What baby names are unique to South Carolina?

Blease is the name most distinctive to South Carolina, given about 54 times more often there than in the United States as a whole. Heyward, Furman and Elwillie follow.

How is a distinctive name measured?

Each name's share of births in South Carolina is compared with its share nationally. The multiplier shown is the conservative low end of that ratio, so a name carried by a handful of births cannot outrank one carried by hundreds.

Name Legacy

Names unique to South Carolina

The most distinctive South Carolina baby names, 1910–2025

These are the names given far more often in South Carolina than anywhere else in the country, across the whole record from 1910 to 2025. Blease leads: it is given about 54× more often here than across the United States as a whole.

The multiplier compares each name's share of South Carolina births with its share nationally, and reports the conservative low end of that comparison — so a name carried by a handful of births cannot outrank one carried by hundreds.

Across the whole record, 1910–2025

#	Name	Births	vs national
1	Blease	171	54×
2	Heyward	1,258	46×
3	Furman	1,227	34×
4	Elwillie	20	31×
5	Thomasena	354	31×
6	Wilhelmena	319	29×
7	Wilhelmenia	426	26×
8	Earthalee	10	26×
9	Eartha	1,074	26×
10	Elease	1,064	26×
11	Colie	256	25×
12	Albertha	1,608	25×
13	Broadus	335	25×
14	Azalee	508	25×
15	Vermell	258	24×
16	Blondell	497	23×
17	Floree	132	22×
18	Azilee	129	22×
19	Florie	227	21×
20	Vertell	24	21×
21	Walline	7	19×
22	Levern	633	19×
23	Bernetha	116	19×
24	Francena	180	19×
25	Jannie	3,089	17×
26	Earther	16	16×
27	Capers	34	15×
28	Florrie	232	14×
29	Adger	26	13×
30	Dargan	6	13×
31	Vermelle	53	12×
32	Modestine	51	12×
33	Floride	21	12×
34	Hercules	240	12×
35	Belton	192	11×
36	Thomasina	572	11×
37	Evelena	198	10×
38	Hampton	679	10×
39	Sumter	10	10×
40	Parniece	5	9×

Right now, in 2025

A different list from the one above, and not a contradiction: these are the names distinctive to South Carolina in a single recent year rather than across the whole record.

Name	Births	vs national
Drayton	10	27×
Elloree	9	24×
Chole	7	18×
Jazaria	6	14×
Hampton	26	11×
Tillman	7	11×
Calhoun	5	9×
Gaines	5	9×
Germany	5	9×
Kaior	5	9×

Decade by decade

The single most distinctive name of each decade.

Decade	Name	vs national
1910s	Blease	38×
1920s	Heyward	31×
1930s	Heyward	34×
1940s	Heyward	36×
1950s	Heyward	37×
1960s	Heyward	45×
1970s	Brantlee	39×
1980s	Heyward	19×
1990s	Unknown	19×
2000s	Hampton	15×
2010s	Hampton	17×
2020s	Jos	17×

Explore further

See South Carolina on the interactive map

Names unique to other states

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. State records begin in 1910. Names given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org