State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1939 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,606 South Dakota births in 1939 across 379 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.

#35Harlanoutside the national top 200
#58Marlysoutside the national top 200
#59Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#62Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#39Lyle#175 nationally
#65Merleoutside the national top 200
#66Marcellaoutside the national top 200
#63Verna#190 nationally
#75Mavisoutside the national top 200
#81Darreloutside the national top 200
#88Loren#200 nationally
#55Lowell#166 nationally

Girls

#1Mary215US #1
#2Sharon154US #23
#3Shirley140US #5
#4Carol138US #6
#5Barbara124US #2
#6Janice123US #24
#7Donna110US #20
#8Betty108US #4
#9Karen108US #39
#10Marilyn94US #19
#11Patricia94US #3
#12Beverly78US #25
#13Darlene77US #75
#14Phyllis71US #30
#15Joyce69US #12
#16Janet65US #17
#17Dorothy63US #9
#18Judy60US #28
#19Marlene58US #64
#20Joan55US #11
#21Judith55US #8
#22Margaret55US #10
#23Lois53US #35
#24Norma49US #38
#25Sandra48US #13
#26Bonnie45US #61
#27Delores45US #79
#28Nancy45US #7
#29Ruth44US #22
#30Virginia42US #21
#31Kay41US #76
#32Connie40US #111
#33Elaine39US #45
#34Joann39US #57
#35Alice37US #31
#36Helen37US #16
#37Deanna36US #133
#38Carolyn35US #14
#39Jean34US #32
#40Rose34US #42
#41Doris33US #29
#42Gloria33US #36
#43Charlotte31US #66
#44Linda31US #15
#45Jeanette30US #82
#46Yvonne30US #90
#47Audrey29US #98
#48June28US #83
#49Marjorie28US #60
#50Carole26US #47
#51Evelyn26US #40
#52Rita26US #78
#53Arlene25US #69
#54Elizabeth25US #18
#55Kathleen25US #48
#56Marie25US #37
#57Geraldine24US #41
#58Marlys24
#59Joanne23US #53
#60Sally23US #52
#61Constance22US #123
#62Lavonne22
#63Verna22US #190
#64Anita21US #97
#65Myrna19US #144
#66Marcella18
#67Wanda18US #50
#68Diane17US #51
#69Frances17US #26
#70Jacqueline17US #72
#71Maxine17US #137
#72Sheila17US #125
#73Jane16US #46
#74Loretta16US #65
#75Mavis16
#76Sylvia16US #62
#77Eleanor15US #63
#78Irene15US #74
#79Lorraine15US #95
#80Rosalie15US #114
#81Ellen14US #80
#82Elsie14US #140
#83Esther14US #117
#84Marcia14US #109
#85Roberta14US #71
#86Anna13US #43
#87Florence13US #96
#88Gladys13US #104
#89Jo13US #70
#90Kathryn13US #106
#91Peggy13US #34
#92Rosemary13US #93
#93Ann12US #33
#94Colleen12
#95Josephine12US #84
#96Lucille12US #110
#97Marian12US #130
#98Mildred12US #55
#99Ramona12US #200
#100Susan12US #44

Boys

#1Robert253US #1
#2James218US #2
#3Larry190US #14
#4Richard177US #5
#5Donald165US #8
#6John152US #3
#7William131US #4
#8Ronald123US #10
#9Gary114US #21
#10Roger113US #28
#11David108US #7
#12Jerry103US #16
#13Kenneth101US #13
#14Dennis91US #34
#15Gerald90US #19
#16Charles89US #6
#17Thomas69US #9
#18Dale63US #59
#19Eugene61US #37
#20George58US #11
#21Duane53US #118
#22Paul53US #17
#23Marvin50US #52
#24Gene44US #69
#25Leroy44US #61
#26Edward42US #15
#27Harold41US #23
#28Michael41US #18
#29Wayne40US #39
#30Lawrence39US #36
#31Raymond37US #22
#32Gordon36US #82
#33Stanley36US #57
#34Joseph35US #12
#35Harlan32
#36Douglas31US #58
#37Jack31US #26
#38Jim31US #75
#39Lyle31US #175
#40Jerome29US #93
#41Leonard29US #54
#42Darrell28US #130
#43Terry27US #83
#44Clifford25US #88
#45Melvin25US #51
#46Vernon25US #100
#47Dean24US #134
#48Allen23US #72
#49Francis23US #53
#50Frank23US #20
#51Lloyd23US #95
#52Norman23US #44
#53Keith22US #117
#54Clarence21US #60
#55Lowell21US #166
#56Ralph21US #35
#57Arthur20US #32
#58Bruce20US #64
#59Jerald20
#60Joe19US #27
#61Leslie19US #136
#62Russell19US #73
#63Curtis18US #98
#64Lee18US #78
#65Merle18
#66Patrick18US #79
#67Rodney18US #122
#68Arnold17US #113
#69Fred17US #40
#70Vincent17US #110
#71Walter17US #25
#72Allan16US #125
#73Alvin16US #103
#74Bernard16US #76
#75Carl16US #30
#76Daniel16US #38
#77Neil16US #152
#78Bill15US #67
#79Don15US #56
#80Albert14US #41
#81Darrel14
#82Dick14US #169
#83Earl14US #50
#84Glen14US #123
#85Glenn14US #87
#86Herbert14US #68
#87Leo14US #108
#88Loren14US #200
#89Stephen14US #65
#90Billy13US #24
#91Elmer13US #132
#92Leland13
#93Leon13US #86
#94Myron13
#95Virgil13US #164
#96Warren13US #104
#97Wesley13US #146
#98Peter12US #46
#99Samuel12US #63
#100Darwin11

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑47Frank#50
↑46Linda#44
↑44Michael#28
↑40Lawrence#30
↑34Harlan#35
↑33Stanley#33
↑28Anita#64
↑28Vernon#46

Falling

↓41Loretta#74
↓37Ramona#99
↓37Don#79
↓33Darrel#81
↓31Rodney#67
↓31Carl#75
↓31Daniel#76
↓29Lucille#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.