State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 46,637 Minnesota births in 1940 across 750 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#47Marlysoutside the national top 200
#67Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#67Lorenoutside the national top 200
#43Lyle#173 nationally
#87Colleenoutside the national top 200
#87Darreloutside the national top 200
#60Dianne#167 nationally
#29Duane#134 nationally
#97Myronoutside the national top 200
#98Mavisoutside the national top 200
#80Gayle#177 nationally
#78Lowell#172 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,135US #1
#2Judith748US #4
#3Carol738US #6
#4Sharon730US #17
#5Patricia696US #3
#6Barbara682US #2
#7Karen598US #34
#8Sandra481US #10
#9Janice427US #22
#10Janet387US #19
#11Nancy385US #7
#12Shirley363US #9
#13Joyce360US #13
#14Judy349US #16
#15Donna331US #23
#16Joan313US #14
#17Kathleen304US #40
#18Beverly297US #27
#19Darlene294US #79
#20Marilyn292US #25
#21Margaret276US #11
#22Jean265US #29
#23Diane254US #45
#24Betty242US #5
#25Susan228US #36
#26Gloria223US #30
#27Lois213US #38
#28Joanne202US #54
#29Dorothy192US #12
#30Phyllis192US #33
#31Virginia190US #21
#32Marlene188US #80
#33Elaine180US #50
#34Ruth177US #24
#35Joann172US #63
#36Bonnie170US #39
#37Helen165US #18
#38Carolyn154US #15
#39Elizabeth151US #20
#40Carole143US #49
#41Jane129US #47
#42Arlene125US #75
#43Geraldine124US #46
#44Kay124US #77
#45Linda124US #8
#46Delores121US #83
#47Marlys121
#48Audrey112US #99
#49Jeanette112US #90
#50Gail106US #65
#51Marjorie104US #64
#52Alice103US #32
#53Doris102US #31
#54Ann98US #35
#55Rita94US #70
#56Marie93US #41
#57Rose92US #44
#58Charlotte91US #55
#59Lorraine87US #95
#60Dianne86US #167
#61Rosemary86US #85
#62Irene84US #73
#63Kathryn84US #103
#64Catherine83US #53
#65Jeanne78US #129
#66Norma78US #43
#67Lavonne77
#68Sally77US #61
#69Yvonne77US #110
#70Frances76US #28
#71Marcia76US #112
#72Roberta76US #71
#73Evelyn73US #48
#74Deanna70US #136
#75Eileen64US #125
#76June63US #82
#77Suzanne61US #109
#78Jacqueline60US #76
#79Marion57US #120
#80Gayle56US #177
#81Constance55US #124
#82Louise55US #59
#83Marian54US #142
#84Maxine54US #137
#85Katherine53US #92
#86Bernice52US #121
#87Colleen52
#88Ellen52US #74
#89Sylvia52US #62
#90Annette49US #126
#91Maureen49US #135
#92Brenda48US #42
#93Anita47US #87
#94Connie46US #88
#95Florence46US #100
#96Lucille46US #113
#97Martha46US #26
#98Mavis46
#99Myrna46US #150
#100Loretta45US #69

Boys

#1Robert1,314US #2
#2James1,276US #1
#3Richard1,151US #5
#4John1,129US #3
#5David989US #7
#6William654US #4
#7Gary637US #19
#8Donald629US #9
#9Thomas615US #8
#10Ronald608US #10
#11Dennis577US #24
#12Gerald548US #21
#13Roger547US #26
#14Kenneth446US #15
#15Charles435US #6
#16Michael404US #18
#17Larry387US #13
#18Paul284US #17
#19Jerry232US #14
#20Dale225US #57
#21Wayne223US #39
#22George214US #11
#23Edward212US #16
#24Jerome202US #95
#25Eugene197US #38
#26Bruce196US #55
#27Raymond192US #22
#28Joseph191US #12
#29Duane171US #134
#30Douglas170US #56
#31Lawrence157US #36
#32Harold156US #23
#33Daniel148US #34
#34Gordon145US #91
#35Peter133US #43
#36Leroy124US #66
#37Patrick123US #74
#38Marvin119US #63
#39Gene115US #70
#40Arthur112US #33
#41Curtis110US #97
#42Ralph110US #37
#43Lyle108US #173
#44Norman106US #48
#45Frank105US #20
#46Jon93US #123
#47Darrell91US #131
#48Stanley91US #59
#49Rodney90US #133
#50Howard89US #45
#51Jack86US #29
#52Stephen86US #49
#53Leonard85US #54
#54Allan84US #115
#55Francis82US #61
#56Walter81US #25
#57Warren81US #110
#58Allen80US #71
#59Dean79US #143
#60Vernon77US #105
#61Philip76US #60
#62Russell76US #72
#63Fred74US #40
#64Terry74US #73
#65Carl70US #32
#66Bernard68US #82
#67Loren68
#68Tom68US #92
#69Keith67US #125
#70Melvin67US #53
#71Theodore67US #90
#72Alan66US #88
#73Harvey66US #98
#74Glenn65US #83
#75Clifford63US #94
#76Henry62US #31
#77Jim62US #78
#78Lowell62US #172
#79Lloyd60US #100
#80Steven59US #119
#81Arnold58US #118
#82Earl58US #52
#83Anthony56US #46
#84Harry54US #47
#85Lee54US #80
#86Phillip54US #79
#87Darrel53
#88Don52US #62
#89Clarence48US #64
#90Roy48US #42
#91Leon47US #89
#92Albert46US #41
#93Virgil46US #166
#94Louis45US #50
#95Wallace45US #146
#96Frederick43US #68
#97Myron43
#98Glen42US #130
#99Brian41US #163
#100Martin41US #85

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑31Dianne#60
↑27Linda#45
↑27Stephen#52
↑27Tom#68
↑23Jon#46
↑23Darrell#47
↑21Terry#64
↑19Gloria#26

Falling

↓25Loretta#100
↓23Earl#82
↓20Arnold#81
↓19Albert#92
↓17Allen#58
↓16Florence#95
↓16Lloyd#79
↓14Carl#65

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.