State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1942 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,854 South Dakota births in 1942 across 368 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.

#46Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#29Lyle#176 nationally
#64Darreloutside the national top 200
#66Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#68Myronoutside the national top 200
#70Darwinoutside the national top 200
#58Patty#186 nationally
#73Eldonoutside the national top 200
#63Myrna#190 nationally
#77Lorenoutside the national top 200
#57Lowell#178 nationally
#41Deanna#160 nationally

Girls

#1Mary225US #1
#2Sharon202US #11
#3Karen193US #16
#4Carol167US #5
#5Barbara128US #2
#6Judy125US #15
#7Patricia112US #3
#8Shirley103US #12
#9Sandra102US #6
#10Donna100US #20
#11Janice99US #25
#12Janet88US #19
#13Linda75US #4
#14Judith74US #7
#15Betty71US #9
#16Joyce71US #13
#17Beverly69US #32
#18Bonnie68US #34
#19Marilyn62US #27
#20Dorothy61US #17
#21Joan60US #18
#22Nancy58US #8
#23Darlene51US #78
#24Kathleen51US #24
#25Lois51US #44
#26Carolyn49US #10
#27Diane49US #28
#28Jean46US #36
#29Virginia44US #23
#30Gloria41US #31
#31Margaret41US #14
#32Ruth40US #33
#33Carole35US #35
#34Connie35US #70
#35Elaine35US #45
#36Helen35US #26
#37Kay35US #75
#38Susan35US #21
#39Delores34US #86
#40Joanne33US #48
#41Deanna32US #160
#42Rose29US #50
#43Charlotte27US #51
#44Joann27US #58
#45Marjorie26US #74
#46Dianne24US #109
#47Doris24US #41
#48Kathryn24US #82
#49Marlene24US #84
#50Norma23US #52
#51Rita23US #55
#52Phyllis22US #37
#53Roberta22US #66
#54Sally22US #56
#55Frances21US #30
#56Alice20US #39
#57Eileen20US #88
#58Patty20US #186
#59Jeanette19US #104
#60June19US #107
#61Wanda19US #54
#62Charlene18US #117
#63Myrna18US #190
#64Elizabeth17US #22
#65Geraldine17US #47
#66Lavonne17
#67Maxine17US #148
#68Rosemary17US #92
#69Ruby17US #77
#70Jane16US #46
#71Arlene15US #83
#72Gail15US #60
#73Irene15US #80
#74Marcia15US #105
#75Audrey14US #120
#76Evelyn14US #53
#77Julie14US #157
#78Marie14US #43
#79Sylvia14US #72
#80Diana13US #68
#81Katherine13US #81
#82Lorraine13US #91
#83Marian13US #141
#84Ann12US #38
#85Anna12US #59
#86Loretta12US #79
#87Marlys12
#88Pamela12US #106
#89Ramona12
#90Bernice11US #137
#91Eleanor11US #87
#92Georgia11US #123
#93Glenda11US #89
#94Jeanne11US #119
#95Martha11US #29
#96Pauline11US #112
#97Peggy11US #42
#98Ellen10US #64
#99Jacqueline10US #69
#100Janis10

Boys

#1Robert262US #2
#2James254US #1
#3Larry213US #12
#4Richard200US #5
#5John180US #3
#6Dennis177US #20
#7David164US #6
#8Donald159US #10
#9Ronald158US #9
#10Gary151US #18
#11William125US #4
#12Roger123US #25
#13Douglas94US #23
#14Jerry92US #16
#15Thomas90US #8
#16Kenneth89US #15
#17Charles84US #7
#18Gerald76US #22
#19Michael60US #13
#20Paul50US #19
#21Wayne50US #41
#22George47US #14
#23Dale43US #63
#24Raymond42US #24
#25Duane40US #132
#26Edward40US #17
#27Marvin39US #66
#28Joseph38US #11
#29Lyle38US #176
#30Eugene37US #45
#31Harold37US #27
#32Melvin37US #60
#33Terry35US #52
#34Gordon34US #92
#35Gene33US #82
#36Allen32US #71
#37Jim32US #74
#38Keith32US #123
#39Leroy31US #69
#40Darrell29US #135
#41Dean29US #151
#42Lawrence29US #30
#43Norman29US #53
#44Vernon29US #114
#45Jerome28US #104
#46Jerald27
#47Francis25US #58
#48Rodney24US #121
#49Daniel23US #28
#50Jack23US #34
#51Arthur22US #29
#52Ralph22US #38
#53Stanley22US #56
#54Bruce21US #50
#55Fred21US #46
#56Henry21US #31
#57Lowell21US #178
#58Patrick21US #64
#59Tom21US #89
#60Albert20US #40
#61Bernard19US #90
#62Lloyd19US #96
#63Curtis18US #98
#64Darrel18
#65Dick18US #183
#66Lynn18US #146
#67Walter18US #26
#68Myron17
#69Alan16US #81
#70Darwin16
#71Leonard16US #57
#72Bill15US #65
#73Eldon15
#74Frank15US #21
#75Harvey15US #107
#76Howard15US #49
#77Loren15
#78Carl14US #36
#79Clifford14US #95
#80Edwin14US #105
#81Floyd14US #113
#82Russell14US #70
#83Stephen14US #32
#84Steven14US #75
#85Warren14US #97
#86Alvin13US #115
#87Harlan13
#88Joe13US #33
#89Leo13US #120
#90Maurice13US #166
#91Peter13US #39
#92Ray13US #84
#93Billy12US #35
#94Clarence12US #67
#95Jon12US #125
#96Lee12US #87
#97Merle12
#98Roy12US #42
#99Bob11US #110
#100Glen11US #144

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑36Jerald#46
↑35Sally#54
↑33Vernon#44
↑32Lynn#66
↑30Darwin#70
↑29Wanda#61
↑26Bernard#61
↑26Curtis#63

Falling

↓39Marlys#87
↓37Alvin#86
↓35Clarence#94
↓26Leonard#71
↓25Phyllis#52
↓25Marie#78
↓25Harvey#75
↓25Carl#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.