State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1917 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 40,495 Minnesota births in 1917 across 802 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Minnesota more than they say America.

#60Marcella#175 nationally
#57Adeline#163 nationally
#96Laverneoutside the national top 200
#97Luellaoutside the national top 200
#99Norbertoutside the national top 200
#74Ervin#174 nationally
#17Lorraine#116 nationally
#65Elaine#160 nationally
#91Joyce#185 nationally
#74Fern#162 nationally
#97Sylvester#175 nationally
#91Wilfred#164 nationally

Girls

#1Helen819US #2
#2Mary756US #1
#3Dorothy720US #3
#4Margaret710US #4
#5Ruth516US #5
#6Evelyn472US #11
#7Mildred345US #6
#8Florence339US #14
#9Alice334US #13
#10Irene333US #17
#11Marie298US #12
#12Lucille293US #29
#13Frances269US #9
#14Bernice268US #42
#15Gladys255US #23
#16Doris251US #25
#17Lorraine247US #116
#18Lillian242US #15
#19Esther227US #38
#20Elizabeth226US #8
#21Virginia222US #10
#22Eleanor205US #26
#23Rose202US #16
#24Marjorie189US #36
#25Lois187US #43
#26Hazel185US #31
#27Edna174US #20
#28Marion174US #45
#29Agnes173US #48
#30Gertrude169US #37
#31Anna163US #7
#32Ethel162US #24
#33Elsie159US #50
#34Grace159US #30
#35June158US #73
#36Violet157US #84
#37Ann155US #44
#38Myrtle150US #58
#39Marian149US #74
#40Jean148US #40
#41Leona148US #80
#42Edith142US #28
#43Viola140US #59
#44Martha132US #22
#45Catherine129US #18
#46Josephine127US #21
#47Clara125US #41
#48Betty124US #34
#49Vivian124US #79
#50Genevieve119US #77
#51Ruby119US #27
#52Louise117US #19
#53Katherine115US #49
#54Harriet113US #104
#55Mabel111US #68
#56Pearl111US #57
#57Adeline110US #163
#58Beatrice105US #39
#59Phyllis105US #92
#60Marcella102US #175
#61Anne101US #53
#62Sylvia99US #69
#63Ellen98US #90
#64Kathryn97US #60
#65Elaine92US #160
#66Audrey88US #117
#67Eileen88US #106
#68Marguerite86US #78
#69Jane85US #55
#70Julia83US #47
#71Dolores82US #139
#72Charlotte80US #76
#73Norma80US #108
#74Fern76US #162
#75Verna75US #124
#76Geraldine74US #89
#77Vera73US #66
#78Mae70US #96
#79Muriel70US #128
#80Barbara67US #67
#81Jeanette67US #132
#82Laura67US #65
#83Bertha66US #51
#84Blanche66US #91
#85Kathleen65US #101
#86Olive64US #138
#87Thelma63US #32
#88Loretta62US #114
#89Emma61US #46
#90Eva59US #54
#91Joyce59US #185
#92Inez58US #110
#93Eunice57US #111
#94Maxine57US #93
#95Pauline57US #33
#96Laverne56
#97Luella56
#98Shirley56US #123
#99Wilma56US #82
#100Patricia55US #147

Boys

#1John903US #1
#2Robert813US #4
#3William586US #2
#4Donald526US #20
#5George491US #6
#6James384US #3
#7Harold382US #12
#8Raymond377US #16
#9Joseph340US #5
#10Edward337US #8
#11Charles297US #7
#12Kenneth289US #27
#13Richard283US #14
#14Walter279US #11
#15Arthur265US #17
#16Clarence234US #25
#17Frank234US #9
#18Lloyd199US #53
#19Henry197US #15
#20Lawrence193US #36
#21Leonard191US #41
#22Paul190US #13
#23Carl185US #24
#24Ralph178US #21
#25Albert176US #18
#26Earl174US #32
#27Harry174US #19
#28Stanley173US #34
#29Clifford171US #59
#30Arnold161US #91
#31Thomas153US #10
#32Howard152US #26
#33Roy151US #33
#34Elmer148US #45
#35Melvin147US #57
#36Herbert145US #40
#37Vernon144US #71
#38Francis140US #30
#39Gordon140US #84
#40Bernard138US #49
#41Marvin137US #68
#42Norman134US #46
#43Ernest132US #37
#44Edwin125US #55
#45Russell125US #52
#46Leo123US #47
#47Alfred120US #43
#48Fred116US #29
#49Lester110US #61
#50Louis109US #23
#51Eugene103US #39
#52Willard96US #80
#53David94US #28
#54Floyd92US #62
#55Chester88US #56
#56Gerald88US #69
#57Alvin87US #81
#58Victor84US #78
#59Jack81US #22
#60Leroy81US #60
#61Harvey77US #90
#62Martin77US #77
#63Philip75US #66
#64Wallace75US #123
#65Glenn73US #86
#66Ray71US #74
#67Milton69US #75
#68Andrew67US #48
#69Leslie66US #107
#70Theodore66US #63
#71Warren66US #93
#72Vincent64US #65
#73Frederick63US #51
#74Ervin62US #174
#75Herman62US #58
#76Orville62US #134
#77Peter62US #50
#78Roger62US #119
#79Everett60US #94
#80Anthony59US #38
#81Lyle56US #153
#82Daniel55US #54
#83Emil55US #137
#84Oscar54US #87
#85Gilbert53US #105
#86Wayne53US #96
#87Jerome52US #133
#88Oliver49US #127
#89Allen48US #100
#90Joe48US #35
#91Wilfred48US #164
#92Maurice47US #101
#93Michael46US #44
#94Roland45US #117
#95Morris43US #99
#96Clayton42US #166
#97Sylvester42US #175
#98Wilbur42US #92
#99Norbert41
#100Virgil40US #103

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑26Norma#73
↑20Philip#63
↑17Jean#40
↑17Mae#78
↑16Marguerite#68
↑14Adeline#57
↑14Phyllis#59
↑14Geraldine#76

Falling

↓27Joe#90
↓22Eva#90
↓22Peter#77
↓18Bertha#83
↓18Loretta#88
↓16Louise#52
↓16Muriel#79
↓15Lyle#81

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.