Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1917

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1917 were Helen for girls (237 babies) and John for boys (222). Helen ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 11,481 babies born in South Dakota in 1917 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1917

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

Carol: 22 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Luella: 19 babies, 4× the national rate
Lydia: 26 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Joyce: 22 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Alta: 15 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Maxine: 49 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Viola: 73 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Leona: 55 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Fern: 22 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Lorraine: 33 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Lyle: 38 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Merle: 26 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Dale: 39 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Orville: 32 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Virgil: 41 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Lowell: 15 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Alvin: 52 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Arnold: 42 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Otto: 18 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Clayton: 17 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1917

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	Helen	237	–	2
2	Mary	228	↑1	1
3	Dorothy	194	↓1	3
4	Margaret	171	↑1	4
5	Ruth	152	↓1	5
6	Evelyn	143	–	11
7	Mildred	114	–	6
8	Irene	108	↑2	17
9	Florence	97	↑3	14
10	Gladys	89	↓1	23
11	Doris	84	↑8	25
12	Hazel	84	↑4	31
13	Frances	80	↑1	9
14	Alice	78	↓6	13
15	Esther	77	↓2	38
16	Lillian	73	↑8	15
17	Lois	73	↑17	43
18	Viola	73	↑14	59
19	Edna	71	↓2	20
20	Marie	71	↓9	12
21	Lucille	64	↓6	29
22	Grace	62	↓4	30
23	Gertrude	58	↑15	37
24	Marjorie	57	↑6	36
25	Elizabeth	56	↓5	8
26	Virginia	56	↑14	10
27	Leona	55	↑15	80
28	Agnes	52	↑1	48
29	Anna	52	↓8	7
30	Clara	49	↓7	41
31	Maxine	49	↑19	93
32	Ruby	49	↑3	27
33	Bernice	48	↓7	42
34	Martha	47	↓12	22
35	Elsie	46	↓8	50
36	Violet	46	new	84
37	Ethel	45	↑7	24
38	Thelma	44	↑9	32
39	Rose	43	↓14	16
40	Vera	42	↓4	66
41	Vivian	42	↓10	79
42	Eleanor	40	↓9	26
43	Emma	40	↑5	46
44	Pearl	39	new	57
45	Josephine	37	new	21
46	Marian	37	↓1	74
47	Phyllis	37	↓1	92
48	Kathryn	36	new	60
49	Bertha	35	new	51
50	Ida	35	new	56

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	John	222	↑1	1
2	Robert	203	↓1	4
3	William	153	–	2
4	James	145	–	3
5	Donald	141	–	20
6	George	136	↑1	6
7	Harold	122	↓1	12
8	Charles	121	–	7
9	Kenneth	89	–	27
10	Arthur	86	↑6	17
11	Edward	85	↑1	8
12	Raymond	82	↓2	16
13	Richard	80	↓2	14
14	Clarence	78	↓1	25
15	Walter	76	–	11
16	Paul	74	↑15	13
17	Joseph	71	↓3	5
18	Lloyd	71	↑5	53
19	Albert	67	↓1	18
20	Ralph	66	↓1	21
21	Lawrence	61	↑15	36
22	Elmer	57	↓5	45
23	Henry	57	↑4	15
24	Francis	55	↓4	30
25	Clifford	53	↑1	59
26	Leo	53	↑9	47
27	Melvin	53	↓6	57
28	Alvin	52	↑5	81
29	Earl	52	↓7	32
30	Leonard	52	↓5	41
31	Harry	51	↑3	19
32	Lester	49	↑12	61
33	Edwin	46	↑6	55
34	Herbert	46	↓2	40
35	Carl	45	↑3	24
36	Marvin	45	↓8	68
37	Roy	45	↑3	33
38	Arnold	42	↓1	91
39	Ernest	42	↓15	37
40	Howard	41	↓10	26
41	Virgil	41	new	>100
42	Frank	40	↓13	9
43	Dale	39	↑6	>100
44	Fred	38	↓1	29
45	Leroy	38	new	60
46	Lyle	38	↑2	>100
47	Thomas	38	↓1	10
48	Gordon	37	new	84
49	Jack	36	new	22
50	Vernon	36	↓9	71

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