State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1961 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 14,822 South Dakota births in 1961 across 510 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.

#40Karla#195 nationally
#54Kristioutside the national top 200
#62Darlaoutside the national top 200
#77Lyleoutside the national top 200
#71Kay#192 nationally
#90Lorenoutside the national top 200
#91Joleneoutside the national top 200
#94Darwinoutside the national top 200
#97Rondaoutside the national top 200
#97Monteoutside the national top 200
#98Wadeoutside the national top 200
#55Shelly#145 nationally

Girls

#1Lori211US #14
#2Mary187US #1
#3Brenda163US #11
#4Lisa162US #2
#5Julie157US #23
#6Susan144US #3
#7Linda130US #4
#8Karen114US #5
#9Debra113US #13
#10Patricia108US #6
#11Nancy104US #16
#12Pamela101US #15
#13Kimberly94US #22
#14Dawn88US #49
#15Sandra86US #9
#16Teresa86US #18
#17Carol85US #24
#18Barbara83US #12
#19Donna81US #7
#20Kathy76US #25
#21Cindy72US #33
#22Diane71US #26
#23Robin69US #27
#24Connie68US #50
#25Tammy68US #28
#26Laurie67US #43
#27Kathleen65US #29
#28Debbie63US #31
#29Michelle63US #34
#30Denise62US #30
#31Cheryl61US #20
#32Cynthia61US #8
#33Janet60US #32
#34Kim56US #36
#35Laura56US #21
#36Sharon56US #17
#37Kelly53US #45
#38Elizabeth52US #19
#39Jane51US #72
#40Karla49US #195
#41Theresa45US #35
#42Peggy44US #88
#43Rhonda43US #46
#44Tamara43US #125
#45Deborah42US #10
#46Rebecca42US #44
#47Beth41US #65
#48Joan40US #89
#49Carla37US #77
#50Jacqueline37US #37
#51Judy36US #58
#52Terri36US #51
#53Jill34US #74
#54Kristi34
#55Shelly34US #145
#56Sherry33US #53
#57Vicki33US #76
#58Bonnie32US #75
#59Paula32US #60
#60Ann31US #54
#61Colleen30US #106
#62Darla29
#63Becky28US #115
#64Monica28US #136
#65Valerie28US #67
#66Wanda28US #70
#67Jackie27US #112
#68Janice27US #52
#69Sheila27US #59
#70Christine26US #39
#71Kay26US #192
#72Michele26US #63
#73Carolyn24US #42
#74Jean24US #92
#75Kathryn24US #93
#76Ruth24US #96
#77Tracy24US #64
#78Angela23US #38
#79Cathy23US #55
#80Joyce23US #62
#81Renee23US #79
#82Sheryl23US #140
#83Wendy23US #61
#84Catherine22US #48
#85Lynn22US #71
#86Margaret22US #40
#87Pam22US #144
#88Sherri22US #121
#89Anita21US #91
#90Jeanne21US #138
#91Jolene21
#92Sandy21US #135
#93Charlene20US #150
#94Deanna20US #156
#95Katherine20US #86
#96Penny20US #101
#97Ronda20
#98Shirley20US #85
#99Sue20US #130
#100Tina20US #41

Boys

#1David327US #2
#2Mark284US #6
#3Michael262US #1
#4James228US #4
#5Kevin206US #14
#6John198US #3
#7Todd194US #46
#8Scott190US #19
#9Robert189US #5
#10Steven167US #10
#11Jeffrey163US #11
#12Timothy159US #15
#13Daniel149US #17
#14Brian130US #20
#15Richard125US #8
#16Thomas112US #9
#17William112US #7
#18Douglas111US #28
#19Gary109US #21
#20Paul99US #18
#21Terry91US #32
#22Donald87US #22
#23Kenneth81US #16
#24Bradley78US #87
#25Gregory76US #23
#26Randy76US #33
#27Craig72US #43
#28Ronald71US #24
#29Bruce70US #40
#30Charles70US #13
#31Dennis66US #34
#32Mike66US #36
#33Keith64US #35
#34Larry64US #30
#35Roger60US #47
#36Dale55US #58
#37Jay54US #81
#38Joseph54US #12
#39Dean53US #84
#40Alan52US #51
#41Patrick52US #39
#42Tim52US #65
#43Jerry49US #37
#44Jeffery48US #50
#45Randall48US #63
#46Rodney47US #72
#47Russell47US #55
#48Jeff46US #49
#49Tom45US #88
#50Wayne45US #61
#51Jon44US #93
#52Steve44US #45
#53Greg42US #77
#54Kelly40US #125
#55Curtis37US #75
#56Jim35US #78
#57Brad34US #142
#58Bryan31US #82
#59Dan31US #115
#60Danny31US #54
#61Duane31US #132
#62Ricky31US #44
#63Joel30US #110
#64Rick30US #108
#65Christopher28US #26
#66Anthony27US #25
#67Edward27US #29
#68George26US #31
#69Kent26US #147
#70Raymond26US #48
#71Troy26US #100
#72Matthew25US #59
#73Dave24US #130
#74Barry23US #66
#75Allen22US #96
#76Eric22US #38
#77Lyle22
#78Andrew21US #52
#79Bill21US #104
#80Kurt21US #129
#81Stephen21US #27
#82Frank20US #41
#83Peter20US #42
#84Chris19US #57
#85Lance19US #173
#86Micheal19US #103
#87Tony19US #53
#88Jack18US #90
#89Lee18US #122
#90Loren18
#91Brent17US #137
#92Brett17US #159
#93Darrell17US #101
#94Darwin17
#95Don17US #121
#96Glen17US #135
#97Monte17
#98Wade17
#99Gerald16US #62
#100Joe16US #60

On the move since 1960

Rising

↑41Jacqueline#50
↑27Jeffery#44
↑26Michelle#29
↑26Christopher#65
↑25Christine#70
↑23Monica#64
↑22Karla#40
↑19Edward#67

Falling

↓42Gerald#99
↓33Jean#74
↓31Wendy#83
↓30Brett#92
↓28Lynn#85
↓27Joe#100
↓24Pam#87
↓22Tony#87

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1960 rankings.