State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1941 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,757 South Dakota births in 1941 across 373 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.

#48Marlysoutside the national top 200
#55Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#61Lorenoutside the national top 200
#30Lyle#168 nationally
#64Darreloutside the national top 200
#70Mavisoutside the national top 200
#73Lilaoutside the national top 200
#75Myronoutside the national top 200
#67Delbert#192 nationally
#82Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#25Dean#143 nationally
#87Ramonaoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary216US #1
#2Sharon182US #15
#3Karen142US #19
#4Carol138US #4
#5Judy136US #16
#6Barbara135US #2
#7Patricia123US #3
#8Judith116US #6
#9Donna109US #20
#10Janice106US #22
#11Joyce85US #13
#12Shirley83US #10
#13Janet73US #18
#14Linda69US #5
#15Betty66US #7
#16Sandra65US #9
#17Dorothy64US #14
#18Beverly62US #29
#19Gloria62US #26
#20Marilyn62US #30
#21Joan61US #17
#22Nancy55US #8
#23Jean51US #32
#24Darlene47US #76
#25Ruth46US #28
#26Lois44US #43
#27Phyllis44US #35
#28Bonnie43US #33
#29Margaret43US #12
#30Helen41US #24
#31Virginia41US #23
#32Connie40US #79
#33Elaine37US #44
#34Kathleen37US #36
#35Marlene37US #83
#36Carolyn34US #11
#37Norma34US #47
#38Deanna31US #137
#39Frances30US #31
#40Kay30US #70
#41Diane29US #40
#42Joann29US #58
#43Marjorie29US #71
#44Charlotte28US #55
#45Doris28US #38
#46Alice27US #34
#47Arlene27US #77
#48Marlys27
#49Delores26US #80
#50Carole25US #48
#51Myrna25US #161
#52Joanne24US #54
#53Marie24US #42
#54Susan24US #27
#55Lavonne23
#56Roberta23US #72
#57Jeanette22US #98
#58Audrey21US #117
#59Elizabeth21US #21
#60Geraldine21US #45
#61Constance20US #114
#62Marcia20US #105
#63Dianne19US #146
#64Irene19US #74
#65Rita19US #63
#66June18US #90
#67Rose18US #49
#68Evelyn17US #50
#69Jane17US #46
#70Mavis17
#71Maxine17US #139
#72Kathryn16US #87
#73Lila16
#74Patty16US #176
#75Anna15US #56
#76Sylvia15US #65
#77Yvonne15US #120
#78Diana14US #100
#79Dixie14US #181
#80Eileen14US #121
#81Gayle14US #187
#82Jo14US #66
#83Julie14US #169
#84Loretta14US #81
#85Lorraine14US #93
#86Peggy14US #39
#87Ramona14
#88Ruby14US #69
#89Sally14US #61
#90Wanda14US #53
#91Ann13US #37
#92Jeanne13US #126
#93Cleo12
#94Ellen12US #67
#95Harriet12US #158
#96Mildred12US #64
#97Rosalie12US #152
#98Sheila12US #110
#99Verna12
#100Bernice11US #133

Boys

#1James264US #1
#2Robert251US #2
#3Richard217US #5
#4Larry209US #11
#5Donald178US #10
#6John168US #3
#7David167US #7
#8Gary157US #19
#9Ronald151US #9
#10Dennis150US #23
#11William130US #4
#12Charles99US #6
#13Roger99US #25
#14Jerry98US #14
#15Kenneth95US #15
#16Thomas80US #8
#17Dale64US #59
#18Gerald63US #20
#19Wayne57US #37
#20Michael53US #16
#21Duane50US #129
#22Paul46US #18
#23Edward43US #17
#24Leroy42US #67
#25Dean41US #143
#26Lawrence41US #34
#27Raymond41US #22
#28Joseph40US #12
#29Douglas37US #53
#30Lyle37US #168
#31Eugene36US #42
#32George36US #13
#33Marvin36US #63
#34Terry35US #64
#35Harold33US #24
#36Gene31US #72
#37Jim31US #80
#38Darrell30US #130
#39Melvin30US #56
#40Jack27US #32
#41Keith26US #119
#42Stanley26US #57
#43Gordon25US #92
#44Patrick25US #70
#45Leonard24US #54
#46Albert22US #40
#47Daniel22US #31
#48Allen21US #73
#49Alvin21US #107
#50Harvey21US #106
#51Norman21US #49
#52Ralph21US #38
#53Carl20US #29
#54Clifford20US #94
#55Francis20US #60
#56Jerome20US #101
#57Tom19US #88
#58Arthur18US #33
#59Clarence18US #62
#60Don18US #66
#61Loren18
#62Rodney18US #127
#63Russell18US #75
#64Darrel17
#65Leo17US #116
#66Bruce16US #51
#67Delbert16US #192
#68Fred16US #43
#69Leon16US #93
#70Lloyd16US #96
#71Steven16US #90
#72Dick15US #171
#73Harry15US #48
#74Leslie15US #126
#75Myron15
#76Roland15US #144
#77Vernon15US #108
#78Walter15US #26
#79Warren15US #105
#80Henry14US #28
#81Howard14US #47
#82Jerald14
#83Joe14US #30
#84Ray14US #83
#85Roy14US #39
#86Alan13US #84
#87Bernard13US #87
#88Bill13US #68
#89Curtis13US #100
#90Elmer13US #147
#91Frank13US #21
#92Harlan13
#93Martin13US #85
#94Peter13US #44
#95Philip13US #52
#96Bob12US #103
#97Louis12US #50
#98Lynn12US #141
#99Danny11US #120
#100Darwin11

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑38Clarence#59
↑37Dean#25
↑35Harvey#50
↑29Alvin#49
↑28Irene#64
↑27June#66
↑24Delbert#67
↑24Roland#76

Falling

↓46Curtis#89
↓40Jerald#82
↓39Frank#91
↓29Lorraine#85
↓28Harlan#92
↓26Sally#89
↓25Sylvia#76
↓20Rita#65

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.