State roster

Top names in South Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1979 South Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 10,017 South Dakota births in 1979 across 420 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.

#66Heathoutside the national top 200
#71Kelly#200 nationally
#77Wadeoutside the national top 200
#86Beckyoutside the national top 200
#89Darinoutside the national top 200
#91Bobbioutside the national top 200
#38Cody#147 nationally
#92Levioutside the national top 200
#45Kari#151 nationally
#96Austinoutside the national top 200
#97Tamioutside the national top 200
#97Dallasoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Jennifer244US #1
#2Jessica133US #4
#3Melissa132US #2
#4Amanda128US #3
#5Angela107US #8
#6Heather106US #7
#7Amy101US #5
#8Sarah92US #6
#9Nicole83US #9
#10Michelle82US #10
#11Rebecca79US #17
#12Lisa76US #13
#13Jamie71US #19
#14Amber67US #22
#15Sara58US #30
#16Stephanie56US #15
#17Elizabeth55US #11
#18Andrea53US #26
#19Laura51US #20
#20Erin50US #21
#21Kimberly50US #12
#22Jill49US #52
#23Christina47US #14
#24Crystal45US #18
#25Heidi44US #83
#26Julie44US #29
#27Kelly44US #16
#28Tara42US #38
#29Rachel40US #27
#30April38US #23
#31Emily38US #34
#32Holly37US #48
#33Shannon35US #25
#34Stacy35US #43
#35Katie34US #63
#36Kristi34US #109
#37Megan33US #31
#38Nichole31US #103
#39Kristina30US #74
#40Mary29US #24
#41Brandy27US #39
#42Erica27US #32
#43Misty27US #42
#44Tiffany27US #28
#45Kari26US #151
#46Tanya25US #93
#47Brooke24US #85
#48Lori23US #69
#49Melanie23US #53
#50Mindy23US #81
#51Stacey23US #60
#52Tina23US #58
#53Anna22US #59
#54Tracy22US #49
#55Ann21US #126
#56Danielle21US #33
#57Leah21US #98
#58Trisha21US #159
#59Karen20US #46
#60Katherine20US #36
#61Leslie20US #65
#62Teresa20US #87
#63Wendy20US #64
#64Alicia18US #47
#65Kara18US #125
#66Kristin18US #73
#67Patricia18US #44
#68Anne17US #115
#69Carmen17US #172
#70Carrie17US #41
#71Dawn17US #57
#72Jaime17US #97
#73Kathryn17US #50
#74Monica17US #40
#75Brandi16US #61
#76Kelli16US #129
#77Tamara16US #104
#78Christine15US #35
#79Jodi15US #140
#80Mandy15US #116
#81Miranda15US #174
#82Molly15US #139
#83Robin15US #95
#84Tonya15US #86
#85Valerie15US #89
#86Becky14
#87Bridget14US #161
#88Lindsey14US #113
#89Susan14US #51
#90Barbara13US #123
#91Bobbi13
#92Jacqueline13US #80
#93Jenny13US #120
#94Kristen13US #62
#95Kristy13US #56
#96Melinda13US #82
#97Tami13
#98Tammy13US #79
#99Vanessa13US #75
#100Alisha12US #162

Boys

#1Matthew197US #6
#2Michael193US #1
#3Jason190US #3
#4Christopher170US #2
#5Joshua149US #9
#6Ryan134US #14
#7Justin124US #22
#8Nicholas111US #15
#9John109US #7
#10Jeremy108US #16
#11Brian105US #10
#12Travis104US #36
#13Aaron103US #32
#14David102US #4
#15Eric102US #17
#16James101US #5
#17Adam94US #23
#18Daniel93US #12
#19Robert83US #8
#20Chad75US #38
#21Nathan75US #37
#22Joseph74US #11
#23Andrew69US #20
#24Scott68US #29
#25Timothy62US #18
#26Jeffrey60US #24
#27Benjamin59US #33
#28Jesse59US #50
#29Mark57US #30
#30Kevin56US #19
#31Paul56US #34
#32Thomas54US #26
#33Bradley50US #47
#34Brandon48US #35
#35Steven48US #27
#36William48US #13
#37Dustin46US #62
#38Cody41US #147
#39Anthony40US #21
#40Jonathan40US #31
#41Shane40US #67
#42Casey34US #93
#43Kyle33US #56
#44Shawn33US #43
#45Bryan32US #46
#46Patrick32US #39
#47Richard31US #25
#48Charles29US #28
#49Troy28US #99
#50Tyler28US #131
#51Gregory27US #42
#52Brent26US #84
#53Curtis25US #91
#54Jacob25US #45
#55Corey24US #63
#56Jared24US #65
#57Jay23US #126
#58Cory22US #82
#59Jamie22US #88
#60Jeremiah22US #81
#61Joel22US #71
#62Keith22US #52
#63Lucas22US #108
#64Lance21US #142
#65Todd21US #60
#66Heath20
#67Samuel20US #55
#68Derek19US #72
#69Kenneth19US #41
#70Jon18US #118
#71Kelly18US #200
#72Seth18US #101
#73Douglas17US #58
#74Zachary17US #74
#75Lee16US #129
#76Sean16US #49
#77Wade16
#78Brad15US #115
#79Brett15US #98
#80Craig15US #77
#81Donald15US #51
#82Edward15US #48
#83Peter15US #53
#84Luke14US #110
#85Nathaniel14US #95
#86Tony14US #104
#87Clinton13US #146
#88Erik13US #66
#89Darin12
#90Frank12US #78
#91Kristopher12US #114
#92Levi12
#93Randy12US #86
#94Shaun12US #64
#95Wayne12US #149
#96Austin11
#97Dallas11
#98Jordan11US #168
#99Russell11US #92
#100Trevor11US #153

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑62Megan#37
↑35Curtis#53
↑33Patricia#67
↑32Heath#66
↑31Kara#65
↑29Karen#59
↑28Tyler#50
↑27Katie#35

Falling

↓52Susan#89
↓37Dawn#71
↓35Carrie#70
↓29Tonya#84
↓27Randy#93
↓25Kelli#76
↓25Donald#81
↓21Jenny#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1978 rankings.