State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 43,469 Minnesota births in 1938 across 726 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#32Marlysoutside the national top 200
#51Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#61Lyle#183 nationally
#88Lorenoutside the national top 200
#92Dianneoutside the national top 200
#94Colleenoutside the national top 200
#95Mavisoutside the national top 200
#100Harlanoutside the national top 200
#64Lowell#164 nationally
#86Sonja#180 nationally
#27Duane#114 nationally
#52Dean#129 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,010US #1
#2Carol716US #6
#3Barbara710US #2
#4Patricia646US #3
#5Sharon489US #30
#6Shirley458US #5
#7Janice442US #24
#8Beverly367US #18
#9Joan356US #10
#10Judith349US #12
#11Janet346US #16
#12Marilyn345US #19
#13Nancy339US #7
#14Karen337US #50
#15Betty330US #4
#16Donna329US #20
#17Darlene322US #76
#18Margaret307US #9
#19Marlene268US #51
#20Sandra263US #14
#21Joyce248US #11
#22Lois244US #33
#23Dorothy235US #8
#24Kathleen234US #58
#25Jean220US #27
#26Joanne219US #57
#27Elaine192US #42
#28Phyllis185US #28
#29Ruth185US #21
#30Helen171US #13
#31Virginia168US #22
#32Marlys164
#33Arlene157US #63
#34Joann149US #68
#35Delores145US #75
#36Jeanette145US #91
#37Gloria136US #36
#38Diane134US #64
#39Elizabeth134US #17
#40Carole133US #46
#41Judy133US #41
#42Alice131US #29
#43Marjorie129US #53
#44Audrey124US #87
#45Geraldine118US #45
#46Kay112US #81
#47Doris109US #25
#48Marie109US #37
#49Jane107US #44
#50Carolyn105US #15
#51Lavonne104
#52Ann103US #32
#53Rosalie102US #66
#54Yvonne100US #101
#55Lorraine99US #93
#56Rose93US #39
#57Bonnie92US #65
#58Deanna92US #115
#59Evelyn92US #38
#60Irene92US #72
#61Frances90US #23
#62Jacqueline86US #69
#63Rosemary84US #95
#64Norma83US #34
#65Susan83US #71
#66Marian82US #128
#67Eileen78US #113
#68Gail78US #77
#69Rita77US #74
#70Catherine76US #48
#71Kathryn76US #114
#72Marion74US #118
#73Eleanor72US #60
#74Charlotte70US #70
#75Jeanne70US #148
#76Roberta70US #73
#77Sally70US #54
#78Loretta69US #62
#79Sylvia68US #56
#80June67US #79
#81Constance65US #117
#82Lucille64US #106
#83Maxine62US #130
#84Suzanne62US #133
#85Katherine61US #105
#86Sonja59US #180
#87Myrna57US #134
#88Dolores56US #43
#89Marcia55US #116
#90Bernice54US #112
#91Louise53US #59
#92Dianne51
#93Anna50US #40
#94Colleen49
#95Mavis49
#96Grace47US #100
#97Anita46US #99
#98Annette46US #119
#99Harriet46US #158
#100Ellen43US #89

Boys

#1Robert1,273US #1
#2James1,193US #2
#3Richard1,021US #5
#4John1,016US #3
#5David808US #8
#6Donald773US #7
#7William629US #4
#8Ronald581US #10
#9Gerald577US #19
#10Thomas512US #9
#11Roger446US #31
#12Kenneth409US #14
#13Charles403US #6
#14Gary363US #22
#15Dennis362US #49
#16George261US #11
#17Larry254US #16
#18Paul251US #15
#19Dale245US #56
#20Michael243US #21
#21Eugene223US #33
#22Wayne223US #40
#23Edward211US #13
#24Jerome205US #93
#25Joseph202US #12
#26Jerry196US #17
#27Duane193US #114
#28Raymond190US #20
#29Harold177US #23
#30Lawrence169US #36
#31Marvin166US #53
#32Douglas157US #60
#33Bruce142US #66
#34Norman138US #43
#35Leroy135US #61
#36Gordon132US #78
#37Daniel122US #39
#38Ralph118US #35
#39Frank111US #18
#40Patrick107US #88
#41Peter107US #48
#42Allen106US #73
#43Arthur102US #32
#44Jack102US #25
#45Walter102US #26
#46Melvin99US #54
#47Allan98US #119
#48Stanley98US #59
#49Francis95US #51
#50Russell94US #70
#51Howard93US #42
#52Dean89US #129
#53Gene89US #65
#54Bernard88US #75
#55Leonard85US #57
#56Arnold81US #111
#57Rodney81US #133
#58Carl79US #29
#59Harvey77US #99
#60Keith77US #120
#61Lyle77US #183
#62Lloyd75US #92
#63Curtis69US #101
#64Lowell68US #164
#65Darrell67US #128
#66Jon67US #126
#67Philip67US #64
#68Vernon65US #103
#69Warren65US #102
#70Theodore64US #84
#71Henry63US #30
#72Fred62US #38
#73Alan61US #91
#74Clarence61US #58
#75Leo61US #104
#76Roy61US #41
#77Virgil61US #151
#78Wallace61US #139
#79Jim59US #81
#80Earl58US #50
#81Alvin57US #98
#82Clifford57US #89
#83Glenn57US #83
#84Tom57US #106
#85Don56US #52
#86Lee56US #80
#87Louis55US #47
#88Loren54
#89Terry54US #86
#90Albert52US #37
#91Frederick52US #71
#92Neil51US #152
#93Harry48US #44
#94Leon47US #85
#95Phillip46US #95
#96Stephen46US #74
#97Glen45US #121
#98Martin45US #87
#99Edwin44US #90
#100Harlan43

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑29Judy#41
↑21Bonnie#57
↑20Dean#52
↑20Harvey#59
↑19Jim#79
↑16Marian#66
↑15Sharon#5
↑15Katherine#85

Falling

↓27Vernon#68
↓26Albert#90
↓25Earl#80
↓20Charlotte#74
↓17Dolores#88
↓16Marcia#89
↓15Grace#96
↓15Gene#53

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.