
14	Donna	532	↓1	13
15	Pamela	516	↑7	10
16	Karen	498	↑1	9
17	Elizabeth	440	↓2	21
18	Joyce	424	↓6	26
19	Betty	422	↓5	33
20	Margaret	422	↓1	20
21	Shirley	414	↓1	29
22	Wanda	385	↑4	57
23	Janet	363	↑2	19
24	Judy	363	↓6	27
25	Rebecca	355	↓2	24
26	Carol	353	↓2	16
27	Kathy	353	↑7	23
28	Diane	342	–	17
29	Gloria	310	↓2	38
30	Martha	304	–	41
31	Bonnie	294	↓2	45
32	Janice	270	↓1	22
33	Virginia	257	↑2	53
34	Phyllis	253	↓1	69
35	Peggy	245	↑1	44
36	Joan	241	↑3	37
37	Beverly	237	↑6	34
38	Dorothy	230	↓6	49
39	Frances	230	↓2	72
40	Catherine	226	↓2	35
41	Teresa	215	new	42
42	Connie	211	↑3	47
43	Jacqueline	211	↑1	58
44	Judith	210	↓3	30
45	Sheila	209	new	60
46	Cheryl	204	new	28
47	Katherine	203	↓5	63
48	Doris	200	↓2	87
49	Jo	197	↓1	54
50	Ann	195	↓10	46

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	James	2,234	–	2
2	William	1,879	–	6
3	Robert	1,790	–	1
4	Michael	1,695	↑1	3
5	John	1,660	↓1	4
6	David	1,544	–	5
7	Charles	1,116	–	9
8	Richard	1,058	–	7
9	Thomas	931	–	8
10	Larry	815	–	18
11	Gary	759	–	10
12	Donald	664	–	14
13	Ronald	646	–	15
14	George	601	–	22
15	Joseph	576	–	13
16	Kenneth	529	–	17
17	Jerry	479	↑1	29
18	Steven	469	↑3	11
19	Stephen	429	↑1	21
20	Edward	422	↓3	23
21	Dennis	420	↓2	19
22	Paul	404	↑1	16
23	Roger	372	↓1	31
24	Mark	360	↑2	12
25	Daniel	328	–	20
26	Douglas	297	↓2	27
27	Raymond	274	↑3	34
28	Danny	265	↓1	41
29	Gregory	249	↑10	24
30	Walter	238	↓2	45
31	Wayne	232	↓2	40
32	Frank	223	↑6	33
33	Samuel	223	↓1	70
34	Carl	218	↑9	44
35	Terry	216	↑6	30
36	Ronnie	211	↑1	79
37	Anthony	210	new	32
38	Bruce	205	↓7	28
39	Lawrence	205	↑6	37
40	Roy	205	↓5	55
41	Timothy	204	↑3	26
42	Harold	202	↓8	56
43	Bobby	187	↓1	74
44	Jeffrey	187	new	25
45	Melvin	185	↑2	91
46	Ralph	181	↑3	59
47	Howard	177	↓1	77
48	Henry	175	↓15	54
49	Clarence	170	↓1	>100
50	Ernest	169	new	87

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