Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1953

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1953 were Linda for girls (798 babies) and James for boys (1,226). Linda ranked #2 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 43,348 babies born in West Virginia in 1953 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1953

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: 67 babies, 65.1× the national rate
Dreama: 28 babies, 45.2× the national rate
Glenna: 37 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Patty: 69 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Wilma: 74 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Freda: 26 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Deloris: 34 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Shelia: 62 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Dianna: 46 babies, 3× the national rate
Geneva: 24 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Denver: 22 babies, 14.4× the national rate
Kermit: 17 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Ernie: 20 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Homer: 25 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Willard: 34 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Dallas: 20 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Delbert: 26 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Jackie: 76 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Dewey: 15 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Teddy: 20 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1953

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Linda	798	–	2
2	Deborah	765	↑1	3
3	Mary	765	↓1	1
4	Patricia	636	–	4
5	Brenda	524	–	18
6	Debra	499	↑5	7
7	Barbara	470	↓1	6
8	Sharon	458	↓1	15
9	Karen	422	–	9
10	Sandra	401	↓2	11
11	Pamela	385	↑2	10
12	Donna	382	–	13
13	Nancy	358	↓3	8
14	Susan	348	↑2	5
15	Kathy	318	↑2	23
16	Rebecca	280	↓1	24
17	Carolyn	243	↓3	25
18	Joyce	239	↑4	26
19	Judy	221	↑1	27
20	Diana	217	↑6	55
21	Betty	214	–	33
22	Carol	209	↓4	16
23	Janet	205	↓4	19
24	Connie	200	–	47
25	Cynthia	196	↑7	12
26	Beverly	191	↑1	34
27	Elizabeth	190	↓2	21
28	Margaret	177	–	20
29	Judith	172	↓6	30
30	Cathy	163	↑6	56
31	Shirley	161	↓2	29
32	Teresa	151	↑18	42
33	Bonnie	146	↓2	45
34	Vickie	142	↑1	79
35	Wanda	136	↑4	57
36	Martha	134	↓2	41
37	Rose	125	↑10	59
38	Catherine	124	new	35
39	Peggy	122	↓9	44
40	Sheila	113	↑3	60
41	Kathryn	112	↓4	48
42	Janice	110	↓2	22
43	Virginia	110	↓2	53
44	Paula	108	new	40
45	Sherry	107	↓1	70
46	Ruth	106	↓13	62
47	Charlotte	104	↓9	100
48	Marsha	104	new	83
49	Jo	99	new	54
50	Jane	98	new	43

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	James	1,226	–	2
2	David	1,041	–	5
3	Robert	994	–	1
4	John	898	–	4
5	William	884	–	6
6	Michael	861	–	3
7	Charles	687	–	9
8	Richard	645	↑2	7
9	Gary	520	↓1	10
10	Thomas	503	↑1	8
11	Larry	444	↓2	18
12	Roger	415	–	31
13	Ronald	388	↑1	15
14	Donald	357	↓1	14
15	Jerry	320	↑1	29
16	Kenneth	308	↓1	17
17	Paul	299	↑1	16
18	Joseph	281	↑1	13
19	Steven	281	↑3	11
20	Terry	272	↑3	30
21	Stephen	258	↓4	21
22	Danny	244	↓2	41
23	George	240	↓2	22
24	Mark	235	–	12
25	Daniel	224	↑1	20
26	Edward	211	↓1	23
27	Randy	196	↑7	35
28	Dennis	195	↓1	19
29	Timothy	190	↑1	26
30	Gregory	175	↓1	24
31	Rodney	170	↑18	58
32	Carl	147	↑1	44
33	Jeffrey	141	↑14	25
34	Douglas	139	↓6	27
35	Harold	138	↓3	56
36	Randall	131	↓1	64
37	Billy	128	↑4	65
38	Ralph	127	↓2	59
39	Ricky	119	new	51
40	Jack	118	↓2	57
41	Roy	117	↓10	55
42	Johnny	116	↓5	52
43	Frank	114	↓1	33
44	Raymond	114	↓4	34
45	Bobby	101	new	74
46	Ronnie	99	↓2	79
47	Harry	94	↓2	83
48	Samuel	94	↓5	70
49	Darrell	90	↓10	>100
50	Bruce	88	↓2	28

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