State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1978 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,485 South Dakota births in 1978 across 394 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.

#59Wadeoutside the national top 200
#81Beckyoutside the national top 200
#81Darinoutside the national top 200
#37Cody#152 nationally
#87Jessieoutside the national top 200
#95Jamioutside the national top 200
#97Brockoutside the national top 200
#98Heathoutside the national top 200
#39Kari#137 nationally
#80Chris#174 nationally
#90Kelly#180 nationally
#91Stacie#177 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer215US #1
#2Jessica143US #3
#3Amy119US #4
#4Melissa105US #2
#5Sarah105US #8
#6Angela103US #7
#7Heather93US #5
#8Rebecca88US #17
#9Nicole81US #10
#10Michelle75US #9
#11Stephanie75US #16
#12Sara72US #28
#13Amber68US #30
#14Jill64US #46
#15Amanda63US #6
#16Lisa59US #11
#17Erin55US #21
#18Kelly54US #12
#19Kimberly54US #13
#20Laura53US #19
#21Andrea49US #23
#22Elizabeth48US #14
#23Jamie48US #20
#24Tara46US #40
#25Stacy45US #44
#26Shannon40US #22
#27Christina39US #15
#28Heidi38US #83
#29Crystal35US #18
#30Julie33US #26
#31Lori32US #60
#32Emily31US #33
#33Holly31US #55
#34Dawn30US #52
#35Carrie29US #35
#36April28US #27
#37Susan28US #49
#38Tanya27US #82
#39Kari26US #137
#40Kristi26US #98
#41Mary26US #24
#42Tracy26US #47
#43Danielle25US #31
#44Misty25US #43
#45Rachel25US #25
#46Erica23US #34
#47Stacey23US #53
#48Tina23US #45
#49Wendy23US #56
#50Katherine22US #38
#51Kelli22US #124
#52Alicia21US #58
#53Nichole21US #116
#54Teresa21US #88
#55Tonya21US #77
#56Melanie20US #54
#57Brandy18US #37
#58Christy18US #59
#59Jodi18US #128
#60Tiffany18US #32
#61Christine17US #29
#62Katie17US #90
#63Kristina17US #64
#64Leah17US #108
#65Mandy17US #96
#66Anna16US #65
#67Natalie16US #66
#68Renee16US #99
#69Ann15US #125
#70Brandi15US #61
#71Brenda15US #103
#72Jenny15US #111
#73Theresa15US #101
#74Valerie15US #92
#75Beth14US #107
#76Jacqueline14US #81
#77Leslie14US #63
#78Monica14US #42
#79Shanna14US #149
#80Allison13US #75
#81Becky13
#82Denise13US #85
#83Gina13US #93
#84Michele13US #86
#85Anne12US #119
#86Jaime12US #70
#87Jessie12
#88Karen12US #39
#89Molly12US #142
#90Sandra12US #69
#91Stacie12US #177
#92Tammy12US #67
#93Catherine11US #72
#94Desiree11US #154
#95Jami11
#96Kara11US #127
#97Kathryn11US #57
#98Lindsey11US #153
#99Megan11US #41
#100Patricia11US #48

Boys

#1Michael207US #1
#2Jason176US #2
#3Ryan173US #14
#4Christopher157US #3
#5Matthew155US #6
#6Jeremy149US #18
#7Joshua124US #12
#8Justin121US #28
#9Brian101US #9
#10David101US #4
#11Eric95US #16
#12John92US #7
#13Robert92US #8
#14Travis91US #46
#15Nathan85US #36
#16Chad84US #35
#17Daniel83US #11
#18James83US #5
#19Timothy75US #17
#20Aaron74US #32
#21Steven72US #24
#22Scott68US #30
#23Andrew66US #22
#24Joseph66US #10
#25Jeffrey64US #19
#26Nicholas60US #25
#27Thomas60US #23
#28Mark55US #26
#29Jesse54US #51
#30Paul54US #33
#31Adam52US #29
#32Kevin46US #15
#33Anthony44US #20
#34Benjamin44US #34
#35Shawn44US #39
#36William43US #13
#37Cody42US #152
#38Cory42US #73
#39Charles40US #27
#40Shane39US #65
#41Dustin38US #68
#42Patrick37US #42
#43Kyle36US #63
#44Richard36US #21
#45Bradley35US #53
#46Brandon35US #40
#47Gregory34US #38
#48Todd33US #56
#49Jonathan32US #31
#50Jacob31US #50
#51Jared31US #72
#52Keith29US #49
#53Joel28US #74
#54Lance28US #134
#55Casey27US #92
#56Donald27US #48
#57Troy27US #88
#58Corey26US #61
#59Wade26
#60Craig25US #66
#61Bryan24US #43
#62Douglas24US #59
#63Jeremiah24US #81
#64Brent23US #87
#65Jay22US #119
#66Randy22US #86
#67Samuel22US #57
#68Derek21US #75
#69Jamie21US #95
#70Brett20US #112
#71Jon20US #108
#72Philip19US #84
#73Shaun19US #52
#74Sean18US #45
#75Tony18US #97
#76Erik16US #85
#77Jeffery16US #80
#78Tyler16US #150
#79Zachary16US #89
#80Chris15US #174
#81Darin15
#82Kenneth15US #41
#83Lee15US #133
#84Trevor15US #169
#85Peter14US #54
#86Russell14US #93
#87Clinton13US #148
#88Curtis13US #96
#89Dennis13US #71
#90Kelly13US #180
#91Ronald13US #55
#92Seth13US #106
#93Luke12US #139
#94Martin12US #126
#95Terry12US #91
#96Allen11US #145
#97Brock11
#98Heath11
#99Larry11US #64
#100Nathaniel11US #94

On the move since 1977

Rising

↑37Nicholas#26
↑31Anna#66
↑30Kelli#51
↑30Keith#52
↑28Tina#48
↑27Gregory#47
↑25Erica#46
↑25Natalie#67

Falling

↓44Megan#99
↓33Kara#96
↓32Kathryn#97
↓29Jodi#59
↓27Mandy#65
↓24Karen#88
↓24Jamie#69
↓24Terry#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1977 rankings.