State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 77,040 Minnesota births in 1956 across 876 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#75Luannoutside the national top 200
#76Jody#194 nationally
#85Gregg#195 nationally
#92Terranceoutside the national top 200
#68Roxanne#172 nationally
#54Todd#156 nationally
#99Lyleoutside the national top 200
#84Greg#182 nationally
#97Terrence#194 nationally
#45Duane#127 nationally
#90Gene#170 nationally
#98Allan#177 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,727US #1
#2Debra1,290US #2
#3Susan1,203US #5
#4Linda875US #3
#5Nancy873US #11
#6Barbara822US #9
#7Cynthia736US #8
#8Karen732US #7
#9Patricia727US #6
#10Diane630US #15
#11Deborah628US #4
#12Kathleen595US #17
#13Pamela544US #12
#14Sandra534US #14
#15Cheryl520US #18
#16Julie501US #48
#17Carol492US #16
#18Sharon409US #13
#19Jane362US #50
#20Lori346US #66
#21Jean330US #65
#22Denise319US #23
#23Donna311US #10
#24Janet311US #21
#25Laurie311US #76
#26Lynn308US #58
#27Cindy293US #37
#28Kim288US #38
#29Margaret288US #25
#30Elizabeth286US #22
#31Kathryn272US #60
#32Rebecca271US #27
#33Catherine268US #28
#34Joan266US #52
#35Ann258US #46
#36Dawn256US #92
#37Kathy250US #20
#38Brenda244US #19
#39Wendy234US #95
#40Kimberly225US #74
#41Bonnie222US #51
#42Connie221US #43
#43Teresa220US #24
#44Judy216US #35
#45Theresa214US #32
#46Vicki214US #57
#47Gail211US #49
#48Colleen209US #113
#49Judith209US #45
#50Janice207US #26
#51Robin198US #29
#52Beverly189US #40
#53Peggy183US #63
#54Christine181US #42
#55Debbie177US #39
#56Renee176US #106
#57Laura169US #34
#58Joyce166US #30
#59Jeanne163US #112
#60Paula162US #47
#61Ruth162US #77
#62Jill158US #101
#63Katherine158US #67
#64Rita156US #79
#65Michelle155US #88
#66Marilyn151US #70
#67Lisa136US #31
#68Roxanne136US #172
#69Sheila129US #55
#70Terri120US #81
#71Joanne117US #99
#72Beth116US #117
#73Suzanne116US #94
#74Anne114US #86
#75Luann111
#76Jody108US #194
#77Lois108US #135
#78Victoria106US #85
#79Valerie105US #80
#80Kay102US #154
#81Jacqueline100US #78
#82Jan100US #136
#83Marcia100US #110
#84Michele99US #100
#85Sheryl99US #114
#86Maureen98US #102
#87Becky97US #144
#88Joann97US #139
#89Roberta97US #116
#90Shirley97US #41
#91Cathy94US #36
#92Jennifer94US #97
#93Sherry90US #54
#94Wanda90US #61
#95Gayle89US #163
#96Rhonda87US #62
#97Betty86US #44
#98Darlene85US #71
#99Virginia84US #75
#100Terry82US #91

Boys

#1David1,899US #4
#2Michael1,851US #1
#3Mark1,559US #8
#4James1,474US #2
#5John1,410US #5
#6Steven1,354US #10
#7Robert1,328US #3
#8Thomas1,293US #9
#9Richard1,124US #7
#10Daniel885US #18
#11Jeffrey832US #20
#12William789US #6
#13Paul772US #17
#14Timothy769US #19
#15Gary761US #13
#16Scott740US #34
#17Kevin720US #22
#18Gregory666US #24
#19Bruce576US #33
#20Ronald545US #15
#21Randy530US #28
#22Douglas525US #29
#23Brian490US #32
#24Donald482US #14
#25Charles465US #11
#26Joseph442US #12
#27Kenneth406US #16
#28Dale348US #50
#29Craig344US #51
#30Larry344US #21
#31Patrick343US #40
#32Bradley339US #103
#33Stephen328US #23
#34Peter326US #37
#35Dennis325US #26
#36Keith311US #36
#37Roger278US #41
#38Terry275US #31
#39Dean255US #99
#40Gerald232US #49
#41Wayne232US #45
#42Randall227US #54
#43Alan216US #44
#44Edward173US #25
#45Duane172US #127
#46Jon165US #116
#47Curtis159US #80
#48Joel151US #106
#49Jerry149US #35
#50Jeffery148US #57
#51Lawrence137US #42
#52Russell137US #52
#53Anthony136US #30
#54Todd136US #156
#55Steve135US #59
#56Kim133US #118
#57Jay132US #92
#58George124US #27
#59Rodney124US #65
#60Ricky116US #43
#61Raymond114US #39
#62Allen112US #87
#63Philip112US #64
#64Lee108US #104
#65Rick106US #100
#66Micheal103US #83
#67Brad101US #142
#68Jerome99US #117
#69Eugene98US #86
#70Christopher96US #47
#71Gordon93US #130
#72Kurt90US #138
#73Bryan89US #132
#74Martin87US #73
#75Mike85US #97
#76Kent84US #149
#77Danny83US #46
#78Glenn82US #61
#79Andrew81US #56
#80Dan81US #133
#81Jack79US #66
#82Frank78US #38
#83Darrell76US #88
#84Greg76US #182
#85Gregg74US #195
#86Barry73US #69
#87Glen73US #125
#88Eric72US #79
#89Jeff70US #145
#90Gene69US #170
#91Matthew69US #90
#92Terrance68
#93Neil65US #171
#94Carl63US #48
#95Jonathan63US #114
#96Marvin62US #105
#97Terrence62US #194
#98Allan61US #177
#99Lyle61
#100Stanley61US #70

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑46Kimberly#40
↑32Kim#28
↑27Cindy#27
↑23Debbie#55
↑22Lori#20
↑19Kent#76
↑18Kay#80
↑16Steve#55

Falling

↓26Allan#98
↓20Sherry#93
↓19Michele#84
↓18Frank#82
↓16Gail#47
↓16Shirley#90
↓15Judith#49
↓15Darlene#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.