State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1920 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 13,020 South Dakota births in 1920 across 466 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.

#77Vernoutside the national top 200
#49Fern#170 nationally
#81Duaneoutside the national top 200
#84Deloresoutside the national top 200
#90Luellaoutside the national top 200
#88Lowell#198 nationally
#74Carol#182 nationally
#98Laverneoutside the national top 200
#69Merle#171 nationally
#51Lyle#151 nationally
#71Marcella#161 nationally
#100Lydia#185 nationally

Girls

#1Dorothy282US #2
#2Mary229US #1
#3Helen218US #3
#4Margaret181US #4
#5Ruth177US #5
#6Evelyn141US #12
#7Doris126US #14
#8Irene116US #17
#9Mildred110US #6
#10Frances93US #9
#11Esther92US #39
#12Marie87US #13
#13Alice85US #15
#14Florence85US #16
#15Gladys84US #22
#16Marjorie83US #24
#17Lucille82US #29
#18Betty77US #11
#19Virginia77US #7
#20Lorraine76US #70
#21Viola73US #59
#22Hazel70US #34
#23Maxine70US #81
#24Phyllis69US #72
#25Lois66US #38
#26Elizabeth64US #8
#27Lillian61US #18
#28Bernice58US #40
#29Edna58US #27
#30Violet58US #77
#31Grace57US #37
#32Shirley53US #56
#33Ruby50US #26
#34Thelma50US #31
#35Leona49US #89
#36Vivian49US #64
#37Agnes47US #54
#38Anna47US #10
#39Elsie47US #51
#40June46US #53
#41Marian44US #73
#42Ethel43US #30
#43Vera43US #75
#44Edith42US #32
#45Gertrude42US #42
#46Jean42US #33
#47Mabel42US #83
#48Elaine41US #107
#49Fern41US #170
#50Eleanor40US #25
#51Myrtle40US #68
#52Clara39US #44
#53Emma39US #46
#54Wilma38US #78
#55Norma37US #69
#56Eileen36US #100
#57Pearl36US #62
#58Ida35US #66
#59Rose34US #20
#60Alma33US #80
#61Martha33US #23
#62Kathryn32US #67
#63Louise31US #19
#64Ellen30US #92
#65Geraldine30US #60
#66Arlene29US #145
#67Harriet29US #112
#68Blanche27US #102
#69Genevieve26US #86
#70Inez26US #122
#71Marcella26US #161
#72Sylvia26US #85
#73Verna26US #135
#74Carol25US #182
#75Eunice25US #115
#76Joyce25US #153
#77Ann24US #49
#78Dolores24US #110
#79Eva24US #58
#80Laura24US #63
#81Marion24US #43
#82Barbara23US #47
#83Bertha23US #57
#84Delores23
#85Ella23US #88
#86Josephine23US #28
#87Lola23US #147
#88Loretta23US #120
#89Opal23US #101
#90Luella22
#91Velma22US #105
#92Hilda21US #125
#93Muriel21US #123
#94Pauline21US #36
#95Katherine20US #45
#96Nellie20US #76
#97Caroline19US #159
#98Jeanette19US #126
#99Julia19US #55
#100Lydia19US #185

Boys

#1Robert358US #3
#2John223US #1
#3Donald200US #16
#4William177US #2
#5Harold155US #12
#6James146US #4
#7Raymond130US #15
#8Kenneth125US #23
#9George122US #6
#10Charles114US #5
#11Walter94US #13
#12Richard91US #10
#13Arthur86US #18
#14Edward86US #8
#15Leonard80US #38
#16Howard72US #24
#17Earl71US #31
#18Lloyd70US #58
#19Clarence67US #26
#20Albert61US #19
#21Elmer60US #45
#22Joseph60US #7
#23Melvin59US #54
#24Clifford58US #59
#25Paul58US #14
#26Henry57US #17
#27Marvin57US #62
#28Ralph57US #22
#29Francis56US #34
#30Frank56US #9
#31Eugene54US #30
#32Lawrence54US #36
#33Leo53US #48
#34Roy50US #32
#35Vernon50US #65
#36Wayne49US #86
#37Dale48US #105
#38Harry48US #21
#39Warren48US #39
#40Norman47US #47
#41Thomas47US #11
#42Arnold45US #91
#43Alvin44US #76
#44Carl44US #27
#45Edwin43US #53
#46Russell42US #51
#47Ernest41US #37
#48Floyd40US #61
#49Jack40US #20
#50Bernard37US #46
#51Lyle37US #151
#52Lester35US #69
#53Gerald33US #64
#54Harvey33US #87
#55Herbert33US #41
#56Milton33US #74
#57Gordon32US #85
#58Glenn31US #80
#59Louis31US #28
#60Andrew30US #49
#61Theodore30US #63
#62Leroy29US #56
#63Alfred28US #42
#64Orville28US #134
#65David27US #25
#66Fred27US #33
#67Stanley27US #40
#68Leslie26US #110
#69Merle26US #171
#70Allen25US #94
#71Virgil25US #101
#72Willard25US #88
#73Herman24US #66
#74Joe24US #35
#75Clayton23US #153
#76Oscar23US #90
#77Vern23
#78Delbert22US #150
#79Max22US #112
#80Vincent22US #73
#81Duane21
#82Martin21US #78
#83Maurice21US #102
#84Peter21US #57
#85Everett20US #95
#86Glen20US #122
#87Leon20US #75
#88Lowell20US #198
#89Wallace20US #93
#90Wilbur20US #98
#91Ervin19US #163
#92Clyde18US #68
#93Emil18US #167
#94Marion18US #109
#95Ray18US #67
#96Victor18US #81
#97Keith16US #175
#98Laverne16
#99Wesley16US #129
#100Gilbert15US #97

On the move since 1919

Rising

↑44Shirley#32
↑22Ida#58
↑21Roy#34
↑20Betty#18
↑20Ruby#33
↑20Elaine#48
↑19Myrtle#51
↑18Lawrence#32

Falling

↓33Ella#85
↓29Bertha#83
↓23Pauline#94
↓22Eleanor#50
↓22Alvin#43
↓20Eva#79
↓20Edwin#45
↓20Everett#85

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1919 rankings.