State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1928 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 11,314 South Dakota births in 1928 across 425 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.

#15Darlene#176 nationally
#43Mavisoutside the national top 200
#48Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#59Fernoutside the national top 200
#65Darrelloutside the national top 200
#20Lyle#155 nationally
#51Merle#186 nationally
#69Luellaoutside the national top 200
#74Adelineoutside the national top 200
#82Delorisoutside the national top 200
#79Lila#195 nationally
#86Laverneoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Betty236US #2
#2Mary224US #1
#3Dorothy185US #3
#4Phyllis125US #26
#5Lois119US #18
#6Doris112US #7
#7Donna111US #61
#8Shirley106US #10
#9Helen101US #4
#10Beverly97US #46
#11Ruth90US #6
#12Margaret83US #5
#13Joyce82US #30
#14Patricia76US #11
#15Darlene72US #176
#16Norma72US #23
#17Alice70US #19
#18Virginia70US #9
#19Mildred69US #15
#20Delores67US #94
#21Jean66US #12
#22Marjorie66US #29
#23Lorraine63US #39
#24Gladys61US #41
#25Irene61US #28
#26Evelyn57US #17
#27Dolores55US #20
#28Lucille53US #51
#29Bernice49US #53
#30Ramona47US #117
#31Carol46US #77
#32Elizabeth46US #14
#33Esther46US #66
#34Violet46US #113
#35Frances45US #13
#36Viola44US #103
#37Maxine43US #84
#38Arlene40US #106
#39Barbara40US #8
#40Elaine39US #68
#41Gloria37US #25
#42Marilyn37US #38
#43Mavis37
#44Edna36US #45
#45Leona36US #122
#46Hazel35US #59
#47Rose35US #24
#48Lavonne34
#49Marian34US #71
#50Bonnie33US #89
#51Florence33US #32
#52Joan33US #27
#53June32US #44
#54Vivian32US #78
#55Agnes30US #85
#56Geraldine30US #50
#57Audrey29US #60
#58Martha29US #22
#59Fern28
#60Grace28US #52
#61Eunice26US #138
#62Anna24US #16
#63Wilma24US #69
#64Marie23US #21
#65Edith22US #56
#66Lillian22US #35
#67Eleanor21US #36
#68Ella21US #100
#69Luella21
#70Ruby21US #34
#71Sylvia21US #119
#72Marcella19US #174
#73Velma19US #114
#74Adeline17
#75Alma17US #107
#76Clara17US #65
#77Jeanne17US #90
#78Kathleen17US #82
#79Lila17US #195
#80Marion17US #47
#81Verna17US #152
#82Deloris16
#83Ellen16US #98
#84Eva16US #79
#85Joy16US #188
#86Louise16US #31
#87Muriel16US #139
#88Thelma16US #40
#89Bertha15US #81
#90Catherine15US #33
#91Elsie15US #73
#92Kathryn15US #99
#93Loretta15US #123
#94Marlys15
#95Pauline15US #48
#96Rita15US #57
#97Vera15US #92
#98Bette14
#99Gertrude14US #86
#100Harriet14US #133

Boys

#1Robert346US #1
#2Donald320US #7
#3John192US #2
#4James185US #3
#5Richard169US #6
#6William154US #4
#7Charles108US #5
#8Kenneth102US #17
#9Harold98US #14
#10George95US #8
#11Raymond87US #16
#12Eugene82US #20
#13Dale80US #75
#14Marvin72US #46
#15Gerald66US #41
#16Walter63US #18
#17Wayne59US #69
#18Lloyd58US #59
#19Lawrence56US #38
#20Lyle54US #155
#21Norman54US #39
#22Paul54US #13
#23Edward53US #10
#24Herbert53US #25
#25Francis50US #40
#26Howard50US #31
#27Leroy50US #51
#28Duane49US #141
#29Leonard48US #42
#30Thomas48US #11
#31Arthur47US #22
#32Gene47US #62
#33Leo46US #61
#34Alvin45US #72
#35Clarence44US #35
#36Earl44US #37
#37Ronald43US #50
#38Arnold42US #98
#39Elmer41US #63
#40Albert40US #23
#41David40US #19
#42Henry40US #21
#43Joseph40US #9
#44Melvin40US #48
#45Ralph40US #24
#46Roy40US #34
#47Clifford38US #68
#48Stanley36US #45
#49Jack34US #15
#50Louis33US #32
#51Merle33US #186
#52Dean32US #136
#53Frank32US #12
#54Harry32US #26
#55Bernard31US #49
#56Don31US #84
#57Keith31US #139
#58Vernon31US #70
#59Floyd30US #54
#60Gordon29US #77
#61Roger29US #71
#62Fred27US #36
#63Alfred26US #33
#64Bob26US #95
#65Darrell26
#66Delbert26US #154
#67Glenn26US #76
#68Lester25US #89
#69Curtis24US #101
#70Edwin24US #58
#71Joe24US #30
#72Milton24US #92
#73Ernest23US #43
#74Jerome23US #110
#75Wallace23US #104
#76Wesley23US #143
#77Douglas22US #102
#78Glen22US #115
#79Harvey22US #90
#80Russell22US #55
#81Virgil22US #126
#82Wilbur22US #127
#83Willard22US #113
#84Bill21US #64
#85Carl21US #28
#86Laverne21
#87Roland20US #107
#88Lowell19US #188
#89Calvin18US #94
#90Ervin18
#91Maynard16
#92Ray16US #57
#93Victor16US #99
#94Vincent16US #82
#95Allen15US #93
#96Bruce15US #112
#97Dennis15US #159
#98Leland15US #181
#99Leslie15US #128
#100Orville15US #178

On the move since 1927

Rising

↑38Bernice#29
↑37Ronald#37
↑32Wilma#63
↑29Leona#45
↑28Gloria#41
↑28Ella#68
↑26David#41
↑26Darrell#65

Falling

↓53Vera#97
↓49Calvin#89
↓44Carl#85
↓33Louise#86
↓33Glen#78
↓30Elsie#91
↓27Orville#100
↓26Melvin#44

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1927 rankings.