Popular baby names in West Virginia, 1978

The most popular baby names in West Virginia in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (512 babies) and Jason for boys (661). Jason ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 25,460 babies born in West Virginia in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in West Virginia in 1978

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: 26 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Marlena: 18 babies, 5× the national rate
Chasity: 25 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Bobbi: 16 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Misty: 144 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Billie: 19 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Angel: 44 babies, 3× the national rate
Leigh: 21 babies, 3× the national rate
Tabitha: 49 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Terri: 24 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Jackie: 23 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Roger: 62 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Franklin: 24 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Ronnie: 35 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Ricky: 47 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Jody: 19 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Jamie: 61 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Howard: 20 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Rodney: 49 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Randall: 38 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in West Virginia, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	512	–	1
2	Amanda	336	↑4	6
3	Melissa	334	↓1	2
4	Amy	304	↓1	4
5	Angela	272	–	7
6	Heather	270	↓2	5
7	Jessica	269	↑1	3
8	Crystal	256	↓1	18
9	Christina	200	↑4	15
10	Stephanie	199	↑1	16
11	Rebecca	198	↓2	17
12	Sarah	194	↑6	8
13	Lisa	178	↑2	11
14	Michelle	175	↓2	9
15	Kimberly	170	↓1	13
16	April	165	↑5	27
17	Kelly	157	↓7	12
18	Elizabeth	147	↑1	14
19	Misty	144	↓3	43
20	Mary	140	↓3	24
21	Jamie	133	↓1	20
22	Amber	125	↑4	30
23	Carrie	123	↓1	35
24	Erin	105	↑11	21
25	Shannon	105	↓1	22
26	Brandy	104	new	37
27	Andrea	102	↑13	23
28	Rachel	98	↓1	25
29	Julie	95	↓6	26
30	Tina	84	↑2	45
31	Sara	83	↑2	28
32	Stacy	83	↓1	44
33	Nicole	81	↑6	10
34	Laura	78	↓4	19
35	Tonya	75	↓10	77
36	Susan	72	↑7	49
37	Tracy	69	–	47
38	Lori	67	↓10	60
39	Melanie	66	new	54
40	Erica	65	↓4	34
41	Tiffany	63	↑4	32
42	Emily	61	new	33
43	Kristy	60	new	51
44	Tara	60	↓15	40
45	Cynthia	59	new	50
46	Stacey	58	new	53
47	Holly	55	↑3	55
48	Brandi	54	new	61
49	Megan	53	new	41
50	Wendy	53	↓2	56

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jason	661	–	2
2	Michael	626	–	1
3	James	570	–	5
4	Christopher	469	–	3
5	David	421	–	4
6	Robert	361	–	8
7	John	360	↑2	7
8	Matthew	345	↑2	6
9	Jeremy	336	↑2	18
10	Joshua	318	↑6	12
11	William	315	↓3	13
12	Brian	278	↓5	9
13	Timothy	258	↑6	17
14	Joseph	256	↓2	10
15	Charles	244	↓2	27
16	Eric	208	↓2	16
17	Steven	176	↑3	24
18	Richard	175	↓1	21
19	Daniel	171	↑2	11
20	Thomas	171	↓2	23
21	Mark	170	↑2	26
22	Chad	158	↑2	35
23	Jeffrey	158	↓1	19
24	Kevin	154	↓9	15
25	Shawn	146	–	39
26	Jonathan	129	–	31
27	Aaron	128	↑1	32
28	Adam	128	↑10	29
29	Anthony	126	↑1	20
30	Justin	121	↑16	28
31	Nicholas	120	new	25
32	Kenneth	116	↑4	41
33	Ryan	115	↓2	14
34	Andrew	111	↓2	22
35	Scott	111	–	30
36	Benjamin	108	↓9	34
37	Travis	108	↑7	46
38	Paul	102	↓9	33
39	Stephen	101	↑1	37
40	Gregory	92	↓6	38
41	Ronald	92	↑2	55
42	Gary	90	↓5	60
43	Nathan	86	↓4	36
44	Donald	82	↓11	48
45	Patrick	78	new	42
46	Samuel	76	↑2	57
47	Bryan	72	↑2	43
48	Brandon	69	new	40
49	Larry	69	↓8	64
50	Bradley	63	new	53

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