State roster

Top names in North Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1939 North Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,690 North Dakota births in 1939 across 411 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.

#25Marlysoutside the national top 200
#46Mavisoutside the national top 200
#48Myronoutside the national top 200
#38Lyle#175 nationally
#69Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#76Cheryloutside the national top 200
#83Angelineoutside the national top 200
#85Darryloutside the national top 200
#91Gayleoutside the national top 200
#91Loren#200 nationally
#92Marcellaoutside the national top 200
#93Darreloutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary199US #1
#2Janice164US #24
#3Carol131US #6
#4Patricia131US #3
#5Sharon129US #23
#6Shirley109US #5
#7Betty105US #4
#8Darlene101US #75
#9Beverly88US #25
#10Donna85US #20
#11Barbara83US #2
#12Judith81US #8
#13Marlene81US #64
#14Marilyn77US #19
#15Margaret76US #10
#16Joyce66US #12
#17Karen64US #39
#18Dorothy61US #9
#19Helen57US #16
#20Joann57US #57
#21Jean55US #32
#22Lois55US #35
#23Joan54US #11
#24Joanne53US #53
#25Marlys52
#26Phyllis52US #30
#27Gloria49US #36
#28Judy48US #28
#29Elaine47US #45
#30Janet47US #17
#31Delores44US #79
#32Bonnie43US #61
#33Arlene41US #69
#34Eileen41US #115
#35Jeanette41US #82
#36Nancy41US #7
#37Linda40US #15
#38Sandra40US #13
#39Kathleen38US #48
#40Ruth38US #22
#41Audrey36US #98
#42Irene36US #74
#43Rose36US #42
#44Carole35US #47
#45Lorraine35US #95
#46Mavis35
#47Doris34US #29
#48Myrna34US #144
#49Virginia34US #21
#50Alice33US #31
#51Elizabeth32US #18
#52Marjorie31US #60
#53Kay29US #76
#54Yvonne29US #90
#55Diane28US #51
#56Frances28US #26
#57Charlotte27US #66
#58Connie27US #111
#59Gladys27US #104
#60Loretta27US #65
#61Marie27US #37
#62Peggy27US #34
#63Ann26US #33
#64Evelyn26US #40
#65Geraldine26US #41
#66Jane23US #46
#67Lillian23US #99
#68Sylvia23US #62
#69Lavonne22
#70Norma22US #38
#71Annette20US #121
#72Eleanor20US #63
#73Ellen20US #80
#74Gail20US #73
#75Marion20US #120
#76Cheryl19
#77Leona19US #177
#78Susan19US #44
#79Florence18US #96
#80Grace18US #108
#81Kathryn18US #106
#82Roberta18US #71
#83Angeline17
#84Deanna17US #133
#85Jacqueline17US #72
#86June17US #83
#87Louise17US #59
#88Viola17US #187
#89Carolyn16US #14
#90Faye16US #161
#91Gayle16
#92Marcella16
#93Rita16US #78
#94Rosalie16US #114
#95Vivian16US #128
#96Bernice15US #116
#97Laura15US #107
#98Avis14
#99Colleen14
#100Esther14US #117

Boys

#1James250US #2
#2Robert247US #1
#3Donald217US #8
#4Richard213US #5
#5John169US #3
#6David146US #7
#7Gary141US #21
#8Larry138US #14
#9Ronald129US #10
#10Gerald120US #19
#11Dennis119US #34
#12William106US #4
#13Roger101US #28
#14Kenneth99US #13
#15Charles95US #6
#16Duane84US #118
#17Raymond71US #22
#18Dale70US #59
#19Paul66US #17
#20Jerry65US #16
#21Wayne63US #39
#22Thomas60US #9
#23Eugene58US #37
#24Marvin56US #52
#25George55US #11
#26Jerome53US #93
#27Edward46US #15
#28Curtis44US #98
#29Joseph43US #12
#30Leroy42US #61
#31Allen41US #72
#32Michael40US #18
#33Daniel38US #38
#34Harold38US #23
#35Gordon36US #82
#36Vernon36US #100
#37Leo35US #108
#38Lyle35US #175
#39Melvin34US #51
#40Albert33US #41
#41Norman33US #44
#42Rodney33US #122
#43Dean31US #134
#44Leonard31US #54
#45Gene30US #69
#46Lloyd30US #95
#47Douglas29US #58
#48Myron29
#49Allan28US #125
#50Patrick28US #79
#51Bruce27US #64
#52Francis27US #53
#53Howard27US #47
#54Ralph27US #35
#55Darrell26US #130
#56Don26US #56
#57Arthur25US #32
#58Glenn24US #87
#59Jack24US #26
#60Lawrence24US #36
#61Walter24US #25
#62Arnold23US #113
#63Ernest23US #55
#64Alvin22US #103
#65Bernard22US #76
#66Frank22US #20
#67Fred22US #40
#68Lee22US #78
#69Stanley22US #57
#70Keith21US #117
#71Peter20US #46
#72Bob19US #89
#73Clarence18US #60
#74Clifford18US #88
#75Earl18US #50
#76Terry18US #83
#77Warren18US #104
#78Elmer17US #132
#79Harry17US #45
#80Lowell17US #166
#81Glen16US #123
#82Joe16US #27
#83Roy16US #42
#84Carl15US #30
#85Darryl15
#86Floyd15US #94
#87Harvey15US #102
#88Neil15US #152
#89Theodore15US #90
#90Wesley15US #146
#91Loren14US #200
#92Virgil14US #164
#93Darrel13
#94Jim13US #75
#95Lynn13US #167
#96Orville13
#97Victor13US #119
#98Delbert12US #174
#99Harlan12
#100Alan11US #85

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑41Charlotte#57
↑40Judy#28
↑40Myrna#48
↑39Patrick#50
↑34Ann#63
↑30Albert#40
↑27Eleanor#72
↑27Francis#52

Falling

↓43Carolyn#89
↓41Esther#100
↓35Clarence#73
↓33Victor#97
↓32Rita#93
↓32Darrel#93
↓27Jack#59
↓26Lawrence#60

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.