State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1940 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,771 South Dakota births in 1940 across 388 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.

#42Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#55Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#34Lyle#173 nationally
#62Marlysoutside the national top 200
#64Harlanoutside the national top 200
#71Darreloutside the national top 200
#73Colleenoutside the national top 200
#82Mavisoutside the national top 200
#87Myronoutside the national top 200
#23Duane#134 nationally
#90Daryloutside the national top 200
#94Lilaoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary209US #1
#2Sharon170US #17
#3Carol151US #6
#4Donna126US #23
#5Judy123US #16
#6Patricia119US #3
#7Karen118US #34
#8Barbara115US #2
#9Janice114US #22
#10Joyce104US #13
#11Shirley104US #9
#12Judith98US #4
#13Betty92US #5
#14Marilyn80US #25
#15Janet70US #19
#16Beverly68US #27
#17Darlene67US #79
#18Sandra67US #10
#19Dorothy65US #12
#20Joan63US #14
#21Linda63US #8
#22Phyllis57US #33
#23Margaret56US #11
#24Bonnie45US #39
#25Nancy45US #7
#26Marlene44US #80
#27Lois42US #38
#28Kay41US #77
#29Virginia40US #21
#30Elaine37US #50
#31Jean37US #29
#32Ruth36US #24
#33Helen35US #18
#34Kathleen35US #40
#35Arlene34US #75
#36Deanna34US #136
#37Gloria34US #30
#38Joann34US #63
#39Norma34US #43
#40Connie33US #88
#41Delores33US #83
#42Diane33US #45
#43Marjorie30US #64
#44Roberta28US #71
#45Rita26US #70
#46Carole25US #49
#47Carolyn25US #15
#48Frances25US #28
#49Myrna25US #150
#50Rose25US #44
#51Sylvia25US #62
#52Audrey24US #99
#53Doris24US #31
#54Joanne24US #54
#55Lavonne22
#56Lorraine22US #95
#57Susan22US #36
#58Yvonne22US #110
#59Alice20US #32
#60Geraldine20US #46
#61Jeanette20US #90
#62Marlys20
#63Sally20US #61
#64Charlotte19US #55
#65Elizabeth19US #20
#66Evelyn19US #48
#67Jane19US #47
#68Rosemary18US #85
#69Gail17US #65
#70Kathryn17US #103
#71Loretta17US #69
#72Marie17US #41
#73Colleen16
#74Wanda16US #52
#75Ellen15US #74
#76Mildred15US #58
#77Patty15US #175
#78Rosalie15US #139
#79Ann14US #35
#80Catherine14US #53
#81Dianne14US #167
#82Mavis14
#83Anita13US #87
#84Constance13US #124
#85Eleanor13US #68
#86Louise13US #59
#87Lucille13US #113
#88Peggy13US #37
#89Vivian13US #115
#90Diana12US #117
#91Glenda12US #107
#92Irene12US #73
#93June12US #82
#94Lila12
#95Sonja12
#96Brenda11US #42
#97Dixie11US #171
#98Florence11US #100
#99Gladys11US #116
#100Jeanne11US #129

Boys

#1Robert256US #2
#2James234US #1
#3Richard202US #5
#4Larry194US #13
#5John175US #3
#6Gary154US #19
#7Donald147US #9
#8Dennis143US #24
#9Ronald135US #10
#10David128US #7
#11William118US #4
#12Roger103US #26
#13Kenneth97US #15
#14Charles93US #6
#15Jerry90US #14
#16Gerald88US #21
#17Thomas72US #8
#18Dale67US #57
#19George58US #11
#20Paul53US #17
#21Raymond53US #22
#22Eugene46US #38
#23Duane45US #134
#24Edward45US #16
#25Leroy43US #66
#26Wayne42US #39
#27Marvin38US #63
#28Jim37US #78
#29Michael37US #18
#30Douglas33US #56
#31Joseph33US #12
#32Harold32US #23
#33Darrell31US #131
#34Lyle31US #173
#35Stanley30US #59
#36Jack29US #29
#37Terry29US #73
#38Allen28US #71
#39Jerome28US #95
#40Lawrence28US #36
#41Norman28US #48
#42Jerald26
#43Curtis25US #97
#44Daniel24US #34
#45Francis24US #61
#46Gene24US #70
#47Glenn24US #83
#48Melvin24US #53
#49Gordon23US #91
#50Patrick23US #74
#51Bruce22US #55
#52Frank22US #20
#53Keith22US #125
#54Arthur21US #33
#55Carl21US #32
#56Leonard21US #54
#57Lloyd21US #100
#58Don20US #62
#59Ralph20US #37
#60Albert19US #41
#61Clifford19US #94
#62Dean19US #143
#63Fred19US #40
#64Harlan19
#65Howard19US #45
#66Vernon19US #105
#67Leo18US #112
#68Tom18US #92
#69Alan17US #88
#70Bernard17US #82
#71Darrel17
#72Walter17US #25
#73Arnold16US #118
#74Henry16US #31
#75Herbert16US #75
#76Joe16US #28
#77Lee16US #80
#78Alvin15US #106
#79Bob15US #99
#80Leslie15US #136
#81Peter15US #43
#82Rodney15US #133
#83Allan14US #115
#84Floyd14US #103
#85Harvey14US #98
#86Jimmy14US #44
#87Myron14
#88Virgil14US #166
#89Bill13US #67
#90Daryl13
#91Delbert13US #180
#92Frederick13US #68
#93Harry13US #47
#94Philip13US #60
#95Roy13US #42
#96Calvin12US #127
#97Clarence12US #64
#98Jon12US #123
#99Lowell12US #172
#100Roland12US #141

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑43Susan#57
↑41Roberta#44
↑38Glenn#47
↑32Daniel#44
↑26Diane#42
↑25Sylvia#51
↑24Rosemary#68
↑23Linda#21

Falling

↓45June#93
↓44Lowell#99
↓43Clarence#97
↓29Harlan#64
↓24Alice#59
↓23Constance#84
↓22Gene#46
↓21Charlotte#64

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.