State roster

Top names in North Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1940 North Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,901 North Dakota births in 1940 across 402 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.

#38Marlysoutside the national top 200
#32Lyle#173 nationally
#63Myronoutside the national top 200
#65Lorenoutside the national top 200
#67Mavisoutside the national top 200
#73Darreloutside the national top 200
#80Marcellaoutside the national top 200
#63Leona#183 nationally
#82Claudiaoutside the national top 200
#82Claytonoutside the national top 200
#59Gayle#177 nationally
#83Euniceoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary230US #1
#2Sharon209US #17
#3Carol148US #6
#4Janice148US #22
#5Patricia134US #3
#6Shirley124US #9
#7Karen107US #34
#8Judith100US #4
#9Sandra95US #10
#10Betty93US #5
#11Darlene83US #79
#12Barbara81US #2
#13Donna81US #23
#14Dorothy81US #12
#15Beverly77US #27
#16Margaret75US #11
#17Judy71US #16
#18Joyce70US #13
#19Gloria65US #30
#20Linda65US #8
#21Janet59US #19
#22Marilyn59US #25
#23Diane58US #45
#24Marlene58US #80
#25Bonnie54US #39
#26Joan54US #14
#27Kathleen52US #40
#28Elaine51US #50
#29Lois51US #38
#30Arlene50US #75
#31Doris48US #31
#32Virginia48US #21
#33Kay46US #77
#34Alice45US #32
#35Delores44US #83
#36Phyllis44US #33
#37Myrna42US #150
#38Marlys39
#39Marjorie38US #64
#40Jean36US #29
#41Joann36US #63
#42Geraldine35US #46
#43Carole33US #49
#44Helen33US #18
#45Jeanette33US #90
#46Joanne33US #54
#47Loretta33US #69
#48Nancy33US #7
#49Ruth33US #24
#50Ann31US #35
#51Audrey31US #99
#52Evelyn31US #48
#53Jane31US #47
#54Lorraine31US #95
#55Elizabeth30US #20
#56Irene30US #73
#57Rose29US #44
#58Frances25US #28
#59Gayle25US #177
#60Rita25US #70
#61Norma24US #43
#62Connie22US #88
#63Leona22US #183
#64Marie22US #41
#65Diana21US #117
#66Ellen21US #74
#67Mavis21
#68Eleanor20US #68
#69Gail20US #65
#70Charlotte19US #55
#71Deanna19US #136
#72Eileen19US #125
#73June19US #82
#74Maxine19US #137
#75Sally19US #61
#76Susan19US #36
#77Yvonne19US #110
#78Bernice18US #121
#79Caroline18US #172
#80Marcella18
#81Anna17US #51
#82Claudia17
#83Eunice17
#84Jeanne17US #129
#85Kathryn17US #103
#86Lavonne17
#87Louise17US #59
#88Marian17US #142
#89Peggy17US #37
#90Catherine16US #53
#91Colleen16
#92Dianne16US #167
#93Roberta16US #71
#94Annette15US #126
#95Carolyn15US #15
#96Gladys15US #116
#97Katherine15US #92
#98Pat15US #134
#99Jacqueline14US #76
#100Lucille14US #113

Boys

#1Robert242US #2
#2James223US #1
#3Richard213US #5
#4John196US #3
#5Gary190US #19
#6David186US #7
#7Donald184US #9
#8Dennis166US #24
#9Larry153US #13
#10Kenneth133US #15
#11Gerald127US #21
#12Ronald125US #10
#13William125US #4
#14Roger92US #26
#15Charles91US #6
#16Jerry78US #14
#17Paul72US #17
#18Dale69US #57
#19Wayne64US #39
#20Raymond63US #22
#21Duane62US #134
#22Jerome62US #95
#23Thomas61US #8
#24Michael59US #18
#25Marvin56US #63
#26George53US #11
#27Leroy51US #66
#28Joseph50US #12
#29Eugene48US #38
#30Bruce42US #55
#31Edward39US #16
#32Lyle38US #173
#33Vernon38US #105
#34Daniel37US #34
#35Leonard37US #54
#36Rodney37US #133
#37Gordon36US #91
#38Allen33US #71
#39Douglas33US #56
#40Arthur32US #33
#41Harold32US #23
#42Lawrence31US #36
#43Jack30US #29
#44Gene28US #70
#45Glenn28US #83
#46Norman28US #48
#47Frank26US #20
#48Lloyd26US #100
#49Melvin26US #53
#50Patrick26US #74
#51Allan25US #115
#52Clifford25US #94
#53Curtis25US #97
#54Darrell25US #131
#55Howard25US #45
#56Leo25US #112
#57Clarence23US #64
#58Don23US #62
#59Earl23US #52
#60Ernest21US #58
#61Henry21US #31
#62Keith21US #125
#63Myron21
#64Albert20US #41
#65Loren20
#66Ray20US #77
#67Fred19US #40
#68Russell19US #72
#69Walter19US #25
#70Bill18US #67
#71Dean18US #143
#72Arnold17US #118
#73Darrel17
#74Elmer17US #144
#75Francis17US #61
#76Harvey17US #98
#77Joe17US #28
#78Lee17US #80
#79Peter17US #43
#80Ralph17US #37
#81Wesley17US #152
#82Clayton16
#83Harry16US #47
#84Jim16US #78
#85Leon16US #89
#86Stanley16US #59
#87Bob15US #99
#88Neil15US #156
#89Philip15US #60
#90Roy15US #42
#91Terry15US #73
#92Floyd14US #103
#93Lowell14US #172
#94Merle14
#95Alvin13US #106
#96Carl13US #32
#97Lester13US #116
#98Lynn13US #160
#99Maynard13
#100Wallace13US #146

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑33Rita#60
↑32Diane#23
↑32Gayle#59
↑29Sandra#9
↑26Loren#65
↑23Geraldine#42
↑22Clifford#52
↑21Bruce#30

Falling

↓38Eileen#72
↓37Gladys#96
↓31Alvin#95
↓28Dean#71
↓27Peggy#89
↓26Ralph#80
↓25Helen#44
↓25Curtis#53

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.