Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1917

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1917 were Helen for girls (819 babies) and John for boys (903). Helen ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 40,495 babies born in Minnesota in 1917 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1917

Names given at least 15 times in Minnesota that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Luverne: 21 babies, 21.5× the national rate
Arvilla: 18 babies, 12× the national rate
Ardis: 23 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Hilma: 15 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Ione: 49 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Leone: 29 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Marvel: 17 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Violette: 16 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Alvina: 38 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Lorraine: 247 babies, 6.3× the national rate

Boys

Erling: 17 babies, 18.9× the national rate
Reino: 17 babies, 16× the national rate
Arvid: 22 babies, 15× the national rate
Toivo: 15 babies, 15× the national rate
Roman: 37 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Palmer: 19 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Alden: 19 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Arnold: 161 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Maynard: 30 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Rolland: 16 babies, 4.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Minnesota, 1917

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	Helen	819	–	2
2	Mary	756	–	1
3	Dorothy	720	–	3
4	Margaret	710	–	4
5	Ruth	516	–	5
6	Evelyn	472	–	11
7	Mildred	345	↑1	6
8	Florence	339	↓1	14
9	Alice	334	–	13
10	Irene	333	–	17
11	Marie	298	↑3	12
12	Lucille	293	–	29
13	Frances	269	↓2	9
14	Bernice	268	↑4	42
15	Gladys	255	↑2	23
16	Doris	251	↑4	25
17	Lorraine	247	↑5	>100
18	Lillian	242	↓2	15
19	Esther	227	↓6	38
20	Elizabeth	226	↓1	8
21	Virginia	222	↑3	10
22	Eleanor	205	↓7	26
23	Rose	202	↑5	16
24	Marjorie	189	↑3	36
25	Lois	187	↑7	43
26	Hazel	185	↓3	31
27	Edna	174	↓1	20
28	Marion	174	↓3	45
29	Agnes	173	↓8	48
30	Gertrude	169	↑3	37
31	Anna	163	↑6	7
32	Ethel	162	↓2	24
33	Elsie	159	↑5	50
34	Grace	159	↓5	30
35	June	158	↑8	73
36	Violet	157	↑4	84
37	Ann	155	↓2	44
38	Myrtle	150	↓4	58
39	Marian	149	↓8	74
40	Jean	148	new	40
41	Leona	148	↑5	80
42	Edith	142	↓1	28
43	Viola	140	↓4	59
44	Martha	132	new	22
45	Catherine	129	↓3	18
46	Josephine	127	↑2	21
47	Clara	125	↑3	41
48	Betty	124	new	34
49	Vivian	124	↓4	79
50	Genevieve	119	new	77

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	John	903	–	1
2	Robert	813	–	4
3	William	586	–	2
4	Donald	526	↑1	20
5	George	491	↓1	6
6	James	384	↑1	3
7	Harold	382	↓1	12
8	Raymond	377	↑1	16
9	Joseph	340	↑1	5
10	Edward	337	↓2	8
11	Charles	297	–	7
12	Kenneth	289	↑2	27
13	Richard	283	↑2	14
14	Walter	279	↓2	11
15	Arthur	265	↓2	17
16	Clarence	234	↑1	25
17	Frank	234	↓1	9
18	Lloyd	199	↑10	53
19	Henry	197	↑1	15
20	Lawrence	193	↑1	36
21	Leonard	191	↓3	41
22	Paul	190	↑3	13
23	Carl	185	↓4	24
24	Ralph	178	↑2	21
25	Albert	176	↓2	18
26	Earl	174	↑3	32
27	Harry	174	↓3	19
28	Stanley	173	↑4	34
29	Clifford	171	↑7	59
30	Arnold	161	↑1	91
31	Thomas	153	↑4	10
32	Howard	152	↓5	26
33	Roy	151	↓11	33
34	Elmer	148	↓1	45
35	Melvin	147	↑2	57
36	Herbert	145	↑4	40
37	Vernon	144	↓7	71
38	Francis	140	↑1	30
39	Gordon	140	↓1	84
40	Bernard	138	↑4	49
41	Marvin	137	↑5	68
42	Norman	134	–	46
43	Ernest	132	↑4	37
44	Edwin	125	↓10	55
45	Russell	125	↓2	52
46	Leo	123	↓5	47
47	Alfred	120	new	43
48	Fred	116	new	29
49	Lester	110	↓1	61
50	Louis	109	↓5	23

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