State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1916 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,942 South Dakota births in 1916 across 438 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.

#80Alvinaoutside the national top 200
#82Joyceoutside the national top 200
#86Luellaoutside the national top 200
#88Friedaoutside the national top 200
#81Merle#191 nationally
#95Ernaoutside the national top 200
#48Lyle#153 nationally
#97Bertoutside the national top 200
#99Altaoutside the national top 200
#100Caroloutside the national top 200
#71Otto#170 nationally
#63Fern#152 nationally

Girls

#1Helen212US #2
#2Dorothy202US #3
#3Mary192US #1
#4Ruth170US #5
#5Margaret167US #4
#6Evelyn124US #11
#7Mildred121US #6
#8Alice100US #13
#9Gladys90US #22
#10Irene88US #17
#11Marie86US #12
#12Florence85US #14
#13Esther84US #34
#14Frances83US #9
#15Lucille82US #30
#16Hazel76US #31
#17Edna75US #19
#18Grace71US #26
#19Doris69US #32
#20Elizabeth67US #8
#21Anna64US #7
#22Martha62US #24
#23Clara59US #39
#24Lillian59US #16
#25Rose57US #15
#26Bernice55US #42
#27Elsie55US #48
#28Edith54US #28
#29Agnes52US #50
#30Marjorie51US #37
#31Vivian48US #77
#32Viola46US #59
#33Eleanor45US #27
#34Lois44US #43
#35Ruby43US #23
#36Vera43US #66
#37Catherine41US #20
#38Gertrude41US #35
#39Myrtle39US #58
#40Virginia39US #10
#41Alma38US #70
#42Leona37US #75
#43Mabel36US #65
#44Ethel35US #25
#45Marian35US #72
#46Phyllis35US #95
#47Thelma35US #29
#48Emma34US #41
#49Lorraine34US #128
#50Maxine34US #96
#51Wilma34US #82
#52Bertha33US #49
#53Ella33US #81
#54Violet33US #83
#55Genevieve32US #76
#56Ida31US #54
#57Ann30US #40
#58Ellen30US #87
#59Josephine30US #21
#60Kathryn29US #60
#61Eva28US #55
#62Pearl28US #57
#63Fern27US #152
#64June26US #86
#65Laura26US #64
#66Betty25US #44
#67Eileen25US #118
#68Verna25US #125
#69Katherine24US #51
#70Olive24US #132
#71Norma23US #111
#72Blanche22US #89
#73Louise22US #18
#74Charlotte21US #80
#75Harriet21US #106
#76Beulah20US #97
#77Loretta20US #113
#78Marion20US #47
#79Pauline20US #33
#80Alvina19
#81Inez19US #107
#82Joyce19
#83Opal19US #91
#84Arlene18US #172
#85Della18US #165
#86Luella18
#87Eunice17US #110
#88Frieda17
#89Mae17US #92
#90Marguerite17US #78
#91Nellie17US #61
#92Adeline16US #166
#93Caroline16US #144
#94Elaine16US #161
#95Erna16
#96Geraldine16US #94
#97Hilda16US #105
#98Minnie16US #71
#99Alta15
#100Carol15

Boys

#1Robert237US #4
#2John236US #1
#3William151US #2
#4James132US #3
#5Donald129US #20
#6Harold120US #13
#7George117US #7
#8Charles91US #6
#9Kenneth88US #27
#10Raymond84US #16
#11Richard81US #15
#12Edward77US #8
#13Clarence75US #24
#14Joseph74US #5
#15Walter73US #11
#16Arthur67US #18
#17Elmer66US #45
#18Albert63US #17
#19Ralph61US #21
#20Francis57US #31
#21Melvin57US #57
#22Earl55US #32
#23Lloyd55US #58
#24Ernest50US #36
#25Leonard50US #42
#26Clifford49US #61
#27Henry49US #14
#28Marvin49US #66
#29Frank48US #9
#30Howard47US #25
#31Paul47US #12
#32Herbert45US #40
#33Alvin43US #82
#34Harry43US #19
#35Leo43US #47
#36Lawrence42US #38
#37Arnold41US #89
#38Carl41US #23
#39Edwin41US #53
#40Roy39US #33
#41Vernon37US #75
#42Eugene36US #39
#43Fred36US #29
#44Lester36US #59
#45Norman36US #48
#46Thomas36US #10
#47Bernard34US #49
#48Lyle32US #153
#49Dale31US #121
#50Floyd31US #60
#51Oscar30US #86
#52Leroy29US #63
#53Russell28US #51
#54Gordon27US #90
#55Gerald26US #76
#56Jack26US #26
#57Maurice26US #100
#58Ray26US #73
#59Theodore26US #65
#60Martin25US #81
#61Orville25US #131
#62Wayne25US #98
#63Glen24US #122
#64Alfred23US #43
#65Chester23US #54
#66David23US #28
#67Glenn23US #84
#68Louis23US #22
#69Everett22US #91
#70Jacob22US #123
#71Otto22US #170
#72Virgil22US #104
#73Andrew20US #46
#74Harvey20US #92
#75Willard20US #69
#76Herman19US #56
#77Vincent19US #67
#78Emil17US #140
#79Victor17US #78
#80Leslie16US #112
#81Merle16US #191
#82Milton16US #72
#83Peter16US #50
#84Clyde15US #62
#85Joe15US #35
#86Philip15US #70
#87Roland15US #118
#88Wilbur15US #94
#89Allen14US #101
#90Lewis14US #71
#91Max14US #105
#92Stanley14US #34
#93Ervin13US #173
#94Wesley13US #135
#95Willis13US #136
#96Benjamin12US #79
#97Bert12
#98Clinton12US #180
#99Daniel12US #55
#100Don12US #160

On the move since 1915

Rising

↑33Ellen#58
↑28Gordon#54
↑28Jack#56
↑26Lorraine#49
↑23Vera#36
↑23Ann#57
↑23Jacob#70
↑22Harriet#75

Falling

↓43Hilda#97
↓38Alfred#64
↓32Louis#68
↓28Leslie#80
↓26Louise#73
↓21Stanley#92
↓17Elaine#94
↓16Myrtle#39

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1915 rankings.