State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1961 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 79,860 Minnesota births in 1961 across 947 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#73Jodi#197 nationally
#77Jody#200 nationally
#87Karioutside the national top 200
#91Kristineoutside the national top 200
#90Kay#192 nationally
#98Dana#180 nationally
#85Heidi#166 nationally
#71Shelly#145 nationally
#76Kent#147 nationally
#60Sue#130 nationally
#64Duane#132 nationally
#52Dan#115 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,328US #1
#2Susan1,074US #3
#3Lori986US #14
#4Julie921US #23
#5Lisa834US #2
#6Karen681US #5
#7Linda655US #4
#8Barbara601US #12
#9Nancy597US #16
#10Debra583US #13
#11Brenda581US #11
#12Sandra500US #9
#13Pamela482US #15
#14Patricia464US #6
#15Diane455US #26
#16Cheryl430US #20
#17Cynthia410US #8
#18Laurie402US #43
#19Michelle398US #34
#20Dawn390US #49
#21Carol384US #24
#22Cindy379US #33
#23Elizabeth364US #19
#24Kathleen343US #29
#25Kimberly338US #22
#26Sharon334US #17
#27Teresa324US #18
#28Debbie322US #31
#29Denise316US #30
#30Ann308US #54
#31Kathy307US #25
#32Kim304US #36
#33Jane294US #72
#34Laura293US #21
#35Theresa278US #35
#36Deborah273US #10
#37Lynn272US #71
#38Tammy270US #28
#39Christine268US #39
#40Jill268US #74
#41Jean265US #92
#42Donna259US #7
#43Kelly248US #45
#44Janet246US #32
#45Wendy241US #61
#46Robin234US #27
#47Rebecca218US #44
#48Beth217US #65
#49Margaret211US #40
#50Renee209US #79
#51Connie202US #50
#52Colleen196US #106
#53Judy193US #58
#54Joan189US #89
#55Catherine186US #48
#56Peggy185US #88
#57Jacqueline183US #37
#58Jennifer176US #47
#59Terri175US #51
#60Sue169US #130
#61Kathryn165US #93
#62Becky164US #115
#63Ruth158US #96
#64Tracy158US #64
#65Anne154US #90
#66Bonnie154US #75
#67Carolyn152US #42
#68Sheila152US #59
#69Vicki152US #76
#70Amy149US #69
#71Shelly142US #145
#72Gail138US #94
#73Jodi135US #197
#74Paula134US #60
#75Suzanne134US #68
#76Michele133US #63
#77Jody132US #200
#78Tamara132US #125
#79Carrie130US #139
#80Janice130US #52
#81Cathy129US #55
#82Jeanne129US #138
#83Annette128US #73
#84Valerie121US #67
#85Heidi119US #166
#86Katherine118US #86
#87Kari113
#88Joyce112US #62
#89Judith111US #83
#90Kay107US #192
#91Kristine106
#92Shari105US #142
#93Rhonda104US #46
#94Sandy104US #135
#95Joanne98US #102
#96Pam97US #144
#97Patty97US #157
#98Penny97US #101
#99Sherry96US #53
#100Sally94US #133

Boys

#1David1,929US #2
#2Michael1,709US #1
#3Mark1,606US #6
#4John1,511US #3
#5James1,341US #4
#6Scott1,179US #19
#7Robert1,159US #5
#8Steven1,082US #10
#9Thomas1,081US #9
#10Jeffrey936US #11
#11Daniel931US #17
#12Timothy876US #15
#13Kevin852US #14
#14Paul843US #18
#15Brian780US #20
#16Richard734US #8
#17Todd649US #46
#18William594US #7
#19Gregory569US #23
#20Gary474US #21
#21Douglas466US #28
#22Joseph446US #12
#23Bruce416US #40
#24Randy401US #33
#25Patrick387US #39
#26Craig386US #43
#27Ronald374US #24
#28Charles366US #13
#29Kenneth365US #16
#30Donald353US #22
#31Mike326US #36
#32Bradley322US #87
#33Peter322US #42
#34Keith318US #35
#35Dale315US #58
#36Jeff305US #49
#37Dean292US #84
#38Jon269US #93
#39Christopher264US #26
#40Terry261US #32
#41Steve259US #45
#42Stephen254US #27
#43Tim249US #65
#44Dennis243US #34
#45Tom237US #88
#46Larry223US #30
#47Roger219US #47
#48Alan213US #51
#49Joel201US #110
#50Jay193US #81
#51Greg192US #77
#52Dan189US #115
#53Jim184US #78
#54Eric182US #38
#55Wayne180US #61
#56Anthony174US #25
#57Curtis163US #75
#58Randall160US #63
#59Jerry159US #37
#60Chris158US #57
#61Gerald154US #62
#62Edward153US #29
#63Russell148US #55
#64Duane145US #132
#65Jeffery145US #50
#66Ricky131US #44
#67Tony130US #53
#68Rick129US #108
#69Matthew128US #59
#70Bill124US #104
#71Bryan124US #82
#72Dave120US #130
#73Kurt113US #129
#74Kelly110US #125
#75Raymond110US #48
#76Kent109US #147
#77Andrew106US #52
#78Allen102US #96
#79Brad99US #142
#80Joe99US #60
#81Lee92US #122
#82Rodney92US #72
#83Bob91US #141
#84Philip91US #79
#85Lawrence89US #67
#86Martin89US #73
#87Troy89US #100
#88George86US #31
#89Brent85US #137
#90Jerome85US #136
#91Micheal83US #103
#92Mitchell81US #118
#93Danny80US #54
#94Shawn79US #143
#95Barry76US #66
#96Frank75US #41
#97Phillip70US #69
#98Dana68US #180
#99Jonathan68US #112
#100Karl64US #138

On the move since 1960

Rising

↑35Jacqueline#57
↑34Ruth#63
↑24Tony#67
↑20Carolyn#67
↑15Christine#39
↑14Tracy#64
↑14Valerie#84
↑13Michele#76

Falling

↓22Rhonda#93
↓21Judith#89
↓17Sherry#99
↓14Penny#98
↓13Kathryn#61
↓13Paula#74
↓13Jeanne#82
↓12Danny#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1960 rankings.