State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 40,685 Minnesota births in 1936 across 691 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#27Marlysoutside the national top 200
#49Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#82Lorenoutside the national top 200
#87Harlanoutside the national top 200
#89Mavisoutside the national top 200
#92Murieloutside the national top 200
#98Colleen#198 nationally
#99Deloris#196 nationally
#63Lyle#159 nationally
#18Duane#110 nationally
#40Karen#132 nationally
#94Maryann#182 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,024US #1
#2Shirley777US #2
#3Patricia617US #5
#4Barbara616US #3
#5Carol565US #10
#6Marilyn421US #13
#7Joan406US #7
#8Beverly401US #17
#9Marlene376US #39
#10Betty362US #4
#11Donna356US #22
#12Darlene341US #83
#13Janice326US #31
#14Nancy288US #8
#15Dorothy286US #6
#16Joyce283US #12
#17Lois282US #26
#18Margaret281US #9
#19Janet270US #21
#20Joanne231US #48
#21Phyllis224US #25
#22Helen211US #11
#23Jean205US #20
#24Elaine197US #50
#25Arlene190US #54
#26Joann179US #55
#27Marlys174
#28Delores173US #58
#29Audrey169US #68
#30Virginia165US #14
#31Ruth163US #16
#32Sharon161US #60
#33Gloria149US #32
#34Kathleen148US #67
#35Lorraine148US #76
#36Judith147US #43
#37Elizabeth145US #18
#38Alice143US #27
#39Geraldine143US #41
#40Karen143US #132
#41Doris142US #15
#42Yvonne135US #81
#43Marjorie126US #49
#44Sandra119US #38
#45Jeanette118US #94
#46Marie114US #33
#47Evelyn108US #34
#48Jane108US #42
#49Lavonne106
#50Rose98US #37
#51June90US #62
#52Rita89US #69
#53Ann88US #28
#54Diane88US #112
#55Marian88US #114
#56Carolyn85US #23
#57Norma83US #29
#58Eileen82US #103
#59Rosemary82US #111
#60Bonnie81US #65
#61Kathryn81US #113
#62Irene80US #57
#63Gail79US #101
#64Dolores77US #30
#65Roberta77US #64
#66Carole75US #73
#67Jacqueline75US #66
#68Frances71US #19
#69Kay69US #98
#70Marion67US #93
#71Grace66US #86
#72Catherine65US #44
#73Eleanor64US #47
#74Susan64US #110
#75Bernice63US #95
#76Charlotte63US #61
#77Florence62US #80
#78Judy60US #118
#79Louise58US #46
#80Sally58US #59
#81Gladys57US #84
#82Maxine57US #127
#83Sylvia57US #53
#84Loretta56US #70
#85Lucille55US #92
#86Annette54US #125
#87Marcia54US #138
#88Anna53US #36
#89Mavis50
#90Mildred49US #40
#91Katherine48US #100
#92Muriel47
#93Constance46US #133
#94Maryann45US #182
#95Harriet44US #154
#96Myrna44US #149
#97Jeanne43US #141
#98Colleen42US #198
#99Deloris42US #196
#100Ellen40US #99

Boys

#1Robert1,214US #1
#2Richard1,125US #5
#3James1,053US #2
#4John884US #3
#5Donald838US #7
#6David578US #10
#7Ronald543US #12
#8William539US #4
#9Gerald509US #19
#10Roger475US #35
#11Thomas404US #8
#12Kenneth386US #14
#13Charles380US #6
#14George270US #9
#15Dennis261US #74
#16Dale253US #59
#17Paul228US #15
#18Duane224US #110
#19Raymond216US #17
#20Gary211US #38
#21Larry208US #25
#22Eugene205US #29
#23Edward196US #13
#24Jerome175US #98
#25Joseph175US #11
#26Harold169US #21
#27Leroy163US #57
#28Wayne163US #45
#29Jerry162US #18
#30Lawrence151US #37
#31Michael148US #33
#32Marvin138US #49
#33Gordon137US #75
#34Jack123US #20
#35Walter122US #26
#36Ralph117US #31
#37Bruce114US #73
#38Douglas111US #78
#39Leonard108US #54
#40Daniel103US #41
#41Norman102US #43
#42Howard100US #40
#43Arthur99US #30
#44Stanley98US #58
#45Russell92US #69
#46Warren92US #95
#47Frank91US #16
#48Vernon91US #93
#49Gene88US #66
#50Bernard87US #68
#51Peter86US #56
#52Carl84US #27
#53Clarence83US #52
#54Floyd83US #86
#55Melvin82US #53
#56Fred81US #36
#57Francis79US #50
#58Henry79US #28
#59Arnold78US #111
#60Earl77US #47
#61Dean76US #125
#62Lloyd76US #88
#63Lyle76US #159
#64Allen75US #81
#65Patrick73US #100
#66Philip73US #63
#67Harvey70US #97
#68Wallace68US #130
#69Darrell66US #133
#70Keith66US #122
#71Roy65US #42
#72Glen63US #119
#73Lowell62US #150
#74Harry61US #39
#75Theodore60US #87
#76Curtis59US #107
#77Glenn59US #80
#78Allan58US #138
#79Herbert57US #62
#80Albert55US #34
#81Ernest55US #55
#82Loren55
#83Edwin53US #84
#84Alvin52US #96
#85Leo52US #94
#86Lee51US #76
#87Harlan48
#88Louis47US #44
#89Frederick46US #70
#90Roland46US #118
#91Elmer45US #121
#92Rodney45US #152
#93Phillip44US #102
#94Willard44US #136
#95Anthony43US #48
#96Clifford43US #90
#97Virgil43US #149
#98Alan42US #108
#99Alfred42US #60
#100Franklin42US #64

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑30Karen#40
↑22Carolyn#56
↑20Gail#63
↑19Jacqueline#67
↑19Kay#69
↑19Patrick#65
↑19Philip#66
↑19Allan#78

Falling

↓33Jeanne#97
↓30Rodney#92
↓29Clifford#96
↓25Dolores#64
↓21Dean#61
↓19Leo#85
↓19Virgil#97
↓17Lowell#73

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.