Popular baby names in Virginia, 1954

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1954 were Deborah for girls (1,658 babies) and James for boys (2,344). Deborah ranked #3 nationally for girls. James ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 84,551 babies born in Virginia in 1954 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1954

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

Girls

Dreama: 23 babies, 15× the national rate
Shelby: 52 babies, 8× the national rate
Freda: 37 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Jewel: 21 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Shelia: 115 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Vanessa: 174 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Pearl: 29 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Geneva: 36 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Elsie: 31 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Ada: 25 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 83 babies, 15.2× the national rate
Garland: 49 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Aubrey: 46 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Carter: 22 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Carlton: 79 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Irvin: 31 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Wilson: 29 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Alphonso: 22 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Wilbert: 36 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Preston: 34 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1954

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1953	US rank
1	Deborah	1,658	↑1	3
2	Linda	1,398	↓1	2
3	Mary	1,367	–	1
4	Patricia	1,227	–	4
5	Brenda	878	–	18
6	Debra	877	↑3	6
7	Barbara	871	↓1	7
8	Susan	808	↓1	5
9	Sandra	717	↑1	13
10	Donna	644	↑4	11
11	Sharon	639	–	16
12	Nancy	611	↓4	9
13	Cynthia	607	↓1	10
14	Pamela	570	↑1	12
15	Carolyn	553	↓2	27
16	Karen	540	–	8
17	Betty	436	↑2	36
18	Elizabeth	435	↓1	20
19	Joyce	429	↓1	28
20	Janet	400	↑3	19
21	Kathy	395	↑6	23
22	Shirley	378	↓1	33
23	Wanda	377	↓1	58
24	Margaret	350	↓4	21
25	Teresa	343	↑16	34
26	Diane	339	↑2	17
27	Carol	332	↓1	15
28	Judy	327	↓4	29
29	Rebecca	323	↓4	26
30	Janice	281	↑2	25
31	Gloria	276	↓2	42
32	Bonnie	274	↓1	52
33	Catherine	266	↑7	32
34	Peggy	261	↑1	48
35	Virginia	255	↓2	61
36	Robin	251	new	41
37	Beverly	249	–	31
38	Joan	241	↓2	40
39	Martha	240	↓9	46
40	Phyllis	228	↓6	75
41	Connie	214	↑1	39
42	Dorothy	214	↓4	55
43	Sheila	212	↑2	60
44	Ann	202	↑6	44
45	Judith	201	↓1	30
46	Katherine	201	↑1	64
47	Kathleen	199	new	14
48	Cathy	197	new	59
49	Jo	196	–	53
50	Denise	195	new	24

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1953	US rank
1	James	2,344	–	3
2	William	1,832	–	6
3	Michael	1,790	↑1	1
4	Robert	1,763	↓1	2
5	John	1,671	–	4
6	David	1,653	–	5
7	Charles	1,085	–	10
8	Richard	1,067	–	7
9	Thomas	950	–	8
10	Larry	840	–	19
11	Gary	779	–	9
12	Donald	698	–	14
13	Ronald	663	–	15
14	Joseph	600	↑1	13
15	Steven	593	↑3	11
16	George	579	↓2	24
17	Kenneth	560	↓1	17
18	Jerry	458	↓1	31
19	Stephen	450	–	20
20	Edward	446	–	22
21	Dennis	431	–	21
22	Paul	409	–	16
23	Mark	402	↑1	12
24	Roger	349	↓1	34
25	Daniel	337	–	18
26	Jeffrey	280	↑18	23
27	Walter	278	↑3	49
28	Douglas	277	↓2	29
29	Danny	269	↓1	42
30	Terry	263	↑5	27
31	Wayne	260	–	41
32	Gregory	255	↓3	25
33	Timothy	251	↑8	26
34	Ricky	247	new	46
35	Carl	242	↓1	47
36	Raymond	242	↓9	35
37	Bruce	238	↑1	30
38	Anthony	228	↓1	32
39	Ronnie	226	↓3	78
40	Samuel	214	↓7	71
41	Frank	211	↓9	36
42	Lawrence	207	↓3	39
43	Bobby	205	–	72
44	Barry	195	new	68
45	Arthur	194	new	52
46	Keith	191	new	45
47	Clarence	188	↑2	>100
48	Randy	180	new	33
49	Roy	180	↓9	56
50	Melvin	175	↓5	92

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