State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1937 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,380 South Dakota births in 1937 across 371 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.

#32Marlysoutside the national top 200
#35Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#57Merleoutside the national top 200
#61Mavisoutside the national top 200
#31Lyle#167 nationally
#69Lorenoutside the national top 200
#72Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#82Darwinoutside the national top 200
#75Ramona#188 nationally
#86Verna#192 nationally
#33Darrell#130 nationally
#93Clayton#188 nationally

Girls

#1Mary228US #1
#2Shirley187US #4
#3Carol136US #6
#4Donna132US #21
#5Betty128US #5
#6Janice113US #25
#7Patricia105US #3
#8Barbara99US #2
#9Darlene94US #72
#10Beverly93US #14
#11Marilyn91US #13
#12Sharon79US #41
#13Joyce70US #11
#14Dorothy64US #8
#15Janet61US #18
#16Joan61US #9
#17Margaret61US #10
#18Lois58US #29
#19Helen55US #12
#20Marlene53US #40
#21Phyllis53US #27
#22Karen52US #113
#23Norma52US #33
#24Ruth52US #15
#25Kay49US #79
#26Joann48US #58
#27Virginia44US #16
#28Doris40US #22
#29Elaine40US #45
#30Rose40US #38
#31Delores39US #68
#32Marlys39
#33Bonnie38US #64
#34Arlene37US #60
#35Lavonne36
#36Evelyn35US #36
#37Frances35US #19
#38Alice33US #28
#39Connie33US #128
#40Jean33US #23
#41Nancy32US #7
#42Gloria31US #32
#43Sylvia31US #50
#44Yvonne28US #77
#45Geraldine27US #44
#46Myrna26US #137
#47Marjorie25US #57
#48Sandra25US #26
#49Anita24US #93
#50Jane24US #42
#51Jeanette24US #90
#52Joanne24US #51
#53Marie24US #35
#54Deanna23US #139
#55Loretta23US #63
#56Lorraine23US #83
#57Carole22US #56
#58Carolyn22US #20
#59Jacqueline22US #70
#60Lucille22US #98
#61Mavis22
#62Maxine22US #136
#63Wanda22US #55
#64Audrey21US #85
#65Elizabeth21US #17
#66Florence21US #81
#67Roberta21US #66
#68Gladys19US #86
#69Irene19US #62
#70Judith19US #34
#71Rita19US #69
#72Sally19US #59
#73Ellen17US #102
#74June17US #71
#75Ramona17US #188
#76Vivian17US #127
#77Ann16US #30
#78Eleanor16US #53
#79Esther16US #116
#80Judy16US #91
#81Kathryn16US #108
#82Louise16US #48
#83Marian16US #129
#84Clara15US #100
#85Margie15US #111
#86Verna15US #192
#87Wilma15US #80
#88Agnes14US #153
#89Charlotte14US #67
#90Dolores14US #37
#91Grace14US #94
#92Harriet14US #154
#93Jeanne14US #149
#94Jo14US #73
#95Kathleen14US #61
#96Marcia14US #124
#97Patty14US #180
#98Mildred13US #43
#99Peggy13US #31
#100Velma13US #164

Boys

#1Robert279US #1
#2James237US #2
#3Donald202US #7
#4Richard180US #5
#5John150US #3
#6William126US #4
#7Larry116US #16
#8Ronald113US #11
#9Charles99US #6
#10David89US #8
#11Gary85US #29
#12Kenneth84US #14
#13Roger81US #36
#14Jerry70US #17
#15Gerald69US #20
#16Dennis59US #63
#17Thomas52US #9
#18Dale51US #59
#19George50US #10
#20Wayne50US #44
#21Duane49US #115
#22Marvin49US #49
#23Raymond46US #19
#24Paul45US #15
#25Harold43US #21
#26Melvin42US #50
#27Eugene41US #33
#28Edward39US #13
#29Keith37US #123
#30Leroy37US #56
#31Lyle34US #167
#32Gene33US #61
#33Darrell32US #130
#34Jerome32US #100
#35Lawrence32US #38
#36Arnold31US #111
#37Norman31US #43
#38Don29US #51
#39Jack28US #23
#40Lloyd28US #91
#41Arthur27US #31
#42Clifford27US #90
#43Frank27US #18
#44Bill26US #64
#45Douglas26US #74
#46Gordon26US #75
#47Jim26US #82
#48Allen25US #76
#49Joseph25US #12
#50Leo25US #97
#51Ralph25US #34
#52Carl23US #28
#53Francis23US #55
#54Leonard22US #58
#55Alvin21US #99
#56Glenn21US #88
#57Merle21
#58Walter21US #26
#59Earl20US #48
#60Floyd20US #80
#61Harvey20US #95
#62Vernon20US #96
#63Albert19US #37
#64Bruce19US #70
#65Daniel19US #39
#66Dean19US #127
#67Dick19US #153
#68Fred19US #35
#69Loren19
#70Russell19US #67
#71Harry18US #41
#72Jerald18
#73Lowell18US #155
#74Bob17US #81
#75Glen17US #122
#76Henry17US #30
#77Howard17US #42
#78Neil17US #157
#79Rodney17US #151
#80Stanley17US #57
#81Clarence16US #54
#82Darwin16
#83Alan15US #103
#84Bernard15US #73
#85Elmer15US #120
#86Terry15US #113
#87Ernest14US #53
#88Leon14US #85
#89Leslie14US #131
#90Michael14US #27
#91Warren14US #106
#92Billy13US #22
#93Clayton13US #188
#94Curtis13US #109
#95Franklin13US #77
#96Joe13US #25
#97Lester13US #116
#98Wesley13US #146
#99Calvin12US #125
#100Delbert12US #161

On the move since 1936

Rising

↑43Clifford#42
↑42Carole#57
↑33Anita#49
↑33Arthur#41
↑30Jeanette#51
↑28Wanda#63
↑28Leo#50
↑27Yvonne#44

Falling

↓44Peggy#99
↓43Charlotte#89
↓39Dean#66
↓33Joe#96
↓32Mildred#98
↓31Audrey#64
↓31Eleanor#78
↓25Daniel#65

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1936 rankings.