State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1950 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 68,800 Minnesota births in 1950 across 844 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#65Terranceoutside the national top 200
#76Lyleoutside the national top 200
#89Lorenoutside the national top 200
#70Bonita#181 nationally
#93Daryloutside the national top 200
#45Bradley#152 nationally
#70Terrence#176 nationally
#98Roxanneoutside the national top 200
#99Kristineoutside the national top 200
#40Duane#137 nationally
#83Renee#168 nationally
#96Kent#180 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,813US #2
#2Linda1,742US #1
#3Susan1,199US #5
#4Barbara1,053US #4
#5Patricia969US #3
#6Kathleen942US #10
#7Nancy843US #6
#8Carol782US #9
#9Sandra698US #8
#10Diane682US #16
#11Karen584US #12
#12Sharon516US #11
#13Deborah463US #7
#14Judith456US #21
#15Cheryl420US #29
#16Margaret418US #15
#17Pamela390US #17
#18Cynthia343US #23
#19Janet342US #18
#20Donna307US #13
#21Bonnie300US #33
#22Janice300US #22
#23Kathryn300US #46
#24Judy290US #25
#25Jean280US #48
#26Jane279US #39
#27Joyce260US #27
#28Elizabeth259US #24
#29Joan234US #40
#30Shirley231US #19
#31Marilyn221US #37
#32Rebecca221US #36
#33Christine219US #28
#34Beverly211US #31
#35Catherine205US #34
#36Lynn200US #76
#37Gail196US #42
#38Ann190US #45
#39Jeanne189US #95
#40Suzanne181US #71
#41Peggy178US #41
#42Ruth171US #49
#43Vicki166US #61
#44Darlene161US #79
#45Carolyn159US #20
#46Constance158US #85
#47Katherine158US #58
#48Betty157US #26
#49Colleen156US #124
#50Wendy155US #114
#51Virginia152US #43
#52Debra149US #59
#53Dianne149US #90
#54Gloria148US #30
#55Joanne143US #67
#56Marcia143US #77
#57Connie141US #44
#58Kathy140US #38
#59Rita137US #56
#60Julie135US #111
#61Lois131US #83
#62Elaine129US #60
#63Joann126US #98
#64Brenda121US #14
#65Jacqueline118US #55
#66Marlene104US #112
#67Theresa103US #65
#68Sally101US #78
#69Roberta100US #96
#70Bonita99US #181
#71Sheila99US #70
#72Maureen98US #89
#73Diana97US #47
#74Helen96US #50
#75Anne95US #84
#76Paula94US #54
#77Laura93US #63
#78Marie90US #72
#79Marjorie89US #121
#80Rose89US #69
#81Lynda87US #107
#82Eileen86US #91
#83Renee86US #168
#84Martha84US #32
#85Alice83US #57
#86Teresa82US #81
#87Gayle80US #133
#88Charlene78US #103
#89Charlotte78US #80
#90Phyllis77US #53
#91Victoria77US #94
#92Wanda76US #52
#93Marsha75US #68
#94Kay73US #123
#95Jill72US #142
#96Dorothy68US #35
#97Paulette68US #151
#98Roxanne68
#99Kristine67
#100Michelle65US #174

Boys

#1Michael1,683US #4
#2James1,653US #1
#3David1,646US #5
#4John1,511US #3
#5Robert1,508US #2
#6Thomas1,389US #8
#7Steven1,208US #16
#8Richard1,204US #7
#9Gary977US #10
#10William907US #6
#11Mark760US #23
#12Ronald654US #12
#13Dennis647US #17
#14Gregory639US #25
#15Charles636US #9
#16Donald584US #14
#17Daniel540US #21
#18Bruce535US #26
#19Stephen515US #19
#20Larry514US #11
#21Douglas482US #28
#22Paul477US #18
#23Roger423US #27
#24Kenneth418US #15
#25Timothy406US #32
#26Dale385US #49
#27Joseph338US #13
#28Gerald328US #34
#29Wayne317US #35
#30Patrick284US #38
#31Craig271US #69
#32Jeffrey265US #43
#33Terry236US #30
#34Edward231US #22
#35Lawrence226US #33
#36George211US #20
#37Brian205US #79
#38Peter204US #37
#39Kevin197US #73
#40Duane185US #137
#41Alan177US #41
#42Scott176US #82
#43Keith171US #78
#44Jerry156US #24
#45Bradley155US #152
#46Dean145US #120
#47Allen139US #71
#48Jerome139US #103
#49Curtis137US #97
#50Gordon128US #108
#51Randall128US #70
#52Eugene124US #58
#53Russell118US #67
#54Raymond117US #31
#55Lee115US #91
#56Philip110US #53
#57Randy109US #80
#58Rodney109US #88
#59Jack106US #48
#60Stanley104US #60
#61Frank102US #29
#62Harold98US #45
#63Glenn97US #59
#64Jon97US #138
#65Terrance86
#66Gene85US #122
#67Allan82US #142
#68Darrell81US #116
#69Ralph80US #52
#70Terrence79US #176
#71Theodore79US #99
#72Roy78US #51
#73Carl77US #44
#74Marvin76US #93
#75Steve76US #83
#76Lyle75
#77Howard74US #63
#78Martin74US #85
#79Frederick73US #75
#80Leroy72US #102
#81Barry70US #74
#82Walter70US #40
#83Jay69US #115
#84Joel67US #130
#85Neil67US #156
#86Anthony66US #36
#87Arthur66US #46
#88Phillip66US #64
#89Loren65
#90Norman63US #90
#91Glen62US #125
#92Warren62US #118
#93Daryl61
#94Francis60US #86
#95Leonard59US #77
#96Kent58US #180
#97Leslie58US #126
#98Micheal56US #104
#99Danny55US #39
#100Christopher54US #72

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑22Jack#59
↑22Theodore#71
↑19Terrence#70
↑18Kevin#39
↑17Sally#68
↑16Randall#51
↑15Helen#74
↑14Brenda#64

Falling

↓31Dorothy#96
↓31Paulette#97
↓25Kay#94
↓22Anthony#86
↓19Julie#60
↓17Rita#59
↓17Phyllis#90
↓17Leonard#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.