State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1946 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 11,921 South Dakota births in 1946 across 395 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.

#42Lyle#200 nationally
#58Colleenoutside the national top 200
#59Marlysoutside the national top 200
#61Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#65Darreloutside the national top 200
#74Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#80Darwinoutside the national top 200
#28Duane#142 nationally
#94Lorenoutside the national top 200
#87Deanna#193 nationally
#92Bonita#198 nationally
#100Virgil#198 nationally

Girls

#1Mary300US #1
#2Linda193US #2
#3Sharon178US #9
#4Carol177US #5
#5Patricia169US #3
#6Judy157US #11
#7Sandra149US #6
#8Barbara148US #4
#9Karen125US #15
#10Donna104US #13
#11Diane98US #19
#12Nancy96US #7
#13Judith93US #10
#14Shirley91US #18
#15Bonnie88US #33
#16Cheryl88US #27
#17Kathleen85US #16
#18Susan85US #8
#19Janice84US #22
#20Betty80US #14
#21Janet78US #21
#22Margaret74US #17
#23Jean72US #37
#24Marilyn66US #29
#25Beverly62US #30
#26Joyce62US #20
#27Connie57US #45
#28Dorothy55US #23
#29Gloria53US #26
#30Joan51US #28
#31Carolyn50US #12
#32Dianne45US #76
#33Kay43US #101
#34Diana42US #42
#35Pamela41US #34
#36Phyllis41US #41
#37Lois39US #55
#38Charlotte38US #64
#39Peggy38US #43
#40Jane35US #35
#41Marlene35US #112
#42Elizabeth34US #25
#43Elaine33US #47
#44Helen33US #36
#45Norma33US #77
#46Virginia33US #31
#47Joann32US #90
#48Cynthia30US #46
#49Rita30US #56
#50Ruth30US #38
#51Alice29US #44
#52Constance29US #100
#53Darlene29US #71
#54Kathryn29US #63
#55Joanne28US #57
#56Delores27US #115
#57Marcia26US #89
#58Colleen25
#59Marlys25
#60Frances24US #39
#61Lavonne23
#62Paula22US #69
#63Sheila22US #70
#64Vicki22US #108
#65Carole21US #72
#66Doris21US #51
#67Eileen21US #80
#68Jo21US #53
#69Kathy20US #79
#70Marie20US #54
#71Sherry20US #73
#72Jacqueline19US #62
#73Jeanne19US #83
#74Julie19US #128
#75Marjorie19US #106
#76Paulette19US #117
#77Wanda19US #59
#78Anita18US #84
#79Marsha18US #98
#80Sheryl18US #165
#81Rebecca17US #68
#82Roberta17US #86
#83Sally17US #67
#84Sylvia17US #82
#85Ann16US #40
#86Gail16US #49
#87Deanna15US #193
#88Gayle15US #141
#89Louise15US #91
#90Rose15US #60
#91Arlene14US #113
#92Bonita14US #198
#93Geraldine14US #66
#94June14US #116
#95Katherine14US #78
#96Lynda14US #109
#97Patsy14US #85
#98Dianna13US #183
#99Ellen13US #58
#100Glenda13US #99

Boys

#1Robert326US #2
#2James323US #1
#3Richard287US #5
#4David242US #6
#5John222US #3
#6Dennis216US #17
#7Gary204US #12
#8Ronald200US #10
#9Larry197US #11
#10Michael149US #7
#11Donald141US #13
#12Kenneth131US #15
#13Thomas130US #8
#14William124US #4
#15Roger117US #23
#16Charles88US #9
#17Jerry87US #20
#18Douglas84US #34
#19Paul82US #18
#20Terry73US #26
#21Gerald66US #27
#22Dale60US #62
#23Daniel60US #21
#24Wayne58US #29
#25Allen47US #74
#26George45US #16
#27Patrick45US #59
#28Duane41US #142
#29Marvin40US #88
#30Alan39US #49
#31Raymond38US #25
#32Rodney38US #93
#33Steven36US #28
#34Keith35US #96
#35Leroy35US #90
#36Gene33US #98
#37Danny32US #46
#38Edward32US #19
#39Joseph32US #14
#40Dean31US #132
#41Eugene31US #57
#42Lyle31US #200
#43Jim30US #73
#44Timothy30US #60
#45Darrell29US #131
#46Jack29US #35
#47Ralph29US #48
#48Bruce28US #32
#49Curtis26US #99
#50Gregory26US #56
#51Harold26US #33
#52Lawrence26US #31
#53Bill25US #72
#54Leonard25US #67
#55Stanley25US #65
#56Bob24US #107
#57Francis24US #80
#58Russell24US #66
#59Randall23US #123
#60Stephen23US #24
#61Frank22US #22
#62Jerome21US #114
#63Mike21US #64
#64Arthur20US #36
#65Darrel20
#66Norman20US #76
#67Gordon19US #111
#68Craig18US #108
#69Lloyd18US #106
#70Ronnie18US #54
#71Steve18US #69
#72Carl17US #39
#73Harvey17US #125
#74Jerald17
#75Roy17US #43
#76Walter17US #30
#77Bernard16US #102
#78Calvin16US #128
#79Clifford16US #100
#80Darwin16
#81Glenn16US #81
#82Henry16US #41
#83Melvin16US #86
#84Tom16US #87
#85Albert15US #52
#86Arnold15US #153
#87Don15US #79
#88Garry15US #162
#89Howard15US #55
#90Mark15US #58
#91Philip15US #61
#92Alvin14US #126
#93Joe14US #37
#94Loren14
#95Lynn14US #154
#96Martin14US #92
#97Neil14US #161
#98Ray14US #95
#99Vernon14US #130
#100Virgil14US #198

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑41Elizabeth#42
↑40Bob#56
↑37Leonard#54
↑34Cynthia#48
↑31Patrick#27
↑25Danny#37
↑25Harvey#73
↑24Jacqueline#72

Falling

↓42Rose#90
↓40Ellen#99
↓37Melvin#83
↓33Bernard#77
↓31June#94
↓28Loren#94
↓26Marjorie#75
↓26Howard#89

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.