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Baby names in West Virginia in the 1950s

In West Virginia in the 1950s the most given names were James (11,805 boys) and Linda (7,442 girls), of 430,402 births recorded.

Babies SSA recorded in West Virginia each year, the 1950s shaded
West Virginia births by year and sex10k20k30k19101930195019701990201020251950-1959BoysGirls
West Virginia births by year and sex10k20k30k19101930195019701990201020251950-1959BoysGirls
West Virginia births by year and sex10k20k30k19101930195019701990201020251950-1959BoysGirls
West Virginia births by year and sex10k20k30k19101950199020251950-1959BoysGirls

Births under names given to 5 or more babies of one sex in the state that year.

West Virginia, 1950-1959: SSA state baby-name file, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s state data.

The top names in West Virginia, 1950s

Girls, 1950-1959
#NameBirths
1Linda7,442
2Mary6,852
3Deborah6,221
4Patricia5,252
5Brenda5,029
6Debra4,894
7Barbara4,258
8Sharon4,153
9Karen4,010
10Donna3,990
11Pamela3,885
12Sandra3,844
13Kathy3,303
14Susan3,185
15Nancy3,180
16Rebecca2,712
17Carolyn2,349
18Connie2,321
19Joyce2,154
20Carol2,149
Boys, 1950-1959
#NameBirths
1James11,805
2David10,304
3Robert9,193
4John8,738
5Michael8,270
6William8,236
7Charles6,824
8Richard5,841
9Gary4,840
10Larry4,611
11Thomas4,534
12Donald3,764
13Roger3,663
14Mark3,490
15Ronald3,461
16Steven2,949
17Kenneth2,929
18Terry2,874
19Joseph2,842
20Paul2,793

Births summed over 1950-1959, per sex.

The names most over-represented in West Virginia in the 1950s

Each figure is the name’s births in the state in the decade against the births its national share, year by year, would predict (names with at least 100 births in the state).

Girls

Boys

Ratios: observed over predicted births, 1950-1959.

More about names in West Virginia

  1. The 1950s across the U.S.The most given names of the decade nationally.
  2. West Virginia: 2025 and every year since 1910The state’s top names now and its number ones by year.
  3. West Virginia in the 1960sThe next decade in the state.
  4. The top names of 1950The first year of the decade, nationally.
  5. Every state’s most given namesEach state since 1910.
  6. Look up any nameIts rank, births since 1880 and the people alive with it.

Back to West Virginia: 2025 and every year since 1910