Popular baby names in Virginia, 1956

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1956 were Deborah for girls (1,490 babies) and James for boys (2,191). Deborah ranked #4 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 85,759 babies born in Virginia in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1956

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: 48 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Angelia: 22 babies, 4× the national rate
Alfreda: 21 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Elsie: 32 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Patsy: 106 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Laverne: 36 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Eunice: 23 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Deloris: 36 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Faye: 52 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Althea: 21 babies, 2.6× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 56 babies, 12.5× the national rate
Garland: 43 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Carroll: 42 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Carlton: 89 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Aubrey: 32 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Rufus: 28 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Wilbur: 28 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Earnest: 48 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Preston: 35 babies, 3× the national rate
Lewis: 106 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Deborah	1,490	–	4
2	Mary	1,286	–	1
3	Linda	1,121	–	3
4	Patricia	1,082	–	6
5	Debra	954	–	2
6	Sharon	920	↑6	13
7	Karen	864	↑6	7
8	Susan	809	↓2	5
9	Brenda	766	↓2	19
10	Barbara	748	↓2	9
11	Donna	730	↓2	10
12	Cynthia	716	↓1	8
13	Pamela	593	↑2	12
14	Sandra	568	↓4	14
15	Teresa	515	↑6	24
16	Kathy	513	↑1	20
17	Nancy	492	↓3	11
18	Carolyn	467	–	33
19	Joyce	417	↑3	30
20	Elizabeth	383	↓4	22
21	Janet	381	↓1	21
22	Wanda	378	↑1	61
23	Diane	359	↓4	15
24	Carol	351	↑1	16
25	Cheryl	350	↑8	18
26	Betty	347	↓2	44
27	Robin	341	↑2	29
28	Margaret	328	↓2	25
29	Shirley	318	↓2	41
30	Cathy	301	↑10	36
31	Judy	300	↑1	35
32	Rebecca	289	↓4	27
33	Catherine	284	↑3	28
34	Janice	284	↓3	26
35	Connie	255	↓5	43
36	Sheila	253	↑6	55
37	Martha	247	↑2	59
38	Gloria	245	↓4	53
39	Debbie	239	new	39
40	Virginia	233	↓3	75
41	Bonnie	230	↓6	51
42	Sherry	226	new	54
43	Katherine	223	↑4	67
44	Theresa	222	new	32
45	Beverly	218	↓4	40
46	Phyllis	213	↓8	82
47	Peggy	208	↓3	63
48	Vickie	207	–	68
49	Darlene	203	new	71
50	Denise	200	↓4	23

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	2,191	–	2
2	Michael	1,899	–	1
3	William	1,868	↑2	6
4	Robert	1,817	↓1	3
5	David	1,656	↓1	4
6	John	1,608	–	5
7	Charles	1,066	–	11
8	Richard	960	–	7
9	Thomas	904	–	9
10	Larry	740	–	21
11	Mark	695	↑6	8
12	Gary	683	↓1	13
13	Donald	636	–	14
14	Ronald	628	↓2	15
15	Kenneth	623	↓1	16
16	Steven	577	↓1	10
17	Joseph	570	↑1	12
18	George	511	↓2	27
19	Stephen	465	–	23
20	Edward	411	–	25
21	Dennis	409	↑1	26
22	Jerry	402	↑1	35
23	Timothy	397	↑2	19
24	Paul	396	↓3	17
25	Jeffrey	371	↑4	20
26	Gregory	352	–	24
27	Daniel	340	–	18
28	Douglas	339	–	29
29	Terry	300	↑3	31
30	Anthony	294	↑1	30
31	Wayne	285	↑4	45
32	Randy	269	↑12	28
33	Roger	267	↓9	41
34	Bruce	262	↓1	33
35	Raymond	251	↓1	39
36	Walter	251	↑1	53
37	Ricky	250	↑4	43
38	Keith	247	↑5	36
39	Kevin	227	new	22
40	Barry	213	↑2	69
41	Carl	212	↓3	48
42	Danny	212	↓12	46
43	Ronnie	209	↓7	75
44	Samuel	206	↓5	74
45	Roy	192	–	62
46	Ralph	190	new	67
47	Curtis	185	↑1	80
48	Lawrence	185	↓1	42
49	Brian	181	new	32
50	Tony	179	new	85

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