Popular baby names in Virginia, 1959

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1959 were Mary for girls (1,080 babies) and James for boys (2,062). James ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 83,782 babies born in Virginia in 1959 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1959

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

Girls

Avis: 28 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Shelby: 45 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Laverne: 34 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Freda: 28 babies, 3× the national rate
Wanda: 388 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Faye: 44 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Vanessa: 155 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Gladys: 42 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Angelia: 22 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Shelia: 112 babies, 2.4× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 61 babies, 14.6× the national rate
Carroll: 41 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Garland: 28 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Aubrey: 38 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Carlton: 70 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Irvin: 23 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Alphonso: 23 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Preston: 34 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Darnell: 23 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Otis: 39 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1959

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	Mary	1,080	–	1
2	Donna	1,037	↑7	5
3	Deborah	943	↓1	9
4	Patricia	867	↓1	6
5	Linda	848	↓1	3
6	Cynthia	846	↑1	8
7	Susan	808	↓2	2
8	Karen	775	↓2	4
9	Teresa	697	↑6	24
10	Brenda	674	–	16
11	Debra	653	↓3	7
12	Sharon	648	↓1	17
13	Pamela	634	↑1	12
14	Sandra	622	↑2	13
15	Barbara	617	↓2	11
16	Kathy	560	↓4	15
17	Elizabeth	455	↑1	21
18	Robin	450	↑4	32
19	Cheryl	429	↓2	18
20	Debbie	418	↑1	20
21	Nancy	401	↓2	14
22	Tammy	398	↑21	31
23	Lisa	396	↑6	10
24	Wanda	388	–	65
25	Carolyn	379	↓5	42
26	Janet	356	↑1	28
27	Carol	332	↓4	22
28	Rebecca	310	↓3	38
29	Betty	299	↑1	59
30	Cindy	299	↑6	25
31	Diane	286	↓3	19
32	Joyce	280	↓6	50
33	Cathy	254	↑1	39
34	Kimberly	245	new	33
35	Margaret	233	↓3	36
36	Shirley	231	↓3	61
37	Janice	227	↑9	37
38	Darlene	225	↑1	66
39	Sheila	223	↑1	52
40	Catherine	222	↓2	40
41	Judy	222	↓10	41
42	Angela	218	new	68
43	Theresa	218	↓6	34
44	Connie	215	↑5	48
45	Rhonda	215	↑2	45
46	Laura	211	new	30
47	Bonnie	200	new	71
48	Denise	200	↓7	29
49	Virginia	197	↓1	93
50	Beverly	194	–	55

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	James	2,062	–	3
2	David	1,732	↑1	2
3	Michael	1,638	↓1	1
4	Robert	1,526	↑1	5
5	John	1,492	↑1	4
6	William	1,477	↓2	7
7	Charles	924	–	11
8	Richard	908	–	8
9	Mark	891	↑1	6
10	Thomas	813	↓1	9
11	Timothy	707	↑4	12
12	Kenneth	649	↓1	15
13	Larry	576	↓1	25
14	Ronald	559	–	21
15	Steven	545	↑2	10
16	Joseph	530	↑4	13
17	Donald	518	↓4	19
18	Ricky	489	↑1	34
19	Gary	483	↓3	20
20	Jeffrey	478	↑1	16
21	George	429	↓3	32
22	Paul	391	↑1	17
23	Gregory	388	↓1	23
24	Anthony	383	↑2	26
25	Dennis	357	↓1	29
26	Edward	345	↑3	27
27	Jerry	336	↓2	36
28	Stephen	333	↓1	28
29	Kevin	329	↑4	14
30	Daniel	322	–	18
31	Douglas	311	–	30
32	Terry	290	↓4	33
33	Wayne	269	↑2	51
34	Keith	265	–	39
35	Christopher	258	↑7	35
36	Brian	256	↑11	22
37	Roger	249	↑2	47
38	Raymond	225	↑2	45
39	Tony	222	↑5	53
40	Bruce	218	↓3	38
41	Randy	218	↓5	31
42	Barry	211	↑4	73
43	Steve	206	new	41
44	Bobby	205	↓3	71
45	Carl	201	↓2	54
46	Ronnie	200	↓14	77
47	Walter	196	↓2	66
48	Curtis	193	new	75
49	Danny	192	↓11	48
50	Eric	189	new	46

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