Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1937

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1937 were Mary for girls (1,129 babies) and James for boys (1,285). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 37,590 babies born in West Virginia in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1937

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

Girls

Dreama: 16 babies, 40.6× the national rate
Shelva: 43 babies, 12.4× the national rate
Freda: 62 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Deloris: 92 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Wilda: 21 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Shelba: 30 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Reva: 18 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Glenna: 43 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Goldie: 22 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Patty: 91 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Boys

Okey: 22 babies, 48.7× the national rate
Jennings: 16 babies, 20.5× the national rate
Denzil: 28 babies, 16.8× the national rate
Denver: 35 babies, 12.1× the national rate
Dana: 16 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Teddy: 35 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Shirley: 27 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Dallas: 32 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Kermit: 23 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Junior: 41 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	1,129	–	1
2	Betty	860	↑1	5
3	Shirley	820	↓1	4
4	Barbara	576	–	2
5	Patricia	472	–	3
6	Nancy	376	–	7
7	Phyllis	305	–	27
8	Margaret	288	↑1	10
9	Helen	277	↓1	12
10	Janet	261	↑7	18
11	Ruth	246	↑1	15
12	Carol	235	↑4	6
13	Norma	235	↓2	33
14	Virginia	225	–	16
15	Dorothy	218	↓5	8
16	Frances	216	↑4	19
17	Anna	213	↓4	39
18	Carolyn	211	↑5	20
19	Martha	202	↑2	24
20	Doris	195	↓2	22
21	Peggy	189	↓6	31
22	Wanda	184	↑4	55
23	Joyce	175	↑6	11
24	Elizabeth	172	↓5	17
25	Donna	160	↓1	21
26	Janice	140	↓1	25
27	Linda	139	new	49
28	Shelby	136	↑18	>100
29	Lois	132	↓7	29
30	Joan	129	↑4	9
31	Jo	124	↓1	73
32	Loretta	123	↑4	63
33	Alice	120	↓1	28
34	Delores	120	↓7	68
35	Ruby	119	↓7	52
36	Sandra	119	new	26
37	Thelma	115	↑5	78
38	Charlotte	111	–	67
39	Joann	110	–	58
40	Mildred	110	↓9	43
41	Wilma	110	↓6	80
42	Evelyn	108	↓5	36
43	Jean	107	↓10	23
44	Sylvia	106	↓3	50
45	Rose	103	–	38
46	Gloria	95	↑1	32
47	Emma	94	new	89
48	Juanita	94	new	75
49	Deloris	92	new	>100
50	Patsy	92	↓10	54

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	James	1,285	–	2
2	Robert	1,070	–	1
3	Charles	883	↑1	6
4	William	832	↓1	4
5	John	704	–	3
6	Donald	624	–	7
7	Richard	380	–	5
8	Thomas	352	↑1	9
9	Paul	331	↑2	15
10	George	330	–	10
11	David	323	↓3	8
12	Ronald	320	–	11
13	Kenneth	269	–	14
14	Billy	234	↑4	22
15	Harold	214	↓1	21
16	Larry	213	↑13	16
17	Bobby	207	↓2	24
18	Edward	204	↑2	13
19	Jack	190	↓3	23
20	Carl	187	↑1	28
21	Joseph	178	↓4	12
22	Jerry	173	↑4	17
23	Roy	165	↑4	40
24	Franklin	159	↓5	77
25	Raymond	148	↓1	19
26	Ralph	142	↓4	34
27	Harry	136	↓4	41
28	Howard	132	↑5	42
29	Frank	128	↓1	18
30	Jackie	127	↓5	>100
31	Clarence	124	↑4	54
32	Gary	123	↑9	29
33	Earl	109	↑1	48
34	Gerald	109	↑2	20
35	Walter	109	↓4	26
36	Eugene	105	↓4	33
37	Joe	102	↓7	25
38	Jimmy	97	↑1	45
39	Fred	94	↓1	35
40	Ernest	93	–	53
41	Henry	93	↑5	30
42	Russell	90	↑1	67
43	Jimmie	88	new	72
44	Arthur	85	↑1	31
45	Wayne	82	new	44
46	Ray	81	↓4	71
47	Samuel	77	–	66
48	Gene	76	↑2	61
49	Lawrence	75	↓12	38
50	Bill	73	new	64

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