Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1956

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1956 were Debra for girls (713 babies) and James for boys (1,130). Debra ranked #2 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 41,480 babies born in West Virginia in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1956

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: 51 babies, 65.9× the national rate
Dreama: 42 babies, 52.9× the national rate
Dinah: 30 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Glenna: 31 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Shelby: 17 babies, 5× the national rate
Wilma: 51 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Violet: 15 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Freda: 18 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Dianna: 43 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Crystal: 29 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Homer: 24 babies, 5× the national rate
Dallas: 20 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Timmy: 18 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Teddy: 23 babies, 4× the national rate
Dewey: 15 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Delbert: 22 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Jackie: 61 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Lowell: 15 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Roger: 295 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Franklin: 50 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Debra	713	↑1	2
2	Deborah	671	↓1	4
3	Mary	643	–	1
4	Linda	525	–	3
5	Patricia	462	–	6
6	Sharon	426	↑3	13
7	Donna	422	↑4	10
8	Pamela	400	↓2	12
9	Barbara	399	↓1	9
10	Kathy	388	↑4	20
11	Brenda	374	↓4	19
12	Karen	370	↓2	7
13	Susan	321	–	5
14	Sandra	308	↓2	14
15	Teresa	292	↑3	24
16	Rebecca	240	–	27
17	Cynthia	232	↑4	8
18	Nancy	232	↓3	11
19	Connie	221	↓2	43
20	Cathy	217	↑8	36
21	Cheryl	200	↓2	18
22	Joyce	188	↑3	30
23	Diana	183	↓3	56
24	Vickie	177	↑6	68
25	Robin	173	↑6	29
26	Carol	172	–	16
27	Elizabeth	171	↑2	22
28	Janet	170	↓5	21
29	Betty	169	↓2	44
30	Beverly	162	↓6	40
31	Sherry	148	↑4	54
32	Judy	144	↑2	35
33	Carolyn	139	↓11	33
34	Kimberly	136	new	74
35	Anita	128	new	83
36	Sheila	127	↓4	55
37	Debbie	121	new	39
38	Margaret	117	↓2	25
39	Rhonda	112	new	62
40	Bonnie	111	–	51
41	Judith	111	↓8	45
42	Martha	109	↑1	59
43	Paula	109	↑3	47
44	Rose	106	–	64
45	Vicki	106	↓7	57
46	Catherine	102	↑2	28
47	Kathryn	97	–	60
48	Darlene	95	↑1	71
49	Diane	94	↓4	15
50	Terri	91	new	81

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	1,130	↑1	2
2	David	948	↓1	4
3	Robert	832	↑1	3
4	John	821	↓1	5
5	Michael	815	–	1
6	William	722	–	6
7	Charles	654	–	11
8	Richard	594	–	7
9	Mark	454	↑4	8
10	Gary	418	↓1	13
11	Thomas	406	↓1	9
12	Donald	372	↑3	14
13	Larry	359	↓2	21
14	Steven	346	↓2	10
15	Joseph	333	↑3	12
16	Ronald	328	↑1	15
17	Kenneth	323	↑2	16
18	Terry	317	↓2	31
19	Timothy	299	↑2	19
20	Roger	295	↓6	41
21	Paul	289	↑1	17
22	Randy	273	↓2	28
23	Gregory	248	↑4	24
24	Jeffrey	245	↑4	20
25	Stephen	241	↑1	23
26	Danny	226	↓1	46
27	Daniel	221	↓3	18
28	Jerry	221	↓5	35
29	George	193	–	27
30	Dennis	179	–	26
31	Edward	174	–	25
32	Douglas	159	↑2	29
33	Randall	151	–	54
34	Ricky	147	↓2	43
35	Carl	122	–	48
36	Billy	121	↑1	68
37	Rodney	114	↑3	65
38	Kevin	113	↑11	22
39	Jack	112	↑2	66
40	Roy	112	↓2	62
41	Ralph	107	↑9	67
42	Bruce	105	↓6	33
43	Johnny	103	↑1	55
44	Raymond	101	new	39
45	Harold	97	↓6	72
46	Keith	96	↓3	36
47	Jeffery	94	new	57
48	Darrell	90	↓6	88
49	Samuel	88	↓3	74
50	Steve	88	new	59

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