State roster

Top names in North Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1953 North Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 14,455 North Dakota births in 1953 across 473 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.

#60Lyleoutside the national top 200
#66Lorenoutside the national top 200
#67Terranceoutside the national top 200
#48Lynn#170 nationally
#59Paulette#178 nationally
#82Bonitaoutside the national top 200
#87Laureloutside the national top 200
#88Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#60Shelley#168 nationally
#94Kellyoutside the national top 200
#63Kent#166 nationally
#98Rossoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary283US #1
#2Debra223US #7
#3Linda208US #2
#4Deborah175US #3
#5Susan175US #5
#6Karen160US #9
#7Barbara155US #6
#8Nancy149US #8
#9Patricia149US #4
#10Cynthia144US #12
#11Sandra143US #11
#12Kathleen141US #14
#13Carol121US #16
#14Cheryl105US #28
#15Diane105US #17
#16Pamela100US #10
#17Sharon89US #15
#18Donna83US #13
#19Rebecca83US #24
#20Julie75US #74
#21Brenda70US #18
#22Peggy68US #44
#23Judith67US #30
#24Jane65US #43
#25Kathryn61US #48
#26Bonnie60US #45
#27Elizabeth58US #21
#28Janet56US #19
#29Connie55US #47
#30Joan54US #37
#31Janice53US #22
#32Margaret53US #20
#33Gail51US #39
#34Vicki50US #61
#35Judy49US #27
#36Shirley49US #29
#37Beverly47US #34
#38Kathy45US #23
#39Marilyn44US #36
#40Colleen42US #115
#41Betty41US #33
#42Joyce40US #26
#43Wanda38US #57
#44Marcia37US #84
#45Roberta37US #90
#46Valerie37US #88
#47Jacqueline36US #58
#48Elaine35US #77
#49Gayle35US #136
#50Darlene34US #75
#51Rita34US #64
#52Sheila33US #60
#53Laurie32US #103
#54Catherine31US #35
#55Constance30US #95
#56Jean30US #52
#57Charlene29US #113
#58Denise29US #31
#59Paulette29US #178
#60Shelley29US #168
#61Virginia29US #53
#62Paula28US #40
#63Ruth28US #62
#64Vickie28US #79
#65Charlotte27US #100
#66Gloria27US #38
#67Katherine27US #63
#68Joann26US #121
#69Phyllis25US #69
#70Renee25US #134
#71Victoria25US #82
#72Ann24US #46
#73Carla24US #129
#74Cindy24US #99
#75Lynn24US #67
#76Laura23US #51
#77Kay22US #146
#78Marlene22US #128
#79Teresa22US #42
#80Claudia21US #126
#81Sherry21US #70
#82Bonita20
#83Diana20US #55
#84Helen20US #65
#85Christine19US #32
#86Dianne19US #109
#87Laurel19
#88Lavonne19
#89Lois19US #91
#90Marsha19US #83
#91Candace18US #180
#92Dorothy18US #49
#93Ellen18US #76
#94Jeanne18US #97
#95Rhonda18US #85
#96Alice17US #73
#97Beth17US #142
#98Cathy17US #56
#99Jeanette17US #139
#100Marie17US #86

Boys

#1David331US #5
#2James278US #2
#3Michael247US #3
#4Robert242US #1
#5John228US #4
#6Steven202US #11
#7Richard195US #7
#8Thomas187US #8
#9Gary173US #10
#10Mark167US #12
#11Timothy161US #26
#12Donald141US #14
#13William139US #6
#14Daniel136US #20
#15Ronald129US #15
#16Douglas126US #27
#17Roger121US #31
#18Dennis118US #19
#19Larry118US #18
#20Gregory108US #24
#21Rodney107US #58
#22Bruce104US #28
#23Kenneth101US #17
#24Terry100US #30
#25Paul96US #16
#26Jeffrey94US #25
#27Dale88US #48
#28Wayne85US #40
#29Keith72US #47
#30Randy69US #35
#31Charles68US #9
#32Kevin63US #36
#33Gerald62US #42
#34Patrick61US #39
#35Duane59US #132
#36Craig58US #60
#37Curtis57US #86
#38Dean57US #105
#39Jerry51US #29
#40Scott51US #46
#41Bradley50US #118
#42Joseph47US #13
#43Brian42US #53
#44Stephen40US #21
#45Allen39US #81
#46Jerome39US #107
#47Raymond36US #34
#48Lynn35US #170
#49Alan34US #43
#50Darrell34US #103
#51Dwight34US #122
#52Edward34US #23
#53Glenn34US #67
#54Jon33US #120
#55Kim32US #127
#56Randall31US #64
#57George27US #22
#58Gordon27US #116
#59Leslie27US #135
#60Lyle27
#61Neil27US #146
#62Eugene26US #75
#63Kent26US #166
#64Carl25US #44
#65Lawrence24US #37
#66Loren24
#67Terrance24
#68Frank23US #33
#69Marvin23US #94
#70Anthony22US #32
#71Danny22US #41
#72Jack22US #57
#73Joel22US #134
#74Steve22US #84
#75Barry21US #73
#76Gene21US #143
#77Harold21US #56
#78Lee21US #93
#79Jay20US #99
#80Peter20US #38
#81Stanley20US #62
#82Allan19US #153
#83Arnold19US #182
#84Russell19US #71
#85Wesley19US #159
#86Daryl18US #187
#87Martin18US #82
#88Ralph18US #59
#89Arthur17US #50
#90Brad17US #164
#91Rick17US #101
#92Ricky17US #51
#93Harvey16US #172
#94Kelly16
#95Leonard16US #85
#96Micheal16US #88
#97Francis15US #90
#98Ross15
#99Vernon15US #141
#100Frederick14US #80

On the move since 1952

Rising

↑39Roberta#45
↑31Gayle#49
↑30Jon#54
↑28Laurie#53
↑27Rita#51
↑26Marcia#44
↑23Charlotte#65
↑20Loren#66

Falling

↓34Russell#84
↓33Renee#70
↓32Cathy#98
↓26Allan#82
↓25Lois#89
↓22Ann#72
↓22Claudia#80
↓22Marsha#90

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1952 rankings.