Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1916

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1916 were Helen for girls (212 babies) and Robert for boys (237). Helen ranked #2 nationally for girls. Robert ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 10,942 babies born in South Dakota in 1916 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1916

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

Girls

Alvina: 19 babies, 12× the national rate
Erna: 16 babies, 8× the national rate
Joyce: 19 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Luella: 18 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Lorraine: 34 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Fern: 27 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Frieda: 17 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Alta: 15 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Carol: 15 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Arlene: 18 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Lyle: 32 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Otto: 22 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Dale: 31 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Merle: 16 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Orville: 25 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Arnold: 41 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Alvin: 43 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Glen: 24 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Marvin: 49 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Jacob: 22 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1916

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1915	US rank
1	Helen	212	↑1	2
2	Dorothy	202	↑2	3
3	Mary	192	↓2	1
4	Ruth	170	↑1	5
5	Margaret	167	↓2	4
6	Evelyn	124	↑1	11
7	Mildred	121	↑1	6
8	Alice	100	↑1	13
9	Gladys	90	↑4	22
10	Irene	88	–	17
11	Marie	86	↑4	12
12	Florence	85	–	14
13	Esther	84	↓7	34
14	Frances	83	↑5	9
15	Lucille	82	↓1	30
16	Hazel	76	↓5	31
17	Edna	75	↑1	19
18	Grace	71	↑15	26
19	Doris	69	↑3	32
20	Elizabeth	67	↑7	8
21	Anna	64	–	7
22	Martha	62	↑4	24
23	Clara	59	↑6	39
24	Lillian	59	↓8	16
25	Rose	57	↑3	15
26	Bernice	55	↑5	42
27	Elsie	55	↓3	48
28	Edith	54	↑2	28
29	Agnes	52	↓9	50
30	Marjorie	51	↓5	37
31	Vivian	48	new	77
32	Viola	46	↓15	59
33	Eleanor	45	↑1	27
34	Lois	44	↑6	43
35	Ruby	43	new	23
36	Vera	43	new	66
37	Catherine	41	↑13	20
38	Gertrude	41	↑7	35
39	Myrtle	39	↓16	58
40	Virginia	39	↓8	10
41	Alma	38	↓4	70
42	Leona	37	↓3	75
43	Mabel	36	new	65
44	Ethel	35	↓9	25
45	Marian	35	↓9	72
46	Phyllis	35	↑3	95
47	Thelma	35	↓6	29
48	Emma	34	↓10	41
49	Lorraine	34	new	>100
50	Maxine	34	↓6	96

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1915	US rank
1	Robert	237	↑1	4
2	John	236	↓1	1
3	William	151	–	2
4	James	132	↑3	3
5	Donald	129	↓1	20
6	Harold	120	↓1	13
7	George	117	↓1	7
8	Charles	91	–	6
9	Kenneth	88	↑2	27
10	Raymond	84	↑2	16
11	Richard	81	↑5	15
12	Edward	77	↓2	8
13	Clarence	75	–	24
14	Joseph	74	↑3	5
15	Walter	73	–	11
16	Arthur	67	↓7	18
17	Elmer	66	↑1	45
18	Albert	63	↓4	17
19	Ralph	61	↑18	21
20	Francis	57	–	31
21	Melvin	57	↑4	57
22	Earl	55	↑8	32
23	Lloyd	55	↑11	58
24	Ernest	50	↑11	36
25	Leonard	50	↑3	42
26	Clifford	49	↑5	61
27	Henry	49	–	14
28	Marvin	49	↑13	66
29	Frank	48	↓10	9
30	Howard	47	↓9	25
31	Paul	47	↓8	12
32	Herbert	45	↓8	40
33	Alvin	43	–	82
34	Harry	43	↓5	19
35	Leo	43	↓3	47
36	Lawrence	42	↓14	38
37	Arnold	41	↑1	89
38	Carl	41	↑8	23
39	Edwin	41	↑4	53
40	Roy	39	↑5	33
41	Vernon	37	↑3	75
42	Eugene	36	↑5	39
43	Fred	36	new	29
44	Lester	36	↑4	59
45	Norman	36	new	48
46	Thomas	36	↓4	10
47	Bernard	34	↓8	49
48	Lyle	32	↑2	>100
49	Dale	31	new	>100
50	Floyd	31	↓10	60

← South Dakota 1915 South Dakota: all years · US 1916 South Dakota 1917 →