Popular baby names in South Dakota

In 2025, South Dakota's top baby names were Lainey for girls and Oliver for boys. Below: this year's top 20, the names South Dakota likes far more than the rest of the country, the number-one names decade by decade, and every year's list back to 1910.

Top 20 names in South Dakota, 2025

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	US rank
1	Lainey	50	30
2	Charlotte	44	2
3	Evelyn	39	8
4	Emma	36	3
5	Olivia	36	1
6	Eleanor	32	12
7	Ellie	31	24
8	Harper	31	16
9	Nora	31	20
10	Amelia	30	4
11	Lucy	30	25
12	Ella	29	29
13	Ivy	29	39
14	Hazel	27	21
15	Lily	27	18
16	Sophie	27	55
17	Willow	27	44
18	Aurora	25	15
19	Emery	25	74
20	Isla	25	28

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	US rank
1	Oliver	66	3
2	Liam	60	1
3	Henry	50	5
4	Hudson	50	17
5	Noah	50	2
6	Theodore	47	4
7	Beau	42	60
8	William	41	9
9	Leo	40	19
10	Maverick	38	49
11	Elijah	35	7
12	Brooks	33	64
13	Asher	32	28
14	James	32	6
15	Bennett	31	40
16	Ezra	31	20
17	Cooper	30	27
18	Levi	30	12
19	Colter	29	>100
20	Stetson	29	>100

Full 2025 top 50 and standout names

Names South Dakota likes more than the rest of the country

South Dakota favorites

Among the state's 100 most-given names in 2021–2025 and at least twice as common there as in the rest of the US.

Sutton (boys): #100 in South Dakota, 8.3× the rest-of-US rate
Lennon (girls): #43 in South Dakota, 6.7× the rest-of-US rate
Colter (boys): #60 in South Dakota, 6.6× the rest-of-US rate
Wrenley (girls): #42 in South Dakota, 6.1× the rest-of-US rate
Collins (girls): #74 in South Dakota, 5.6× the rest-of-US rate
Sawyer (girls): #81 in South Dakota, 5.4× the rest-of-US rate
Sutton (girls): #57 in South Dakota, 5.4× the rest-of-US rate
Brynlee (girls): #71 in South Dakota, 5.2× the rest-of-US rate
Hayes (boys): #40 in South Dakota, 5.1× the rest-of-US rate
Lainey (girls): #9 in South Dakota, 5× the rest-of-US rate
Palmer (girls): #88 in South Dakota, 5× the rest-of-US rate
Elsie (girls): #46 in South Dakota, 4.8× the rest-of-US rate

Number-one baby names in South Dakota by decade

Year	Girls	Boys
2025	Lainey	Oliver
2020	Harper	Oliver
2010	Sophia	Jacob
2000	Hannah	Jacob
1990	Ashley	Tyler
1980	Jennifer	Michael
1970	Lisa	Michael
1960	Mary	David
1950	Linda	David
1940	Mary	Robert
1930	Betty	Robert
1920	Dorothy	Robert
1910	Helen	John

Top 20 names in South Dakota, 2025

Names South Dakota likes more than the rest of the country

South Dakota favorites

Number-one baby names in South Dakota by decade

South Dakota baby names by year