State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1926 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 11,761 South Dakota births in 1926 across 443 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.

#32Darleneoutside the national top 200
#45Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#54Mavisoutside the national top 200
#60Darrelloutside the national top 200
#43Merle#180 nationally
#16Delores#145 nationally
#26Lyle#152 nationally
#77Luellaoutside the national top 200
#72Lowell#195 nationally
#80Fernoutside the national top 200
#40Duane#160 nationally
#81Laverneoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Dorothy236US #2
#2Mary227US #1
#3Betty195US #3
#4Helen134US #4
#5Doris126US #7
#6Ruth121US #6
#7Lois119US #19
#8Margaret116US #5
#9Phyllis113US #33
#10Shirley107US #14
#11Evelyn97US #13
#12Marjorie89US #22
#13Joyce85US #44
#14Donna77US #90
#15Irene72US #21
#16Delores71US #145
#17Lorraine71US #53
#18Virginia71US #8
#19Alice68US #17
#20Jean64US #12
#21Mildred63US #9
#22Patricia60US #23
#23Esther59US #62
#24Arlene58US #108
#25Gladys58US #35
#26Lucille55US #43
#27Norma55US #29
#28Beverly54US #74
#29Frances51US #10
#30Viola50US #97
#31Maxine47US #85
#32Darlene46
#33Elaine46US #68
#34Elizabeth46US #11
#35Lillian46US #28
#36Rose46US #25
#37Dolores45US #49
#38Bernice43US #45
#39Ruby42US #30
#40Marie41US #18
#41Leona40US #112
#42Violet40US #94
#43Anna39US #15
#44Florence39US #26
#45Lavonne39
#46Marilyn39US #65
#47June38US #40
#48Martha36US #24
#49Grace35US #46
#50Eleanor34US #32
#51Marian34US #70
#52Pearl34US #96
#53Hazel33US #48
#54Mavis33
#55Vivian33US #80
#56Elsie32US #69
#57Geraldine31US #54
#58Agnes30US #77
#59Audrey30US #60
#60Bonnie30US #105
#61Gloria29US #20
#62Barbara28US #16
#63Ethel28US #41
#64Edna27US #38
#65Carol26US #113
#66Wilma26US #67
#67Alma25US #91
#68Charlotte25US #78
#69Thelma25US #36
#70Eileen24US #92
#71Joan24US #51
#72Louise24US #27
#73Marcella24US #177
#74Verna24US #152
#75Ella23US #98
#76Eunice23US #134
#77Luella22
#78Clara21US #61
#79Ellen21US #100
#80Fern21
#81Pauline21US #39
#82Bette20US #166
#83Edith20US #42
#84Emma20US #59
#85Janice20US #159
#86Catherine19US #31
#87Kathleen19US #83
#88Vera19US #84
#89Avis18
#90Deloris18
#91Gertrude18US #71
#92Harriet18US #133
#93Jeanne18US #88
#94Mabel18US #127
#95Marion18US #47
#96Myrtle18US #101
#97Rita18US #50
#98Loretta17US #126
#99Velma17US #124
#100Wanda17US #66

Boys

#1Robert397US #1
#2Donald259US #9
#3John205US #2
#4William184US #4
#5James160US #3
#6Richard138US #7
#7Kenneth130US #18
#8Harold120US #14
#9Charles104US #5
#10George95US #6
#11Eugene76US #23
#12Raymond75US #15
#13Dale72US #84
#14Edward70US #10
#15Marvin70US #50
#16Arthur63US #20
#17Thomas63US #11
#18Lloyd61US #60
#19Leonard59US #38
#20Gerald58US #41
#21Joseph58US #8
#22Wayne56US #68
#23Paul55US #13
#24Melvin52US #47
#25Jack51US #16
#26Lyle51US #152
#27Clarence50US #29
#28Clifford49US #62
#29Earl49US #32
#30Howard48US #27
#31Elmer47US #61
#32Walter47US #17
#33Vernon46US #66
#34Alvin43US #72
#35Floyd43US #53
#36Leroy43US #51
#37Norman42US #39
#38Lawrence41US #36
#39Leo41US #54
#40Duane40US #160
#41Francis40US #35
#42Frank40US #12
#43Merle40US #180
#44Calvin38US #65
#45Edwin37US #55
#46Gordon37US #76
#47Albert36US #21
#48Roy36US #34
#49Arnold35US #99
#50Bernard35US #49
#51Dean34US #139
#52Ralph34US #24
#53Henry33US #19
#54Glen32US #121
#55Glenn32US #75
#56Russell32US #52
#57Harry29US #25
#58Virgil29US #118
#59Carl28US #26
#60Darrell28
#61David28US #22
#62Lester28US #78
#63Orville27US #164
#64Stanley27US #43
#65Warren27US #71
#66Harvey26US #90
#67Maurice25US #110
#68Wallace25US #95
#69Gene24US #91
#70Keith24US #148
#71Louis24US #30
#72Lowell24US #195
#73Delbert23US #163
#74Herbert23US #44
#75Martin23US #80
#76Roger23US #89
#77Clinton22US #171
#78Milton22US #83
#79Ernest21US #37
#80Ervin21US #187
#81Laverne20
#82Leslie20US #126
#83Wesley20US #132
#84Clayton19US #161
#85Roland19US #107
#86Fred18US #31
#87Ray18US #57
#88Willard18US #100
#89Alfred17US #45
#90Harlan17
#91Morris17US #134
#92Ronald17US #88
#93Bob16US #102
#94Daniel16US #46
#95Joe16US #33
#96Cecil15US #86
#97Douglas15US #103
#98Gilbert15US #101
#99Jerome15US #114
#100Norbert15

On the move since 1925

Rising

↑33Alma#67
↑29Bernice#38
↑29Lavonne#45
↑27Rose#36
↑27Audrey#59
↑26Edwin#45
↑24Thelma#69
↑23Pearl#52

Falling

↓32Gertrude#91
↓30Marion#95
↓28Edna#64
↓28Wanda#100
↓26Kathleen#87
↓26Ray#87
↓24Fern#80
↓24Mabel#94

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1925 rankings.