State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 43,849 Minnesota births in 1939 across 728 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#36Marlysoutside the national top 200
#56Loren#200 nationally
#59Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#55Lyle#175 nationally
#88Gayleoutside the national top 200
#98Myronoutside the national top 200
#99Daryloutside the national top 200
#91Dianne#192 nationally
#68Lowell#166 nationally
#27Duane#118 nationally
#65Jeanne#147 nationally
#53Dean#134 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,054US #1
#2Barbara715US #2
#3Carol697US #6
#4Patricia683US #3
#5Sharon557US #23
#6Judith526US #8
#7Karen427US #39
#8Janice406US #24
#9Shirley405US #5
#10Darlene373US #75
#11Donna367US #20
#12Joan362US #11
#13Nancy355US #7
#14Janet346US #17
#15Marilyn338US #19
#16Beverly331US #25
#17Sandra314US #13
#18Margaret296US #10
#19Joyce290US #12
#20Betty268US #4
#21Dorothy241US #9
#22Kathleen236US #48
#23Judy234US #28
#24Joanne218US #53
#25Marlene218US #64
#26Ruth215US #22
#27Phyllis212US #30
#28Lois204US #35
#29Diane196US #51
#30Jean184US #32
#31Joann177US #57
#32Elaine170US #45
#33Susan167US #44
#34Helen161US #16
#35Arlene160US #69
#36Marlys156
#37Virginia153US #21
#38Elizabeth148US #18
#39Marjorie138US #60
#40Geraldine135US #41
#41Delores133US #79
#42Alice132US #31
#43Carole128US #47
#44Kay126US #76
#45Gloria123US #36
#46Audrey121US #98
#47Carolyn117US #14
#48Jane114US #46
#49Gail110US #73
#50Jeanette108US #82
#51Bonnie103US #61
#52Ann101US #33
#53Doris97US #29
#54Marie97US #37
#55Norma88US #38
#56Kathryn87US #106
#57Rose87US #42
#58Frances86US #26
#59Lavonne85
#60Lorraine85US #95
#61Charlotte82US #66
#62Yvonne81US #90
#63Sally79US #52
#64Deanna77US #133
#65Jeanne76US #147
#66Evelyn75US #40
#67Jacqueline75US #72
#68Rita74US #78
#69Rosemary72US #93
#70Roberta69US #71
#71June68US #83
#72Linda68US #15
#73Eleanor67US #63
#74Eileen65US #115
#75Loretta64US #65
#76Marion62US #120
#77Irene61US #74
#78Marcia61US #109
#79Florence60US #96
#80Sylvia60US #62
#81Marian59US #130
#82Constance55US #123
#83Catherine53US #49
#84Louise53US #59
#85Lucille52US #110
#86Rosalie51US #114
#87Harriet50US #156
#88Gayle49
#89Bernice48US #116
#90Connie47US #111
#91Dianne47US #192
#92Suzanne47US #122
#93Maxine45US #137
#94Myrna45US #144
#95Katherine44US #101
#96Peggy43US #34
#97Theresa43US #94
#98Annette42US #121
#99Ellen42US #80
#100Sheila42US #125

Boys

#1Robert1,256US #1
#2James1,177US #2
#3Richard1,083US #5
#4John1,052US #3
#5David901US #7
#6Donald712US #8
#7William609US #4
#8Ronald557US #10
#9Gerald535US #19
#10Thomas525US #9
#11Roger524US #28
#12Dennis477US #34
#13Charles417US #6
#14Gary416US #21
#15Kenneth393US #13
#16Larry336US #14
#17Michael308US #18
#18Paul260US #17
#19Jerome244US #93
#20Wayne240US #39
#21Edward231US #15
#22George225US #11
#23Joseph223US #12
#24Eugene220US #37
#25Jerry219US #16
#26Dale204US #59
#27Duane200US #118
#28Raymond200US #22
#29Lawrence183US #36
#30Douglas170US #58
#31Harold163US #23
#32Bruce155US #64
#33Gordon154US #82
#34Peter139US #46
#35Daniel136US #38
#36Marvin135US #52
#37Leroy126US #61
#38Jack106US #26
#39Ralph105US #35
#40Norman103US #44
#41Allen102US #72
#42Gene99US #69
#43Patrick95US #79
#44Rodney95US #122
#45Howard92US #47
#46Stanley92US #57
#47Curtis91US #98
#48Arthur90US #32
#49Frank89US #20
#50Leonard87US #54
#51Carl86US #30
#52Vernon84US #100
#53Dean82US #134
#54Francis81US #53
#55Lyle79US #175
#56Loren78US #200
#57Walter76US #25
#58Melvin75US #51
#59Earl74US #50
#60Philip74US #66
#61Arnold73US #113
#62Fred72US #40
#63Lloyd71US #95
#64Russell71US #73
#65Harvey70US #102
#66Henry70US #31
#67Bernard69US #76
#68Lowell69US #166
#69Jon68US #121
#70Darrell67US #130
#71Allan65US #125
#72Glenn65US #87
#73Albert64US #41
#74Jim64US #75
#75Warren64US #104
#76Keith62US #117
#77Roy62US #42
#78Lee59US #78
#79Stephen59US #65
#80Theodore58US #90
#81Herbert57US #68
#82Clarence56US #60
#83Alvin55US #103
#84Clifford52US #88
#85Terry50US #83
#86Alan49US #85
#87Edwin48US #96
#88Neil46US #152
#89Leon45US #86
#90Floyd44US #94
#91Leo44US #108
#92Anthony43US #48
#93Frederick42US #71
#94Harry42US #45
#95Tom42US #97
#96Wallace42US #151
#97Ernest41US #55
#98Myron40
#99Daryl39
#100Louis39US #49

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑32Susan#33
↑32Loren#56
↑21Earl#59
↑19Gail#49
↑18Judy#23
↑17Albert#73
↑17Stephen#79
↑16Curtis#47

Falling

↓33Rosalie#86
↓24Allan#71
↓18Wallace#96
↓17Irene#77
↓16Keith#76
↓16Leo#91
↓15Marian#81
↓14Jeanette#50

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.