State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1951 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 15,699 South Dakota births in 1951 across 463 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.

#53Lyleoutside the national top 200
#61Lorenoutside the national top 200
#81Daryl#196 nationally
#91Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#94Vickyoutside the national top 200
#95Jeraldoutside the national top 200
#52Lynn#155 nationally
#93Terrence#193 nationally
#43Duane#130 nationally
#89Kim#172 nationally
#94Arnold#177 nationally
#67Neil#149 nationally

Girls

#1Linda356US #1
#2Mary306US #2
#3Patricia241US #3
#4Barbara214US #5
#5Susan214US #6
#6Nancy181US #7
#7Kathleen172US #10
#8Karen171US #8
#9Sandra160US #9
#10Carol153US #11
#11Deborah152US #4
#12Pamela127US #16
#13Sharon126US #13
#14Debra121US #18
#15Donna117US #12
#16Diane107US #15
#17Judy103US #26
#18Cheryl93US #30
#19Cynthia91US #20
#20Janet91US #19
#21Peggy88US #40
#22Janice80US #21
#23Bonnie79US #37
#24Connie78US #44
#25Jean73US #49
#26Margaret73US #17
#27Judith72US #25
#28Marilyn71US #41
#29Jane66US #43
#30Joyce64US #28
#31Betty61US #29
#32Rebecca60US #32
#33Shirley58US #27
#34Kathryn56US #45
#35Beverly54US #33
#36Elizabeth52US #23
#37Colleen47US #114
#38Rita44US #61
#39Brenda43US #14
#40Marlene42US #118
#41Gail41US #36
#42Gloria41US #31
#43Kathy40US #35
#44Carolyn39US #22
#45Julie39US #99
#46Lois38US #85
#47Marcia38US #74
#48Ruth38US #53
#49Katherine36US #55
#50Vicki36US #58
#51Glenda35US #89
#52Catherine34US #34
#53Dianne34US #90
#54Joan34US #39
#55Constance31US #86
#56Kay31US #120
#57Paula31US #51
#58Teresa30US #63
#59Helen29US #54
#60Jacqueline29US #56
#61Rhonda29US #111
#62Theresa29US #64
#63Wanda29US #52
#64Darlene28US #79
#65Gayle28US #124
#66Rose28US #65
#67Ann27US #46
#68Diana27US #50
#69Dorothy27US #42
#70Jeanne27US #98
#71Marsha27US #76
#72Vickie27US #87
#73Virginia27US #47
#74Penny26US #153
#75Denise25US #48
#76Jo25US #67
#77Lynn25US #72
#78Sheila25US #69
#79Charlotte24US #84
#80Joann24US #104
#81Sally24US #77
#82Victoria24US #81
#83Roberta23US #92
#84Alice22US #62
#85Carla22US #147
#86Christine21US #24
#87Cindy21US #154
#88Laura21US #60
#89Anita20US #96
#90Joanne20US #73
#91Lavonne20
#92Phyllis20US #57
#93Suzanne20US #83
#94Vicky20
#95Cathy19US #71
#96Charlene19US #103
#97Elaine19US #66
#98Jeanette19US #132
#99Renee19US #164
#100Sheryl19US #161

Boys

#1David374US #5
#2Michael326US #4
#3James319US #1
#4Robert308US #2
#5Richard268US #7
#6Thomas246US #8
#7John244US #3
#8Steven241US #13
#9Gary225US #10
#10Douglas172US #27
#11Dennis169US #17
#12Ronald163US #12
#13Larry160US #11
#14William158US #6
#15Charles137US #9
#16Donald135US #15
#17Roger129US #29
#18Daniel123US #21
#19Kenneth119US #16
#20Terry113US #30
#21Timothy108US #28
#22Mark103US #20
#23Dale102US #49
#24Gregory99US #25
#25Bruce93US #26
#26Jerry92US #24
#27Gerald87US #36
#28Paul79US #18
#29Randy79US #56
#30Randall71US #66
#31Joseph70US #14
#32Wayne69US #37
#33Patrick58US #39
#34Craig56US #63
#35Stephen56US #19
#36Rodney54US #84
#37Edward52US #23
#38Raymond52US #32
#39Alan50US #40
#40Allen50US #72
#41Curtis49US #91
#42Jeffrey49US #35
#43Duane47US #130
#44George47US #22
#45Keith45US #59
#46Lawrence41US #33
#47Kevin39US #53
#48Marvin37US #96
#49Eugene36US #65
#50Dean35US #105
#51Scott35US #68
#52Lynn34US #155
#53Lyle32
#54Jack31US #48
#55Jerome31US #103
#56Stanley30US #54
#57Darrell28US #109
#58Micheal28US #97
#59Russell28US #73
#60Glenn27US #58
#61Loren26
#62Barry25US #71
#63Danny25US #41
#64Lee25US #92
#65Bradley24US #146
#66Harold24US #46
#67Neil23US #149
#68Calvin22US #106
#69Walter22US #42
#70Brian21US #75
#71Francis21US #85
#72Gordon21US #108
#73Leroy21US #111
#74Melvin21US #88
#75Bernard20US #107
#76Gene20US #126
#77Ricky20US #102
#78Theodore19US #99
#79Carl18US #43
#80Dan18US #136
#81Daryl18US #196
#82Frank18US #31
#83Glen18US #127
#84Rick18US #143
#85Albert17US #60
#86Clifford17US #101
#87Jay17US #116
#88Harry16US #70
#89Kim16US #172
#90Leonard16US #80
#91Norman16US #90
#92Steve16US #86
#93Terrence16US #193
#94Arnold15US #177
#95Jerald15
#96Lonnie15US #139
#97Peter15US #38
#98Philip15US #55
#99Ralph15US #51
#100Warren15US #118

On the move since 1950

Rising

↑36Rhonda#61
↑33Bradley#65
↑29Debra#14
↑28Neil#67
↑27Theresa#62
↑22Colleen#37
↑22Marlene#40
↑21Allen#40

Falling

↓46Elaine#97
↓38Philip#98
↓35Warren#100
↓33Leonard#90
↓28Diana#68
↓27Ralph#99
↓24Phyllis#92
↓22Gene#76

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1950 rankings.