State roster

Top names in North Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1938 North Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,562 North Dakota births in 1938 across 416 distinct names.

Distinctively North Dakota

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

#30Marlysoutside the national top 200
#43Myronoutside the national top 200
#48Mavisoutside the national top 200
#61Darreloutside the national top 200
#65Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#55Lyle#183 nationally
#82Laverneoutside the national top 200
#83Luellaoutside the national top 200
#78Violet#194 nationally
#91Clayton#199 nationally
#94Ileneoutside the national top 200
#95Maynardoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary204US #1
#2Janice170US #24
#3Shirley153US #5
#4Carol135US #6
#5Betty122US #4
#6Sharon119US #30
#7Patricia112US #3
#8Beverly106US #18
#9Barbara104US #2
#10Darlene96US #76
#11Donna86US #20
#12Margaret85US #9
#13Marlene82US #51
#14Karen78US #50
#15Joyce69US #11
#16Arlene68US #63
#17Delores67US #75
#18Marilyn66US #19
#19Janet63US #16
#20Phyllis62US #28
#21Jean58US #27
#22Dorothy56US #8
#23Helen56US #13
#24Judith56US #12
#25Lois55US #33
#26Elaine53US #42
#27Joann52US #68
#28Joan51US #10
#29Alice50US #29
#30Marlys50
#31Gloria47US #36
#32Virginia47US #22
#33Audrey44US #87
#34Doris44US #25
#35Joanne40US #57
#36Bonnie39US #65
#37Loretta39US #62
#38Irene38US #72
#39Ruth38US #21
#40Eileen37US #113
#41Yvonne37US #101
#42Rose35US #39
#43Frances34US #23
#44Lorraine33US #93
#45Marjorie32US #53
#46Carolyn30US #15
#47Kathleen30US #58
#48Mavis30
#49Diane29US #64
#50Anna27US #40
#51Geraldine27US #45
#52Jeanette27US #91
#53Linda26US #31
#54Agnes25US #157
#55Carole25US #46
#56Norma25US #34
#57Evelyn24US #38
#58Sandra24US #14
#59Esther23US #120
#60Nancy23US #7
#61Rita23US #74
#62Elizabeth22US #17
#63Gail22US #77
#64Gladys22US #103
#65Lavonne22
#66Marie22US #37
#67Florence21US #90
#68Judy21US #41
#69Kay21US #81
#70Lucille21US #106
#71Bernice20US #112
#72Lillian20US #88
#73Roberta20US #73
#74Sylvia20US #56
#75Josephine19US #83
#76Kathryn19US #114
#77Maxine19US #130
#78Violet19US #194
#79Catherine18US #48
#80Connie18US #110
#81June18US #79
#82Laverne18
#83Luella18
#84Clara17US #98
#85Jane17US #44
#86Margie17US #109
#87Mildred17US #52
#88Myrna17US #134
#89Sonja16US #180
#90Beatrice15US #125
#91Caroline15US #181
#92Deloris15US #196
#93Grace15US #100
#94Ilene15
#95Marcia15US #116
#96Marion15US #118
#97Ann14US #32
#98Charlotte14US #70
#99Eleanor14US #60
#100Rosemary14US #95

Boys

#1Robert280US #1
#2James249US #2
#3Donald231US #7
#4Richard196US #5
#5John179US #3
#6Ronald124US #10
#7David121US #8
#8Gary118US #22
#9William107US #4
#10Gerald106US #19
#11Kenneth106US #14
#12Dennis95US #49
#13Larry95US #16
#14Charles88US #6
#15Roger76US #31
#16Duane74US #114
#17Thomas70US #9
#18Raymond66US #20
#19Dale62US #56
#20Paul58US #15
#21Wayne56US #40
#22Eugene55US #33
#23George54US #11
#24Jerry54US #17
#25Marvin54US #53
#26Jerome48US #93
#27Gordon46US #78
#28Daniel43US #39
#29Edward43US #13
#30Leroy41US #61
#31Douglas35US #60
#32Jack35US #25
#33Joseph35US #12
#34Lawrence35US #36
#35Bruce33US #66
#36Harold33US #23
#37Allen32US #73
#38Clarence32US #58
#39Norman32US #43
#40Ralph32US #35
#41Curtis31US #101
#42Gene31US #65
#43Myron31
#44Leo30US #104
#45Michael30US #21
#46Darrell29US #128
#47Melvin29US #54
#48Vernon29US #103
#49Leonard28US #57
#50Allan27US #119
#51Frank27US #18
#52Rodney27US #133
#53Arthur26US #32
#54Henry26US #30
#55Lyle26US #183
#56Clifford25US #89
#57Glenn24US #83
#58Howard24US #42
#59Dean23US #129
#60Lester23US #115
#61Darrel22
#62Keith22US #120
#63Lloyd22US #92
#64Victor22US #117
#65Walter22US #26
#66Arnold21US #111
#67Earl20US #50
#68Stanley20US #59
#69Theodore20US #84
#70Albert19US #37
#71Alfred19US #69
#72Alvin19US #98
#73Bernard19US #75
#74Ernest19US #55
#75Peter19US #48
#76Virgil19US #151
#77Carl18US #29
#78Don18US #52
#79Francis18US #51
#80Fred18US #38
#81Floyd17US #96
#82Wallace17US #139
#83Bill16US #67
#84Joe16US #28
#85Lee16US #80
#86Harvey15US #99
#87Lowell15US #164
#88Neil15US #152
#89Patrick15US #88
#90Terry15US #86
#91Clayton14US #199
#92Harry14US #44
#93Jon14US #126
#94Leslie14US #135
#95Maynard14
#96Mike14US #154
#97Warren14US #102
#98Jim13US #81
#99Loren13
#100Louis13US #47

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑47Linda#53
↑43Diane#49
↑42Darrell#46
↑41Judith#24
↑39Sandra#58
↑37Mavis#48
↑36Jeanette#52
↑36Lester#60

Falling

↓35Ann#97
↓30Francis#79
↓29Walter#65
↓29Albert#70
↓27Harvey#86
↓26Eleanor#99
↓26Alvin#72
↓26Don#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.