Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1974

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1974 were Jennifer for girls (444 babies) and Michael for boys (645). Social Security records list 23,969 babies born in West Virginia in 1974 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1974

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

Lora: 25 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Loretta: 29 babies, 4× the national rate
Marsha: 33 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Chastity: 20 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Lorie: 15 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Crystal: 141 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Misty: 111 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Joyce: 32 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Kathy: 45 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Beth: 56 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Jackie: 20 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Roger: 90 babies, 4× the national rate
Scotty: 17 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Marshall: 17 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Randall: 54 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Franklin: 22 babies, 3× the national rate
Harry: 24 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Billy: 71 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Larry: 112 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Tracy: 29 babies, 2.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1974

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1973	US rank
1	Jennifer	444	–	1
2	Melissa	356	–	7
3	Angela	353	–	5
4	Amy	338	–	2
5	Michelle	289	–	3
6	Heather	263	↑5	4
7	Kimberly	246	↓1	6
8	Stephanie	241	–	9
9	Lisa	217	↓2	8
10	Rebecca	203	↓1	10
11	Christina	160	↑2	16
12	Mary	157	–	13
13	Crystal	141	↑2	49
14	Tina	140	↑3	25
15	Tammy	137	↓5	24
16	Lori	136	↓2	30
17	April	128	↓1	28
18	Kelly	124	–	15
19	Elizabeth	122	↑4	12
20	Misty	111	↑8	66
21	Julie	107	↑1	14
22	Tonya	107	↓3	37
23	Laura	97	↑4	21
24	Tracy	87	↑2	23
25	Sarah	84	new	20
26	Susan	81	↓6	27
27	Christy	80	↑23	57
28	Cynthia	80	↓3	33
29	Stacy	78	↑7	38
30	Teresa	75	↓9	52
31	Wendy	74	↑17	32
32	Patricia	73	↓8	29
33	Amanda	71	↑16	34
34	Melanie	68	↑5	51
35	Tara	68	↑12	39
36	Rachel	67	↑5	36
37	Jessica	66	new	17
38	Melinda	65	↓6	81
39	Karen	64	new	26
40	Shannon	64	↓9	18
41	Donna	63	↓12	67
42	Michele	63	–	50
43	Rhonda	63	↓9	86
44	Carrie	62	↓7	42
45	Christine	59	new	19
46	Erin	58	new	47
47	Beth	56	new	>100
48	Sherry	56	↓18	89
49	Andrea	54	↓16	35
50	Pamela	53	↓4	54

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1973	US rank
1	Michael	645	↑1	1
2	James	576	↓1	5
3	Jason	520	↑4	2
4	Christopher	477	↓1	3
5	David	434	↓1	4
6	John	411	↓1	6
7	Brian	390	↑1	8
8	Robert	367	↓2	7
9	William	356	–	10
10	Charles	256	–	23
11	Matthew	231	–	9
12	Joseph	214	↑6	12
13	Kevin	204	↓1	14
14	Steven	199	↑3	19
15	Timothy	197	↑4	22
16	Richard	191	↓3	17
17	Eric	181	↓2	13
18	Jeffrey	181	↑2	15
19	Thomas	175	↓3	20
20	Mark	163	↓6	16
21	Daniel	162	↑1	11
22	Shawn	140	↓1	30
23	Jeremy	128	↑14	24
24	Paul	123	↓1	27
25	Stephen	123	↑7	35
26	Gregory	122	↑3	31
27	Chad	121	↓3	26
28	Ronald	120	↑2	42
29	Scott	120	↓3	18
30	Kenneth	117	↑3	34
31	Anthony	115	↓4	21
32	Gary	112	↓1	48
33	Jonathan	112	↑1	33
34	Larry	112	↓6	55
35	Donald	105	↓10	41
36	Roger	90	↓1	93
37	Aaron	88	↑10	32
38	Joshua	87	new	29
39	Jerry	82	↓3	61
40	Douglas	77	↑1	53
41	Edward	74	new	40
42	Billy	71	new	78
43	Patrick	71	new	38
44	Ryan	71	new	25
45	George	66	↓5	49
46	Terry	65	↓4	69
47	Adam	63	new	36
48	Andrew	62	↓9	28
49	Benjamin	59	new	46
50	Bradley	59	new	58

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