Popular baby names in Virginia, 1961

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1961 were Mary for girls (987 babies) and James for boys (1,962). James ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 83,456 babies born in Virginia in 1961 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1961

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: 33 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Faye: 39 babies, 3× the national rate
Wanda: 372 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Freda: 26 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Laverne: 26 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Marion: 40 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Mildred: 51 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Vanessa: 136 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Patsy: 49 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Bernice: 35 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 33 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Garland: 36 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Wilbert: 26 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Preston: 31 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Carlton: 51 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Claude: 51 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Randolph: 66 babies, 3× the national rate
Alton: 32 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Clarence: 120 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Cecil: 54 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1961

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	Mary	987	–	1
2	Lisa	840	↑12	2
3	Donna	810	↓1	7
4	Karen	785	↑4	5
5	Deborah	750	↓2	10
6	Cynthia	715	↑1	8
7	Teresa	712	↑4	18
8	Linda	706	↓2	4
9	Brenda	705	–	11
10	Susan	694	↓5	3
11	Patricia	676	↓7	6
12	Sharon	670	–	17
13	Sandra	628	↓3	9
14	Pamela	618	↓1	15
15	Robin	508	↑4	27
16	Barbara	500	↓1	12
17	Elizabeth	479	–	19
18	Kathy	448	–	25
19	Debra	439	↓3	13
20	Tammy	424	–	28
21	Kimberly	394	↑4	22
22	Wanda	372	↑2	70
23	Cheryl	367	↓2	20
24	Angela	359	↑7	38
25	Debbie	353	↓3	31
26	Janet	338	↑1	32
27	Carolyn	335	↓1	42
28	Nancy	329	↓5	16
29	Carol	315	–	24
30	Rebecca	305	↓2	44
31	Laura	290	↑4	21
32	Jacqueline	275	new	37
33	Sherry	271	↓3	53
34	Connie	262	↑4	50
35	Theresa	254	↑2	35
36	Denise	253	↑5	30
37	Margaret	245	↓4	40
38	Tina	241	↑4	41
39	Rhonda	234	–	46
40	Cindy	233	↓6	33
41	Jennifer	227	new	47
42	Diane	223	↓6	26
43	Betty	221	↓3	87
44	Catherine	221	↑6	48
45	Janice	215	–	52
46	Joyce	215	↓14	62
47	Sheila	213	↑2	59
48	Cathy	200	↓5	55
49	Valerie	192	new	67
50	Lori	191	new	14

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	James	1,962	–	4
2	David	1,892	–	2
3	Michael	1,814	–	1
4	John	1,551	↑2	3
5	Robert	1,528	↓1	5
6	William	1,485	↓1	7
7	Mark	897	–	6
8	Charles	871	–	13
9	Richard	787	–	8
10	Jeffrey	769	↑3	11
11	Thomas	754	↓1	9
12	Timothy	668	↓1	15
13	Kenneth	660	↓1	16
14	Joseph	529	↑2	12
15	Steven	521	↓1	10
16	Gary	514	↑1	21
17	Donald	484	↓2	22
18	Ronald	450	–	24
19	Kevin	449	↑7	14
20	Anthony	445	–	25
21	George	443	↑1	31
22	Gregory	438	↓1	23
23	Larry	411	↓4	30
24	Christopher	401	↑9	26
25	Paul	376	↓2	18
26	Ricky	359	↓1	44
27	Edward	351	↓3	29
28	Daniel	334	↑1	17
29	Stephen	315	↓2	27
30	Jerry	309	↓2	37
31	Brian	304	↑5	20
32	Terry	302	–	32
33	Keith	295	↑1	35
34	Douglas	292	↓4	28
35	Dennis	284	↓4	34
36	Barry	249	↑2	66
37	Tony	245	–	53
38	Roger	236	↑1	47
39	Danny	222	↓4	54
40	Scott	219	↑10	19
41	Jeffery	218	↑1	50
42	Bobby	211	↑7	76
43	Eric	204	new	38
44	Wayne	199	↓1	61
45	Curtis	196	new	75
46	Randy	196	↓6	33
47	Raymond	195	↓6	48
48	Bruce	193	↓3	40
49	Steve	185	↓5	45
50	Walter	184	new	74

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