State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1921 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 13,215 South Dakota births in 1921 across 472 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.

#59Deloresoutside the national top 200
#82Mavisoutside the national top 200
#86Luellaoutside the national top 200
#86Duaneoutside the national top 200
#59Merle#173 nationally
#50Marcella#159 nationally
#90Lowell#199 nationally
#94Delorisoutside the national top 200
#96Harleyoutside the national top 200
#68Ervin#172 nationally
#70Fern#174 nationally
#47Lyle#150 nationally

Girls

#1Dorothy276US #2
#2Mary273US #1
#3Helen204US #3
#4Ruth163US #5
#5Margaret152US #4
#6Doris130US #13
#7Evelyn124US #12
#8Irene123US #18
#9Mildred123US #7
#10Betty112US #8
#11Marjorie110US #16
#12Alice94US #15
#13Florence94US #17
#14Gladys86US #24
#15Esther84US #42
#16Phyllis83US #60
#17Lorraine82US #61
#18Lucille79US #31
#19Lois78US #38
#20Virginia75US #6
#21Frances72US #9
#22Marie71US #14
#23Maxine71US #77
#24Viola63US #66
#25Edna62US #27
#26Lillian60US #19
#27Anna58US #11
#28Eileen56US #100
#29Elizabeth55US #10
#30Hazel55US #34
#31Bernice54US #39
#32Shirley53US #44
#33Elsie52US #55
#34Leona52US #92
#35Ruby50US #26
#36Violet50US #81
#37Norma49US #51
#38Rose46US #20
#39Grace45US #35
#40Elaine44US #97
#41Jean44US #25
#42Vera44US #76
#43Martha43US #21
#44Vivian42US #68
#45Marian40US #69
#46Eleanor39US #29
#47Agnes38US #56
#48Arlene38US #138
#49Gertrude38US #46
#50Marcella38US #159
#51Pearl38US #65
#52Geraldine37US #62
#53Alma36US #78
#54Thelma36US #30
#55Edith35US #33
#56Ethel35US #32
#57Wilma35US #72
#58June34US #50
#59Delores33
#60Genevieve32US #90
#61Louise32US #22
#62Myrtle32US #73
#63Bertha31US #59
#64Charlotte31US #79
#65Clara31US #45
#66Emma31US #52
#67Joyce31US #137
#68Carol30US #166
#69Velma30US #108
#70Fern29US #174
#71Josephine29US #28
#72Patricia29US #84
#73Dolores28US #111
#74Marion28US #43
#75Adeline27US #177
#76Audrey27US #82
#77Barbara27US #40
#78Catherine27US #23
#79Eva27US #63
#80Verna27US #141
#81Ellen26US #95
#82Mavis25
#83Opal25US #103
#84Inez24US #127
#85Laura24US #71
#86Luella24
#87Jeanne23US #109
#88Rita23US #48
#89Harriet22US #114
#90Mabel22US #85
#91Olive22US #154
#92Sylvia22US #88
#93Beverly21US #186
#94Deloris21
#95Eunice21US #120
#96Ida21US #67
#97Kathleen21US #83
#98Kathryn21US #64
#99Loretta21US #122
#100Beulah20US #116

Boys

#1Robert378US #2
#2John263US #1
#3Donald218US #13
#4William189US #3
#5James168US #4
#6Charles151US #5
#7Harold139US #12
#8George134US #6
#9Kenneth128US #22
#10Edward99US #8
#11Richard97US #10
#12Raymond96US #16
#13Arthur86US #19
#14Francis82US #35
#15Eugene80US #26
#16Howard72US #27
#17Lloyd70US #58
#18Warren70US #24
#19Walter69US #15
#20Leonard67US #39
#21Alvin65US #73
#22Elmer65US #48
#23Albert62US #20
#24Clarence60US #28
#25Joseph59US #7
#26Ralph59US #23
#27Dale58US #93
#28Marvin58US #59
#29Lawrence56US #37
#30Leo55US #50
#31Frank52US #9
#32Herbert52US #42
#33Roy52US #32
#34Jack51US #18
#35Glenn48US #80
#36Gordon48US #84
#37Clifford47US #62
#38Earl47US #31
#39Henry47US #17
#40Vernon47US #68
#41Wayne47US #81
#42Bernard45US #45
#43Edwin45US #54
#44Harry45US #21
#45Melvin45US #53
#46Floyd43US #63
#47Lyle43US #150
#48Arnold42US #91
#49Ernest42US #38
#50Lester42US #66
#51Thomas41US #11
#52Gerald39US #60
#53Virgil37US #98
#54Norman36US #46
#55Stanley34US #41
#56Carl33US #30
#57Glen33US #119
#58Leroy33US #55
#59Merle33US #173
#60Paul33US #14
#61Alfred31US #43
#62Ray31US #67
#63David30US #25
#64Russell29US #52
#65Fred28US #33
#66Maurice28US #101
#67Theodore28US #65
#68Ervin27US #172
#69Keith27US #153
#70Orville26US #137
#71Delbert25US #156
#72Milton25US #75
#73Dean24US #168
#74Harvey24US #87
#75Martin23US #78
#76Roger23US #99
#77Allen22US #94
#78Cecil22US #79
#79Clayton21US #158
#80Oscar21US #92
#81Roland20US #107
#82Wilbur20US #100
#83Leslie19US #106
#84Louis19US #29
#85Philip19US #72
#86Duane18
#87Joe18US #36
#88Max18US #112
#89Don17US #136
#90Lowell17US #199
#91Peter17US #57
#92Willard17US #89
#93Chester16US #56
#94Wesley16US #127
#95Douglas15US #111
#96Harley15
#97Jacob15US #143
#98Lewis15US #71
#99Vern15
#100Wallace15US #88

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑33Ray#62
↑29Glen#57
↑28Eileen#28
↑28Keith#69
↑25Delores#59
↑23Herbert#32
↑23Glenn#35
↑23Ervin#68

Falling

↓43Mabel#90
↓38Ida#96
↓36Kathryn#98
↓35Paul#60
↓25Louis#84
↓22Harriet#89
↓22Melvin#45
↓22Vern#99

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.