State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1944 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,039 South Dakota births in 1944 across 357 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.

#34Lyle#189 nationally
#69Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#73Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#74Marlysoutside the national top 200
#87Delorisoutside the national top 200
#87Harlanoutside the national top 200
#22Duane#135 nationally
#90Darreloutside the national top 200
#94Myrnaoutside the national top 200
#97Colleenoutside the national top 200
#33Dean#134 nationally
#64Julie#162 nationally

Girls

#1Mary273US #1
#2Sharon181US #8
#3Carol161US #5
#4Karen143US #16
#5Barbara135US #2
#6Patricia135US #4
#7Judy128US #12
#8Linda124US #3
#9Donna115US #17
#10Sandra113US #6
#11Judith106US #9
#12Betty92US #10
#13Shirley84US #15
#14Janice81US #28
#15Nancy78US #7
#16Janet73US #21
#17Diane70US #24
#18Cheryl66US #36
#19Marilyn66US #27
#20Margaret64US #14
#21Bonnie59US #34
#22Kathleen56US #20
#23Gloria55US #25
#24Jean52US #37
#25Joyce52US #18
#26Connie49US #51
#27Joan49US #22
#28Beverly47US #35
#29Joann45US #65
#30Dorothy44US #19
#31Carolyn43US #11
#32Darlene40US #76
#33Dianne40US #90
#34Rita38US #54
#35Ruth38US #32
#36Susan36US #13
#37Lois34US #47
#38Carole32US #43
#39Elaine31US #46
#40Kay30US #88
#41Jane29US #41
#42Helen28US #31
#43Phyllis28US #40
#44Virginia28US #26
#45Marlene27US #106
#46Charlotte26US #50
#47Frances26US #33
#48Pamela26US #44
#49Norma25US #66
#50Alice24US #38
#51Arlene24US #101
#52Doris24US #42
#53Rose24US #52
#54Delores23US #97
#55Marjorie23US #85
#56Roberta23US #70
#57Evelyn22US #57
#58Kathryn21US #68
#59Elizabeth20US #23
#60Joanne20US #55
#61Marcia20US #89
#62Ann19US #39
#63Audrey19US #150
#64Julie19US #162
#65Peggy19US #45
#66Ruby19US #87
#67Jeanette18US #117
#68Jo17US #61
#69Marie17US #48
#70Sally17US #59
#71Sylvia17US #83
#72Constance16US #104
#73Lavonne16
#74Marlys16
#75Charlene15US #109
#76Jeanne15US #108
#77Maxine15US #153
#78Geraldine14US #53
#79June14US #121
#80Louise14US #69
#81Sherry14US #100
#82Eileen13US #73
#83Georgia13US #114
#84Martha13US #29
#85Sue13US #62
#86Deanna12US #167
#87Deloris12
#88Ellen12US #63
#89Esther12US #152
#90Gail12US #56
#91Josephine12US #115
#92Katherine12US #77
#93Kathy12US #110
#94Myrna12
#95Anita11US #95
#96Catherine11US #49
#97Colleen11
#98Diana11US #60
#99Irene11US #91
#100Jacqueline11US #64

Boys

#1James281US #1
#2Robert256US #2
#3Richard224US #5
#4Larry200US #12
#5John190US #3
#6Gary187US #15
#7David173US #6
#8Dennis173US #20
#9William166US #4
#10Donald143US #11
#11Ronald135US #10
#12Roger129US #23
#13Thomas113US #8
#14Kenneth98US #16
#15Charles94US #7
#16Michael88US #9
#17Jerry86US #19
#18Dale70US #61
#19Gerald63US #24
#20George55US #14
#21Wayne53US #37
#22Duane52US #135
#23Douglas50US #34
#24Paul47US #17
#25Terry42US #43
#26Leroy41US #78
#27Raymond39US #22
#28Edward38US #18
#29Joseph38US #13
#30Daniel35US #25
#31Jim35US #68
#32Keith33US #104
#33Dean32US #134
#34Lyle32US #189
#35Gene30US #95
#36Harold30US #27
#37Frank29US #21
#38Marvin28US #75
#39Allen27US #77
#40Darrell26US #133
#41Jerome26US #117
#42Lawrence26US #32
#43Melvin26US #67
#44Patrick26US #64
#45Rodney26US #123
#46Jack25US #30
#47Ralph25US #42
#48Tom25US #87
#49Gordon24US #105
#50Norman24US #58
#51Steven24US #52
#52Eugene23US #48
#53Russell23US #63
#54Bill22US #66
#55Mike22US #80
#56Stanley22US #57
#57Bruce21US #51
#58Clifford20US #99
#59Don20US #72
#60Joe20US #33
#61Ernest18US #59
#62Harvey18US #118
#63Stephen18US #28
#64Leonard17US #56
#65Roy17US #39
#66Arthur16US #29
#67Harry16US #49
#68Henry16US #35
#69Jerald16
#70Theodore16US #96
#71Vernon16US #119
#72Allan15US #141
#73Bernard15US #94
#74Bob15US #109
#75Danny15US #76
#76Roland15US #155
#77Steve15US #89
#78Walter15US #26
#79Albert14US #44
#80Curtis14US #97
#81Lloyd14US #102
#82Lynn14US #153
#83Alan13US #55
#84Arnold13US #145
#85Earl13US #65
#86Francis13US #71
#87Harlan13
#88Neil13US #161
#89Ray13US #86
#90Darrel12
#91Jimmy12US #41
#92Leon12US #108
#93Martin12US #91
#94Philip12US #60
#95Ronnie12US #69
#96Warren12US #100
#97Carl11US #36
#98Floyd11US #110
#99Fred11US #47
#100Garry11US #176

On the move since 1943

Rising

↑49Ralph#47
↑40Mike#55
↑36Cheryl#18
↑36Pamela#48
↑30Audrey#63
↑29Patrick#44
↑27Russell#53
↑26Frank#37

Falling

↓42Ronnie#95
↓39Anita#95
↓31Diana#98
↓31Alan#83
↓28Darrel#90
↓26Jerald#69
↓24Marlys#74
↓23Fred#99

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1943 rankings.