Popular baby names in Virginia, 1955

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1955 were Deborah for girls (1,565 babies) and James for boys (2,133). Deborah ranked #2 nationally for girls. James ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 84,343 babies born in Virginia in 1955 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1955

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

Girls

Shelby: 43 babies, 6× the national rate
Doretha: 21 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Bettie: 21 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Laverne: 45 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Sallie: 26 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Vanessa: 183 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Shelia: 120 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Freda: 32 babies, 3× the national rate
Dinah: 22 babies, 3× the national rate
Wanda: 417 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 66 babies, 13.4× the national rate
Garland: 47 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Carroll: 38 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Aubrey: 28 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Alphonso: 27 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Carlton: 64 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Preston: 36 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Rufus: 27 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Ellis: 25 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Lewis: 116 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1955

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	Deborah	1,565	–	2
2	Mary	1,262	↑1	1
3	Linda	1,243	↓1	3
4	Patricia	1,133	–	6
5	Debra	966	↑1	4
6	Susan	838	↑2	5
7	Brenda	776	↓2	18
8	Barbara	764	↓1	7
9	Donna	684	↑1	10
10	Sandra	678	↓1	13
11	Cynthia	612	↑2	11
12	Sharon	612	↓1	16
13	Karen	608	↑3	8
14	Nancy	573	↓2	9
15	Pamela	569	↓1	12
16	Elizabeth	502	↑2	21
17	Kathy	488	↑4	22
18	Carolyn	467	↓3	30
19	Diane	460	↑7	14
20	Janet	436	–	20
21	Teresa	431	↑4	26
22	Joyce	424	↓3	29
23	Wanda	417	–	61
24	Betty	404	↓7	36
25	Carol	360	↑2	15
26	Margaret	358	↓2	24
27	Shirley	325	↓5	37
28	Rebecca	323	↑1	27
29	Robin	307	↑7	33
30	Connie	306	↑11	35
31	Janice	285	↓1	25
32	Judy	284	↓4	32
33	Cheryl	281	new	19
34	Gloria	266	↓3	47
35	Bonnie	265	↓3	45
36	Catherine	263	↓3	28
37	Virginia	263	↓2	66
38	Phyllis	248	↑2	74
39	Martha	238	–	53
40	Cathy	232	↑8	44
41	Beverly	226	↓4	34
42	Sheila	226	↑1	57
43	Dorothy	219	↓1	64
44	Peggy	216	↓10	51
45	Ann	208	↓1	43
46	Denise	206	↑4	23
47	Katherine	203	↓1	65
48	Vickie	195	new	68
49	Jo	188	–	58
50	Vanessa	183	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	James	2,133	–	3
2	Michael	1,820	↑1	1
3	Robert	1,779	↑1	4
4	David	1,772	↑2	2
5	William	1,735	↓3	6
6	John	1,660	↓1	5
7	Charles	1,040	–	11
8	Richard	1,020	–	7
9	Thomas	909	–	8
10	Larry	735	–	19
11	Gary	683	–	12
12	Ronald	649	↑1	18
13	Donald	622	↓1	14
14	Kenneth	585	↑3	15
15	Steven	558	–	10
16	George	523	–	26
17	Mark	520	↑6	9
18	Joseph	519	↓4	13
19	Stephen	440	–	21
20	Edward	434	–	25
21	Paul	423	↑1	16
22	Dennis	420	↓1	23
23	Jerry	413	↓5	33
24	Roger	355	–	37
25	Timothy	340	↑8	22
26	Gregory	330	↑6	24
27	Daniel	327	↓2	17
28	Douglas	320	–	29
29	Jeffrey	316	↓3	20
30	Danny	291	↓1	45
31	Anthony	270	↑7	31
32	Terry	263	↓2	28
33	Bruce	252	↑4	32
34	Raymond	249	↑2	36
35	Wayne	242	↓4	44
36	Ronnie	239	↑3	80
37	Walter	236	↓10	51
38	Carl	235	↓3	47
39	Samuel	231	↑1	71
40	Frank	222	↑1	34
41	Ricky	220	↓7	46
42	Barry	216	↑2	70
43	Keith	207	↑3	39
44	Randy	205	↑4	30
45	Roy	194	↑4	58
46	Bobby	189	↓3	75
47	Lawrence	188	↓5	42
48	Curtis	183	new	79
49	Harold	181	new	63
50	Russell	178	new	57

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