State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1912 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 4,602 South Dakota births in 1912 across 262 distinct names.

Distinctively South Dakota

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

#65Selmaoutside the national top 200
#67Alvinaoutside the national top 200
#46Fern#167 nationally
#60Lyle#181 nationally
#85Luella#200 nationally
#87Markoutside the national top 200
#46Dale#159 nationally
#88Merleoutside the national top 200
#41Lydia#152 nationally
#86Marcella#197 nationally
#91Eileenoutside the national top 200
#92Friedaoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary108US #1
#2Helen93US #2
#3Dorothy82US #3
#4Margaret79US #4
#5Ruth79US #5
#6Mildred73US #6
#7Alice55US #11
#8Marie55US #10
#9Gladys52US #19
#10Florence51US #12
#11Esther48US #33
#12Frances47US #9
#13Evelyn46US #13
#14Hazel40US #25
#15Lillian40US #14
#16Mabel40US #46
#17Elsie37US #42
#18Irene37US #22
#19Myrtle37US #50
#20Viola37US #52
#21Elizabeth35US #8
#22Clara34US #34
#23Edna33US #16
#24Grace32US #24
#25Ethel31US #18
#26Agnes30US #40
#27Lucille30US #32
#28Thelma30US #26
#29Anna27US #7
#30Ruby27US #23
#31Emma26US #35
#32Marjorie26US #56
#33Bernice25US #51
#34Ida25US #45
#35Martha25US #29
#36Gertrude24US #30
#37Violet24US #83
#38Bertha22US #36
#39Doris22US #48
#40Alma21US #62
#41Lydia21US #152
#42Marian21US #93
#43Rose21US #15
#44Catherine20US #21
#45Lois20US #63
#46Fern19US #167
#47Laura19US #57
#48Louise19US #17
#49Vivian19US #84
#50Ann17US #47
#51Eleanor16US #39
#52Ella16US #69
#53Hilda16US #104
#54Charlotte15US #91
#55Ellen15US #86
#56Leona15US #76
#57Pearl15US #54
#58Sylvia15US #77
#59Edith14US #31
#60Loretta14US #119
#61Pauline14US #38
#62Virginia14US #20
#63Eva13US #49
#64Kathryn13US #71
#65Selma13
#66Ada12US #96
#67Alvina12
#68Beulah12US #80
#69Harriet12US #113
#70Inez12US #100
#71Marguerite12US #79
#72Vera12US #68
#73Minnie11US #60
#74Nellie11US #59
#75Opal11US #85
#76Beatrice10US #37
#77Blanche10US #75
#78Genevieve10US #92
#79Josephine10US #28
#80Julia10US #44
#81Lorraine10US #176
#82Velma10US #88
#83Verna10US #126
#84Lena9US #72
#85Luella9US #200
#86Marcella9US #197
#87Muriel9US #156
#88Olga9US #154
#89Olive9US #131
#90Christine8US #123
#91Eileen8
#92Frieda8
#93Jessie8US #65
#94Maxine8US #134
#95Wilma8US #99
#96Adeline7US #172
#97Alta7
#98Betty7US #66
#99Cecelia7US #191
#100Elaine7

Boys

#1John98US #1
#2William69US #2
#3Robert59US #4
#4Harold52US #13
#5Charles50US #7
#6George49US #6
#7Clarence44US #21
#8James40US #3
#9Kenneth40US #33
#10Henry39US #12
#11Donald36US #27
#12Albert33US #17
#13Ralph33US #23
#14Raymond33US #18
#15Walter32US #11
#16Harry31US #16
#17Melvin31US #71
#18Frank29US #9
#19Arthur28US #15
#20Edward28US #8
#21Paul28US #14
#22Joseph27US #5
#23Edwin26US #54
#24Leonard26US #45
#25Howard25US #25
#26Carl24US #24
#27Lawrence24US #38
#28Richard23US #19
#29Alfred22US #40
#30Clifford22US #62
#31Alvin21US #86
#32Earl21US #34
#33Lloyd21US #70
#34Floyd19US #59
#35Francis19US #35
#36Herbert18US #39
#37Louis17US #20
#38Elmer16US #47
#39Ernest16US #32
#40Fred16US #26
#41Oscar15US #73
#42Vernon15US #90
#43Arnold14US #99
#44Glenn14US #84
#45Roy14US #31
#46Dale13US #159
#47Lester13US #58
#48Martin13US #75
#49Peter13US #48
#50Theodore13US #52
#51Emil12US #146
#52Glen12US #139
#53Herman12US #50
#54Leo12US #49
#55Milton12US #64
#56Thomas12US #10
#57Vincent12US #72
#58Eugene11US #41
#59Joe11US #36
#60Lyle11US #181
#61Marvin11US #83
#62Oliver11US #117
#63Bernard10US #60
#64David10US #29
#65Leslie10US #108
#66Gordon9US #93
#67Jack9US #28
#68Lee9US #78
#69Norman9US #61
#70Wayne9US #118
#71Andrew8US #44
#72Lewis8US #68
#73Stanley8US #43
#74Cecil7US #76
#75Clyde7US #65
#76Everett7US #96
#77Harvey7US #91
#78Leon7US #79
#79Maurice7US #95
#80Michael7US #42
#81Otto7US #150
#82Victor7US #81
#83Benjamin6US #67
#84Chester6US #55
#85Delbert6US #180
#86Forrest6US #187
#87Mark6
#88Merle6
#89Rudolph6US #141
#90Willard6US #105
#91Daniel5US #53
#92Don5US #177
#93Edgar5US #85
#94Edmund5US #143
#95Elwood5
#96Franklin5US #129
#97Gerald5US #87
#98Guy5US #140
#99Jacob5US #110
#100Jerome5US #133

On the move since 1911

Rising

↑48Elizabeth#21
↑44Eleanor#51
↑39Melvin#17
↑37Marian#42
↑31Elsie#17
↑31Catherine#44
↑24Selma#65
↑20Henry#10

Falling

↓46Stanley#73
↓34Blanche#77
↓34Harvey#77
↓33Gerald#97
↓30Willard#90
↓28Wilma#95
↓28Thomas#56
↓27Eva#63

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1911 rankings.