State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1931 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 11,063 South Dakota births in 1931 across 417 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.

#35Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#49Deloris#200 nationally
#49Merle#198 nationally
#60Marlysoutside the national top 200
#65Mavisoutside the national top 200
#25Lyle#157 nationally
#36Darrell#167 nationally
#73Laverneoutside the national top 200
#79Harlanoutside the national top 200
#8Darlene#128 nationally
#74Myron#192 nationally
#72Marcella#189 nationally

Girls

#1Betty239US #2
#2Mary229US #1
#3Dorothy142US #3
#4Donna140US #32
#5Beverly127US #31
#6Shirley119US #9
#7Patricia114US #8
#8Darlene109US #128
#9Delores101US #58
#10Joyce100US #15
#11Lois98US #20
#12Helen96US #6
#13Joan96US #5
#14Phyllis85US #29
#15Marilyn81US #19
#16Alice79US #21
#17Doris76US #10
#18Norma73US #22
#19Ruth73US #11
#20Lorraine70US #49
#21Arlene67US #77
#22Jean63US #13
#23Virginia62US #12
#24Evelyn61US #24
#25Margaret61US #7
#26Bonnie59US #73
#27Dolores54US #14
#28Barbara53US #4
#29Carol51US #46
#30Irene47US #37
#31Marjorie47US #34
#32Gladys45US #55
#33Elaine44US #72
#34June40US #44
#35Lavonne40
#36Anna39US #25
#37Mildred38US #26
#38Maxine36US #101
#39Leona35US #133
#40Lucille35US #62
#41Marlene34US #95
#42Elizabeth33US #16
#43Geraldine33US #38
#44Audrey32US #64
#45Bernice32US #63
#46Florence32US #43
#47Janice31US #104
#48Joann31US #90
#49Deloris30US #200
#50Ramona30US #164
#51Viola30US #127
#52Frances29US #18
#53Gloria29US #23
#54Janet29US #45
#55Joanne29US #68
#56Agnes28US #103
#57Marie28US #27
#58Esther27US #79
#59Lillian27US #47
#60Marlys27
#61Rose27US #30
#62Vivian27US #82
#63Wilma27US #69
#64Marian26US #84
#65Mavis25
#66Rosemary25US #88
#67Violet25US #132
#68Charlotte24US #75
#69Eleanor23US #40
#70Rita23US #48
#71Grace22US #70
#72Marcella22US #189
#73Nancy22US #17
#74Verna21US #154
#75Edna20US #52
#76Eileen20US #106
#77Loretta20US #96
#78Louise20US #33
#79Peggy20US #42
#80Clara19US #61
#81Jane18US #50
#82Thelma18US #53
#83Carolyn17US #60
#84Hazel17US #74
#85Adeline16
#86Harriet16US #143
#87Lila16US #184
#88Ruby16US #39
#89Vera16US #111
#90Yvonne16US #151
#91Catherine15US #36
#92Constance15US #118
#93Ellen15US #99
#94Kathleen15US #87
#95Sylvia15US #123
#96Jeanette14US #105
#97Marion14US #66
#98Patty14
#99Sharon14
#100Ann13US #35

Boys

#1Robert317US #1
#2Donald285US #7
#3James221US #2
#4Richard202US #5
#5John199US #3
#6William150US #4
#7Kenneth120US #14
#8Charles112US #6
#9Eugene82US #21
#10George80US #8
#11Harold79US #18
#12Marvin78US #45
#13Duane69US #104
#14Paul67US #12
#15Wayne67US #58
#16Ronald66US #27
#17Dale64US #62
#18Raymond62US #17
#19Gerald61US #26
#20David60US #13
#21Roger58US #53
#22Leroy56US #52
#23Edward51US #11
#24Jack51US #15
#25Lyle49US #157
#26Thomas49US #10
#27Lawrence48US #38
#28Clarence46US #39
#29Melvin46US #51
#30Norman46US #36
#31Vernon44US #74
#32Leonard42US #48
#33Howard40US #34
#34Dean39US #127
#35Albert38US #24
#36Darrell37US #167
#37Earl37US #40
#38Joseph37US #9
#39Lloyd37US #68
#40Walter37US #20
#41Arthur36US #23
#42Clifford35US #75
#43Francis34US #42
#44Gene34US #64
#45Keith32US #123
#46Larry32US #88
#47Leo31US #69
#48Stanley31US #49
#49Merle30US #198
#50Bernard29US #54
#51Don29US #59
#52Jerome29US #103
#53Alvin28US #80
#54Floyd28US #66
#55Fred27US #33
#56Lowell27US #147
#57Elmer26US #82
#58Henry26US #22
#59Ralph26US #25
#60Delbert24US #159
#61Frank24US #16
#62Jerry24US #43
#63Dennis23US #138
#64Carl22US #28
#65Herbert22US #41
#66Maurice22US #117
#67Arnold21US #98
#68Glenn21US #72
#69Gordon21US #76
#70Lester21US #96
#71Willis21US #161
#72Ernest20US #47
#73Laverne20
#74Myron20US #192
#75Roy20US #35
#76Russell20US #63
#77Wallace20US #114
#78Bob19US #78
#79Harlan19
#80Ray19US #60
#81Wesley19US #143
#82Bill18US #57
#83Everett18US #136
#84Glen18US #112
#85Harvey18US #93
#86Martin18US #91
#87Virgil18US #121
#88Calvin17US #119
#89Edwin17US #67
#90Joe17US #29
#91Louis17US #37
#92Allen16US #79
#93Dick16US #152
#94Harry16US #30
#95Delmar15
#96Dwayne15
#97Milton15US #99
#98Orville15
#99Willard15US #124
#100Alfred14US #50

On the move since 1930

Rising

↑44Lowell#56
↑31Rosemary#66
↑31Norman#30
↑26Howard#33
↑23Laverne#73
↑21Keith#45
↑20Joann#48
↑19Geraldine#43

Falling

↓51Harry#94
↓38Edwin#89
↓37Ruby#88
↓37Roy#75
↓33Jeanette#96
↓31Frank#61
↓31Louis#91
↓29Mavis#65

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1930 rankings.