State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1954 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 15,514 South Dakota births in 1954 across 494 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.

#48Lyleoutside the national top 200
#64Lynn#187 nationally
#81Lorenoutside the national top 200
#89Darlaoutside the national top 200
#78Tom#188 nationally
#91Karlaoutside the national top 200
#91Terranceoutside the national top 200
#77Daryl#180 nationally
#98Kellyoutside the national top 200
#100Marlaoutside the national top 200
#44Duane#136 nationally
#62Kay#146 nationally

Girls

#1Mary338US #1
#2Debra262US #6
#3Linda229US #2
#4Susan211US #5
#5Karen173US #8
#6Pamela157US #12
#7Barbara154US #7
#8Patricia154US #4
#9Cynthia151US #10
#10Nancy149US #9
#11Sandra128US #13
#12Carol124US #15
#13Deborah120US #3
#14Kathleen120US #14
#15Donna109US #11
#16Sharon96US #16
#17Cheryl91US #22
#18Janet86US #19
#19Diane77US #17
#20Connie75US #39
#21Judy73US #29
#22Marilyn72US #35
#23Peggy71US #48
#24Kathryn69US #51
#25Julie68US #70
#26Rebecca68US #26
#27Joan64US #40
#28Kathy61US #23
#29Bonnie59US #52
#30Janice57US #25
#31Jane54US #49
#32Jean49US #56
#33Brenda48US #18
#34Joyce48US #28
#35Beverly47US #31
#36Margaret47US #21
#37Shirley47US #33
#38Vickie47US #69
#39Judith46US #30
#40Rhonda44US #71
#41Elizabeth43US #20
#42Gail41US #37
#43Paula41US #38
#44Cindy39US #91
#45Colleen37US #119
#46Vicki37US #50
#47Wanda37US #58
#48Marcia36US #90
#49Gloria34US #42
#50Laurie34US #98
#51Dawn33US #124
#52Jacqueline33US #68
#53Joanne33US #78
#54Laura33US #45
#55Denise32US #24
#56Dianne32US #116
#57Katherine32US #64
#58Rita32US #67
#59Sherry32US #62
#60Ann31US #44
#61Carolyn31US #27
#62Kay31US #146
#63Carla30US #135
#64Catherine30US #32
#65Sheila30US #60
#66Valerie30US #87
#67Darlene29US #76
#68Teresa28US #34
#69Christine27US #43
#70Elaine27US #74
#71Lois27US #110
#72Marsha27US #86
#73Sally27US #84
#74Constance26US #111
#75Jill26US #107
#76Lynn26US #63
#77Rose26US #54
#78Ruth26US #66
#79Jeanne24US #112
#80Robin24US #41
#81Charlene23US #126
#82Dorothy23US #55
#83Roxanne23US #158
#84Theresa23US #47
#85Betty22US #36
#86Helen22US #72
#87Holly22US #166
#88Lori22US #121
#89Darla21
#90Debbie21US #92
#91Karla21
#92Marlene21US #141
#93Alice20US #81
#94Jo20US #53
#95Penny20US #163
#96Sheryl20US #133
#97Wendy20US #95
#98Diana19US #57
#99Kim19US #134
#100Marla19

Boys

#1Michael374US #1
#2David335US #5
#3James317US #3
#4Steven292US #11
#5Robert248US #2
#6Mark233US #12
#7John226US #4
#8Gary219US #9
#9Richard206US #7
#10Thomas201US #8
#11Douglas175US #29
#12William163US #6
#13Daniel145US #18
#14Ronald144US #15
#15Larry140US #19
#16Donald127US #14
#17Randy126US #33
#18Dennis122US #21
#19Kenneth109US #17
#20Paul109US #16
#21Roger109US #34
#22Terry101US #27
#23Jeffrey97US #23
#24Rodney97US #66
#25Gregory96US #25
#26Bruce94US #30
#27Timothy94US #26
#28Dale92US #50
#29Charles91US #10
#30Kevin87US #28
#31Patrick76US #38
#32Wayne74US #41
#33Joseph70US #13
#34Scott70US #40
#35Craig69US #51
#36Jerry62US #31
#37Randall62US #55
#38Keith58US #45
#39Alan48US #43
#40Edward48US #22
#41Danny47US #42
#42Dean46US #110
#43Gerald46US #44
#44Duane44US #136
#45Curtis42US #84
#46Brian41US #48
#47Stephen41US #20
#48Lyle38
#49Allen36US #82
#50Joel36US #127
#51Darrell35US #95
#52Raymond35US #35
#53Kim34US #109
#54Russell32US #69
#55Bradley31US #106
#56George31US #24
#57Stanley30US #58
#58Jon28US #111
#59Leroy28US #125
#60Rick28US #102
#61Gordon27US #122
#62Marvin25US #97
#63Peter25US #37
#64Lynn24US #187
#65Steve24US #76
#66Jay23US #101
#67Micheal23US #88
#68Ricky23US #46
#69Neil22US #147
#70Barry20US #68
#71Dan20US #139
#72Glenn20US #63
#73Lonnie20US #146
#74Philip20US #62
#75Theodore20US #115
#76Calvin19US #117
#77Daryl19US #180
#78Tom19US #188
#79Wesley19US #155
#80Jeffery18US #90
#81Loren18
#82Jerome17US #114
#83Kent17US #167
#84Lawrence17US #39
#85Leslie17US #137
#86Dwight16US #145
#87Francis16US #94
#88Frank16US #36
#89Joe16US #67
#90Mike16US #130
#91Terrance16
#92Allan15US #149
#93Brad15US #154
#94Carl15US #47
#95Eugene15US #77
#96Glen15US #131
#97Jack15US #57
#98Kelly15
#99Lee15US #96
#100Harold14US #60

On the move since 1953

Rising

↑33Joanne#53
↑33Laura#54
↑32Rhonda#40
↑31Joel#50
↑30Brenda#33
↑29Sherry#59
↑29Peter#63
↑27Barry#70

Falling

↓51Betty#85
↓48Eugene#95
↓42Jack#97
↓39Marlene#92
↓37Lee#99
↓29Diana#98
↓26Sheila#65
↓26Theresa#84

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1953 rankings.