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The Most Popular Baby Names in Virginia

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 2011 were very unpopular a century ago.

In Virginia, the most popular names parents chose for their babies in 2011 were barely on the radar 101 years ago.

The name Sophia was given to 508 baby girls in Virginia in 2011 but to only eight girls in Virginia back in 1910.

The most popular name for boys in 2011? William, with 585 boys given the name in 2011. Back in 1910, only five boys in Virginia received that name.

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That information comes from this searchable database of Virginia baby names from 1910 to 2011. The data comes from the Social Security Administration, which released baby name data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the years 1910 to 2011.

Curious about what people were named in Virginia? You can use the tools above to search by name, year or gender to explore questions such as:

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  • How many Virginia babies got my name the year I was born?
  • What was the most popular year for my name in Virginia?
  • Any babies of the opposite sex get my name?

The most popular names of 2012 are not available yet, but will be in the next few weeks.

The Social Security Administration excluded names used fewer than five times in a year in order to protect privacy.

Overall, it appears that most common names given to babies are becoming less popular as more unique names and spellings gain favor among parents, according to Social Security Administration data.

The information comes from people who applied for Social Security cards and were born in the United States after 1879. The data from those early years may be slightly off, as the SSA notes, "many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data. For others who did apply, our records may not show the place of birth, and again their names are not included in our data."

 (NOTE: Viewing this on a mobile device and can't see the search tools above? Click here instead.)


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