State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1929 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 11,068 South Dakota births in 1929 across 428 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.

#50Mavisoutside the national top 200
#52Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#17Darlene#160 nationally
#61Marlysoutside the national top 200
#64Delorisoutside the national top 200
#70Fernoutside the national top 200
#59Merle#188 nationally
#77Luellaoutside the national top 200
#81Adelineoutside the national top 200
#82Betteoutside the national top 200
#78Darrell#194 nationally
#37Lyle#152 nationally

Girls

#1Mary232US #1
#2Betty229US #2
#3Dorothy173US #3
#4Shirley135US #9
#5Donna130US #47
#6Lois127US #17
#7Doris111US #6
#8Joyce110US #23
#9Phyllis105US #24
#10Ruth99US #8
#11Helen93US #4
#12Beverly91US #39
#13Patricia83US #10
#14Margaret81US #5
#15Alice80US #21
#16Delores76US #74
#17Darlene71US #160
#18Evelyn70US #19
#19Marjorie70US #30
#20Jean61US #12
#21Irene55US #29
#22Dolores54US #14
#23Gladys53US #44
#24Lorraine52US #42
#25Arlene50US #105
#26Bonnie50US #86
#27Maxine50US #85
#28Norma49US #25
#29Frances48US #16
#30Ramona48US #120
#31Virginia46US #11
#32Barbara44US #7
#33Elaine44US #67
#34Violet44US #111
#35Carol42US #63
#36Esther41US #71
#37Marie41US #22
#38Joan39US #13
#39Rose39US #26
#40Marian38US #75
#41Marilyn38US #33
#42Anna35US #20
#43Bernice35US #55
#44Lucille35US #57
#45Florence34US #35
#46Geraldine33US #43
#47Viola33US #109
#48Audrey32US #58
#49Mildred32US #18
#50Mavis30
#51Vivian29US #81
#52Lavonne26
#53Lillian26US #40
#54Charlotte25US #73
#55Eileen25US #98
#56Grace25US #54
#57Agnes24US #94
#58Clara24US #65
#59Elizabeth24US #15
#60Verna24US #156
#61Marlys23
#62June21US #48
#63Leona21US #122
#64Deloris20
#65Edith20US #59
#66Janice20US #136
#67Kathleen20US #89
#68Lila20US #180
#69Elsie19US #78
#70Fern19
#71Gloria19US #28
#72Hazel19US #64
#73Marion19US #53
#74Ruby19US #36
#75Wilma19US #66
#76Eleanor18US #38
#77Luella18
#78Marcella18US #189
#79Vera18US #99
#80Wanda18US #61
#81Adeline16
#82Bette16
#83Ethel16US #56
#84Eunice16US #145
#85Eva16US #83
#86Janet16US #82
#87Jeanette16US #131
#88Jeannine16US #172
#89Mabel16US #147
#90Velma16US #128
#91Jeanne15US #92
#92Sylvia15US #119
#93Thelma15US #41
#94Ann14US #46
#95Carolyn14US #77
#96Emma14US #69
#97Louise14US #31
#98Ardis13
#99Catherine13US #34
#100Ellen13US #97

Boys

#1Robert384US #1
#2Donald307US #7
#3Richard180US #6
#4John178US #3
#5James175US #2
#6William153US #4
#7Kenneth118US #18
#8Charles113US #5
#9Raymond93US #15
#10Harold92US #16
#11George85US #8
#12Marvin74US #46
#13Paul70US #13
#14Eugene67US #20
#15Edward63US #10
#16Dale61US #73
#17Thomas58US #11
#18Wayne58US #69
#19Melvin56US #49
#20Walter55US #19
#21Francis54US #39
#22Ronald51US #45
#23Duane50US #137
#24Norman50US #40
#25Arthur49US #22
#26Alvin47US #77
#27Herbert47US #25
#28Howard47US #31
#29Joseph47US #9
#30Leroy46US #51
#31Earl45US #36
#32Jack45US #14
#33Lloyd45US #62
#34Clifford44US #72
#35Gerald44US #33
#36Leonard44US #42
#37Lyle44US #152
#38Gene42US #68
#39Ralph42US #26
#40Leo41US #60
#41Roy41US #35
#42Russell39US #56
#43Dean38US #133
#44Clarence37US #37
#45David37US #17
#46Vernon37US #71
#47Harry36US #27
#48Henry34US #21
#49Fred33US #34
#50Albert32US #24
#51Lawrence32US #38
#52Elmer31US #70
#53Frank31US #12
#54Floyd30US #58
#55Glenn30US #80
#56Stanley30US #48
#57Arnold28US #95
#58Keith28US #138
#59Merle28US #188
#60Roger28US #64
#61Lester27US #88
#62Bernard26US #52
#63Gordon26US #79
#64Don25US #78
#65Edwin25US #66
#66Jerry25US #61
#67Bill24US #63
#68Louis24US #32
#69Carl23US #28
#70Wesley23US #143
#71Theodore22US #65
#72Calvin20US #109
#73Curtis20US #99
#74Glen20US #123
#75Maurice20US #125
#76Milton20US #94
#77Billy19US #23
#78Darrell19US #194
#79Delbert19US #157
#80Alfred18US #41
#81Clayton18US #166
#82Ernest18US #43
#83Lowell18US #193
#84Orville18US #174
#85Warren18US #92
#86Willard18US #114
#87Joe17US #30
#88Larry17US #135
#89Ray17US #57
#90Bob16US #89
#91Darwin16
#92Everett16US #130
#93Harvey16US #90
#94Jerome16US #110
#95Willis16US #150
#96Daniel15US #47
#97Douglas15US #97
#98Laverne15
#99Leslie15US #136
#100Peter15US #55

On the move since 1928

Rising

↑38Russell#42
↑33Marlys#61
↑27Marie#37
↑25Melvin#19
↑24Bonnie#26
↑22Elsie#69
↑21Verna#60
↑20Anna#42

Falling

↓32Lawrence#51
↓30Mildred#49
↓30Gloria#71
↓27Elizabeth#59
↓26Hazel#72
↓26Bob#90
↓23Eunice#84
↓21Sylvia#92

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1928 rankings.