Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1938

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,087 babies) and James for boys (1,309). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 38,215 babies born in West Virginia in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1938

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

Drema: 17 babies, 46.9× the national rate
Shelva: 34 babies, 12× the national rate
Wilda: 30 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Patty: 117 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Reva: 22 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Glenna: 45 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Freda: 51 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Deloris: 80 babies, 5× the national rate
Shelba: 20 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Annabelle: 17 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Boys

Okey: 23 babies, 49.3× the national rate
Jennings: 26 babies, 20.9× the national rate
Denzil: 18 babies, 13.4× the national rate
Denver: 26 babies, 11.1× the national rate
Dana: 16 babies, 7× the national rate
Kennith: 17 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Shirley: 26 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Jackie: 157 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Buddy: 37 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Kermit: 21 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,087	–	1
2	Betty	800	–	4
3	Barbara	635	↑1	2
4	Shirley	634	↓1	5
5	Patricia	491	–	3
6	Nancy	437	–	7
7	Phyllis	292	–	28
8	Carol	280	↑4	6
9	Margaret	279	↓1	9
10	Carolyn	267	↑8	15
11	Janet	267	↓1	16
12	Ruth	259	↓1	21
13	Helen	253	↓4	13
14	Dorothy	244	↑1	8
15	Norma	226	↓2	34
16	Wanda	211	↑6	49
17	Virginia	202	↓3	22
18	Martha	200	↑1	26
19	Peggy	200	↑2	35
20	Doris	198	–	25
21	Joyce	195	↑2	11
22	Donna	185	↑3	20
23	Anna	182	↓6	40
24	Janice	179	↑2	24
25	Alice	169	↑8	29
26	Linda	169	↑1	31
27	Sandra	168	↑9	14
28	Elizabeth	158	↓4	17
29	Frances	155	↓13	23
30	Judith	144	new	12
31	Loretta	142	↑1	62
32	Lois	129	↓3	33
33	Charlotte	117	↑5	70
34	Patty	117	new	>100
35	Delores	116	↓1	75
36	Evelyn	113	↑6	38
37	Jean	112	↑6	27
38	Jo	111	↓7	78
39	Shelby	105	↓11	>100
40	Ruby	104	↓5	61
41	Wilma	104	–	85
42	Thelma	103	↓5	86
43	Juanita	102	↑5	80
44	Mildred	102	↓4	52
45	Sylvia	98	↓1	56
46	Bonnie	89	new	65
47	Patsy	89	↑3	55
48	Joan	88	↓18	10
49	Edna	85	new	82
50	Eleanor	85	new	60

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	1,309	–	2
2	Robert	1,030	–	1
3	Charles	866	–	6
4	William	831	–	4
5	John	729	–	3
6	Donald	555	–	7
7	Richard	440	–	5
8	David	430	↑3	8
9	Ronald	359	↑3	10
10	Thomas	327	↓2	9
11	George	325	↓1	11
12	Paul	316	↓3	15
13	Larry	294	↑3	16
14	Jerry	262	↑8	17
15	Kenneth	260	↓2	14
16	Harold	251	↓1	23
17	Billy	217	↓3	24
18	Gary	209	↑14	22
19	Jack	209	–	25
20	Edward	206	↓2	13
21	Joseph	204	–	12
22	Carl	201	↓2	29
23	Bobby	185	↓6	27
24	Raymond	173	↑1	20
25	Harry	172	↑2	44
26	Jackie	157	↑4	>100
27	Frank	146	↑2	18
28	Howard	145	–	42
29	Ralph	145	↓3	35
30	Franklin	131	↓6	100
31	Roy	129	↓8	41
32	Joe	126	↑5	28
33	Walter	109	↑2	26
34	Eugene	102	↑2	33
35	Clarence	99	↓4	58
36	Earl	99	↓3	50
37	Gerald	95	↓3	19
38	Lawrence	92	↑11	36
39	Samuel	90	↑8	62
40	Arthur	89	↑4	32
41	Fred	89	↓2	38
42	Roger	86	new	31
43	Michael	84	new	21
44	Henry	81	↓3	30
45	Bernard	79	new	75
46	Ernest	79	↓6	55
47	Gene	79	↑1	65
48	Norman	79	new	43
49	Jimmy	77	↓11	45
50	Johnny	77	new	63

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