Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1971

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1971 were Melissa for girls (454 babies) and James for boys (708). Melissa ranked #7 nationally for girls. James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 27,472 babies born in West Virginia in 1971 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1971

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

Glenna: 16 babies, 14.3× the national rate
Loretta: 44 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Marsha: 41 babies, 4× the national rate
Lora: 29 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Shelby: 15 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Betty: 46 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Misty: 39 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Shelia: 27 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Billie: 27 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Bobbi: 20 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Jackie: 31 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Scottie: 22 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Roger: 125 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Marshall: 18 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Franklin: 27 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Jody: 36 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Larry: 159 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Scotty: 23 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Floyd: 15 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Roy: 59 babies, 2.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1971

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1970	US rank
1	Melissa	454	–	7
2	Lisa	388	–	3
3	Angela	366	↑1	6
4	Jennifer	365	↑3	1
5	Kimberly	360	↓2	4
6	Tammy	320	↓1	8
7	Michelle	306	↑1	2
8	Amy	265	↓2	5
9	Mary	218	–	9
10	Rebecca	188	↑1	23
11	Stephanie	177	↑1	11
12	Tina	166	↓2	20
13	Lori	156	↑1	25
14	Susan	154	↑6	17
15	Heather	148	↑11	12
16	Teresa	144	↓3	34
17	Cynthia	140	↑6	24
18	Christina	136	↑4	30
19	Pamela	124	↓4	28
20	Julie	122	↑7	10
21	Karen	119	↓3	15
22	Tracy	117	↓6	13
23	Kelly	113	↓6	22
24	Elizabeth	111	↓3	19
25	Patricia	107	↓6	26
26	Donna	101	↓1	38
27	Laura	96	↑1	16
28	Stacy	93	new	32
29	Robin	90	–	51
30	Sherry	90	↑2	60
31	Crystal	89	↑10	79
32	Shannon	87	↓2	21
33	Barbara	85	↑1	47
34	Dawn	85	↑11	14
35	Brenda	83	↓11	43
36	Paula	83	↑14	63
37	Rhonda	83	↑1	46
38	Tonya	83	↓1	45
39	Sandra	82	↓8	31
40	Kathy	81	↓5	91
41	April	79	new	56
42	Deborah	78	↑2	33
43	Melinda	74	↑5	85
44	Cindy	72	new	70
45	Linda	72	↓12	42
46	Michele	70	↓3	39
47	Andrea	69	new	35
48	Christine	64	↓6	18
49	Tara	62	new	49
50	Debra	61	↓11	57

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1970	US rank
1	James	708	↑1	2
2	Michael	676	↓1	1
3	David	555	–	3
4	John	522	↑1	4
5	Robert	494	↓1	5
6	William	473	–	7
7	Christopher	451	↑3	6
8	Brian	371	–	9
9	Charles	294	↓2	22
10	Kevin	257	↑4	14
11	Richard	256	↓2	11
12	Jeffrey	251	↑3	12
13	Mark	250	↓2	13
14	Timothy	245	↓2	21
15	Jason	230	↑8	8
16	Steven	229	↑1	16
17	Scott	227	↑1	10
18	Thomas	218	↓2	17
19	Joseph	204	↓6	15
20	Eric	195	–	18
21	Gregory	177	–	26
22	Matthew	171	↑2	19
23	Paul	165	↓4	24
24	Larry	159	↑6	44
25	Kenneth	154	↓3	25
26	Gary	153	↑1	38
27	Stephen	148	↑2	27
28	Daniel	142	↓2	20
29	Donald	140	↑2	34
30	Ronald	131	↓5	31
31	Roger	125	↑1	71
32	Shawn	124	↑4	28
33	Jerry	122	↓5	50
34	Anthony	118	↓1	23
35	George	107	↑5	42
36	Douglas	90	↓2	39
37	Rodney	90	↑1	59
38	Terry	88	↑5	56
39	Chad	87	new	29
40	Keith	82	↑7	37
41	Jeffery	80	↓2	53
42	Patrick	78	–	35
43	Edward	77	↓8	32
44	Todd	76	↓7	30
45	Jonathan	75	↓4	40
46	Billy	71	↓2	75
47	Danny	65	new	82
48	Jeremy	65	new	45
49	Bryan	64	↓3	48
50	Aaron	62	new	41

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