State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1918 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 12,261 South Dakota births in 1918 across 476 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.

#81Luellaoutside the national top 200
#55Arlene#165 nationally
#91Adolphoutside the national top 200
#64Merle#170 nationally
#92Carol#196 nationally
#66Adeline#169 nationally
#68Joyce#170 nationally
#99Alvinaoutside the national top 200
#49Lyle#145 nationally
#71Fern#164 nationally
#77Delbert#164 nationally
#90Ivan#177 nationally

Girls

#1Mary229US #1
#2Helen207US #2
#3Dorothy189US #3
#4Ruth165US #5
#5Evelyn149US #11
#6Margaret147US #4
#7Mildred130US #6
#8Irene114US #16
#9Alice103US #13
#10Florence101US #14
#11Marie99US #12
#12Frances97US #8
#13Gladys97US #22
#14Lucille93US #29
#15Edna91US #23
#16Marjorie85US #34
#17Esther82US #38
#18Doris74US #19
#19Hazel73US #33
#20Lorraine67US #69
#21Viola64US #59
#22Lois62US #42
#23Agnes60US #47
#24Gertrude59US #39
#25Anna58US #10
#26Maxine58US #87
#27Bernice57US #41
#28Virginia56US #7
#29Violet55US #83
#30Elsie54US #49
#31Lillian54US #15
#32Elizabeth53US #9
#33Martha51US #25
#34Phyllis50US #80
#35Rose49US #17
#36Ethel47US #28
#37Grace47US #31
#38Marian45US #76
#39Pearl45US #56
#40Betty44US #21
#41Ruby42US #27
#42Thelma42US #32
#43Edith41US #30
#44Louise39US #18
#45Vivian39US #72
#46Leona38US #79
#47Clara37US #43
#48Eileen37US #110
#49Shirley37US #97
#50Bertha36US #51
#51Genevieve36US #81
#52Wilma36US #82
#53Alma35US #73
#54Ella35US #84
#55Arlene34US #165
#56Myrtle34US #62
#57Ellen33US #92
#58Mabel33US #74
#59Eleanor32US #26
#60Emma32US #46
#61Norma32US #98
#62Vera31US #68
#63Geraldine30US #77
#64Eva29US #55
#65Laura29US #64
#66Adeline28US #169
#67Harriet28US #106
#68Joyce28US #170
#69Marion27US #45
#70Barbara26US #60
#71Fern26US #164
#72Jean26US #37
#73Josephine26US #24
#74Opal26US #94
#75Charlotte25US #78
#76Ida25US #57
#77June25US #66
#78Inez24US #115
#79Kathryn24US #63
#80Katherine22US #50
#81Luella22
#82Elaine21US #152
#83Eunice21US #111
#84Velma21US #103
#85Stella20US #67
#86Ann19US #44
#87Bessie19US #61
#88Beulah19US #104
#89Dolores19US #127
#90Olive19US #143
#91Blanche18US #96
#92Carol18US #196
#93Erma18US #153
#94Hilda18US #114
#95Irma18US #166
#96Julia18US #48
#97Minnie18US #88
#98Sylvia18US #71
#99Alvina17
#100Catherine17US #20

Boys

#1Robert250US #4
#2John235US #1
#3William170US #2
#4Harold151US #13
#5Donald148US #18
#6George148US #6
#7James115US #3
#8Charles113US #5
#9Edward106US #8
#10Raymond103US #15
#11Kenneth92US #27
#12Elmer78US #44
#13Clarence77US #23
#14Richard77US #12
#15Arthur73US #17
#16Henry72US #16
#17Walter72US #11
#18Ralph70US #22
#19Harry69US #20
#20Leonard67US #41
#21Melvin67US #56
#22Frank65US #9
#23Lloyd65US #51
#24Joseph63US #7
#25Clifford59US #60
#26Albert58US #19
#27Francis57US #30
#28Lawrence57US #38
#29Earl56US #31
#30Howard56US #26
#31Marvin52US #68
#32Carl51US #25
#33Eugene50US #35
#34Paul50US #14
#35Vernon49US #66
#36Roy48US #32
#37Bernard45US #47
#38Floyd45US #61
#39Leo45US #48
#40Lester44US #62
#41Wayne43US #91
#42Fred42US #33
#43Thomas42US #10
#44Harvey41US #88
#45Alvin40US #80
#46Dale40US #111
#47Herbert40US #40
#48Jack39US #21
#49Lyle38US #145
#50Arnold37US #92
#51Louis37US #24
#52Gordon36US #85
#53Edwin35US #55
#54Orville33US #134
#55Russell33US #50
#56Ernest32US #37
#57Norman32US #49
#58Stanley30US #36
#59Everett29US #93
#60Leroy29US #57
#61Virgil29US #99
#62Leslie28US #102
#63Glenn27US #84
#64Merle27US #170
#65Alfred26US #42
#66Allen26US #98
#67Gerald25US #72
#68Theodore25US #64
#69Chester23US #54
#70Herman23US #65
#71Martin23US #81
#72Emil22US #154
#73Leon22US #77
#74Victor22US #63
#75Oscar21US #87
#76Andrew20US #46
#77Delbert20US #164
#78Joe20US #34
#79Milton20US #76
#80David19US #28
#81Peter18US #53
#82Vincent18US #73
#83Wesley18US #137
#84Willard17US #83
#85Woodrow17US #58
#86Edgar16US #89
#87Cecil15US #82
#88Frederick15US #59
#89Glen15US #125
#90Ivan15US #177
#91Adolph14
#92Clyde14US #67
#93Maurice14US #103
#94Roland14US #121
#95Clayton13US #157
#96Ervin13US #168
#97Ray13US #69
#98Clinton12US #166
#99Curtis12US #123
#100Daniel12US #52

On the move since 1917

Rising

↑43Ella#54
↑41Arlene#55
↑35Harvey#44
↑34Lorraine#20
↑33Allen#66
↑31Shirley#49
↑28Louise#44
↑26Laura#65

Falling

↓47Catherine#100
↓42Ray#97
↓34Ann#86
↓31Kathryn#79
↓28Josephine#73
↓28Hilda#94
↓26Ida#76
↓25Milton#79

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1917 rankings.