State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1915 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,643 South Dakota births in 1915 across 401 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.

#64Reubenoutside the national top 200
#83Ioneoutside the national top 200
#89Eldonoutside the national top 200
#50Lyle#159 nationally
#100Erwinoutside the national top 200
#86Merle#186 nationally
#92Ervin#190 nationally
#68Shirley#162 nationally
#76Lydia#170 nationally
#60Otto#153 nationally
#69Fern#157 nationally
#77Elaine#155 nationally

Girls

#1Mary177US #1
#2Helen173US #2
#3Margaret146US #4
#4Dorothy142US #3
#5Ruth136US #5
#6Esther111US #33
#7Evelyn106US #10
#8Mildred102US #6
#9Alice101US #13
#10Irene87US #17
#11Hazel82US #26
#12Florence79US #14
#13Gladys77US #21
#14Lucille75US #29
#15Marie74US #11
#16Lillian70US #15
#17Viola66US #59
#18Edna64US #20
#19Frances62US #9
#20Agnes60US #45
#21Anna58US #7
#22Doris55US #34
#23Myrtle54US #58
#24Elsie49US #41
#25Marjorie48US #39
#26Martha46US #25
#27Elizabeth45US #8
#28Rose45US #16
#29Clara43US #38
#30Edith43US #31
#31Bernice42US #42
#32Virginia42US #12
#33Grace41US #27
#34Eleanor40US #28
#35Ethel40US #23
#36Marian40US #86
#37Alma39US #70
#38Emma39US #40
#39Leona39US #74
#40Lois37US #47
#41Thelma36US #30
#42Violet35US #82
#43Bertha33US #46
#44Maxine33US #98
#45Gertrude32US #35
#46Josephine32US #22
#47Louise32US #18
#48Pearl32US #56
#49Phyllis32US #100
#50Catherine30US #19
#51Ella30US #75
#52Vivian30US #78
#53Ida29US #54
#54Hilda28US #107
#55Kathryn28US #60
#56Ruby28US #24
#57Genevieve27US #76
#58Mabel27US #62
#59Vera27US #65
#60Wilma27US #80
#61Charlotte26US #81
#62Eva26US #55
#63Laura25US #61
#64Erma23US #139
#65June23US #96
#66Katherine23US #49
#67Marion22US #50
#68Shirley22US #162
#69Fern21US #157
#70Norma21US #118
#71Stella21US #64
#72Beatrice20US #37
#73Mae20US #89
#74Olive20US #123
#75Lorraine19US #141
#76Lydia19US #170
#77Elaine18US #155
#78Eunice18US #109
#79Jessie18US #66
#80Ann17US #43
#81Anne17US #52
#82Blanche17US #87
#83Ione17
#84Loretta17US #115
#85Velma17US #94
#86Verna17US #126
#87Dolores16US #147
#88Inez16US #101
#89Julia16US #44
#90Opal16US #90
#91Ellen15US #88
#92Geraldine15US #108
#93Nellie15US #63
#94Olga15US #130
#95Sarah15US #51
#96Sylvia15US #67
#97Harriet14US #112
#98Minnie14US #68
#99Pauline14US #32
#100Adeline13US #167

Boys

#1John185US #1
#2Robert180US #4
#3William125US #2
#4Donald114US #20
#5Harold112US #12
#6George109US #6
#7James96US #3
#8Charles84US #7
#9Arthur77US #18
#10Edward75US #8
#11Kenneth72US #28
#12Raymond72US #16
#13Clarence65US #24
#14Albert63US #17
#15Walter63US #11
#16Richard61US #15
#17Joseph58US #5
#18Elmer56US #45
#19Frank53US #9
#20Francis52US #29
#21Howard52US #25
#22Lawrence51US #37
#23Paul50US #13
#24Herbert49US #40
#25Melvin48US #60
#26Alfred47US #42
#27Henry47US #14
#28Leonard47US #44
#29Harry45US #19
#30Earl44US #33
#31Clifford43US #61
#32Leo43US #47
#33Alvin42US #81
#34Lloyd42US #62
#35Ernest39US #35
#36Louis39US #23
#37Ralph39US #21
#38Arnold37US #91
#39Bernard37US #48
#40Floyd37US #59
#41Marvin37US #72
#42Thomas37US #10
#43Edwin35US #53
#44Vernon35US #80
#45Roy33US #32
#46Carl32US #22
#47Eugene32US #41
#48Lester31US #57
#49Leroy30US #66
#50Lyle29US #159
#51Ray29US #67
#52Leslie28US #106
#53Fred27US #26
#54Maurice27US #101
#55Orville27US #127
#56Theodore27US #64
#57Virgil27US #108
#58Dale26US #125
#59David25US #31
#60Otto25US #153
#61Wayne24US #97
#62Glenn23US #87
#63Russell22US #51
#64Reuben21
#65Everett20US #89
#66Norman20US #50
#67Oscar20US #88
#68Willard20US #58
#69Martin19US #79
#70Emil18US #138
#71Stanley18US #34
#72Cecil17US #76
#73Chester17US #54
#74Gerald17US #78
#75Herman17US #56
#76Peter17US #49
#77Vincent17US #65
#78Glen16US #123
#79Roland16US #118
#80Wallace16US #126
#81Wilbur16US #92
#82Gordon15US #90
#83Harvey15US #95
#84Jack15US #27
#85Joe15US #38
#86Merle15US #186
#87Victor15US #74
#88Andrew14US #46
#89Eldon14
#90Gilbert14US #100
#91Homer14US #98
#92Ervin13US #190
#93Jacob13US #121
#94Milton13US #73
#95Archie12US #151
#96Warren12US #105
#97Anthony11US #36
#98Clayton11US #165
#99Edgar11US #85
#100Erwin11

On the move since 1914

Rising

↑48Virginia#32
↑31Charlotte#61
↑29Leslie#52
↑26Catherine#50
↑26Stella#71
↑25Rose#28
↑25Wayne#61
↑23Phyllis#49

Falling

↓41Nellie#93
↓38Olga#94
↓36Ellen#91
↓34Sylvia#96
↓33Mabel#58
↓32Ann#80
↓26Opal#90
↓24Gertrude#45

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1914 rankings.