Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1920

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1920 were Dorothy for girls (282 babies) and Robert for boys (358). Dorothy ranked #2 nationally for girls. Robert ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 13,020 babies born in South Dakota in 1920 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1920

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

Ione: 15 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Mavis: 18 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Fern: 41 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Delores: 23 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Luella: 22 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Carol: 25 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Maxine: 70 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Lorraine: 76 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Marcella: 26 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Phyllis: 69 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Boys

Vern: 23 babies, 14.3× the national rate
Duane: 21 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Laverne: 16 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Lyle: 37 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Merle: 26 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lowell: 20 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dale: 48 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Clayton: 23 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Arnold: 45 babies, 4× the national rate
Orville: 28 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1920

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1919	US rank
1	Dorothy	282	↑2	2
2	Mary	229	–	1
3	Helen	218	↓2	3
4	Margaret	181	–	4
5	Ruth	177	–	5
6	Evelyn	141	↑1	12
7	Doris	126	↑4	14
8	Irene	116	–	17
9	Mildred	110	↓3	6
10	Frances	93	↑10	9
11	Esther	92	↓2	39
12	Marie	87	↑5	13
13	Alice	85	↓3	15
14	Florence	85	↓1	16
15	Gladys	84	↓3	22
16	Marjorie	83	↑6	24
17	Lucille	82	↓1	29
18	Betty	77	↑20	11
19	Virginia	77	↓1	7
20	Lorraine	76	↑7	70
21	Viola	73	↓7	59
22	Hazel	70	↓1	34
23	Maxine	70	↑8	81
24	Phyllis	69	↑6	72
25	Lois	66	↓10	38
26	Elizabeth	64	↑7	8
27	Lillian	61	↓3	18
28	Bernice	58	↓3	40
29	Edna	58	↓10	27
30	Violet	58	↓7	77
31	Grace	57	↓5	37
32	Shirley	53	new	56
33	Ruby	50	new	26
34	Thelma	50	↑15	31
35	Leona	49	↑6	89
36	Vivian	49	↑7	64
37	Agnes	47	↓5	54
38	Anna	47	↓4	10
39	Elsie	47	↑7	51
40	June	46	↑7	53
41	Marian	44	↑1	73
42	Ethel	43	↓13	30
43	Vera	43	↓6	75
44	Edith	42	↓5	32
45	Gertrude	42	↓5	42
46	Jean	42	↓10	33
47	Mabel	42	new	83
48	Elaine	41	new	>100
49	Fern	41	new	>100
50	Eleanor	40	↓22	25

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1919	US rank
1	Robert	358	–	3
2	John	223	–	1
3	Donald	200	–	16
4	William	177	–	2
5	Harold	155	↑1	12
6	James	146	↑2	4
7	Raymond	130	↓2	15
8	Kenneth	125	↑1	23
9	George	122	↓2	6
10	Charles	114	–	5
11	Walter	94	↑2	13
12	Richard	91	–	10
13	Arthur	86	↓2	18
14	Edward	86	↑1	8
15	Leonard	80	↑12	38
16	Howard	72	↑2	24
17	Earl	71	↓1	31
18	Lloyd	70	↑10	58
19	Clarence	67	↓5	26
20	Albert	61	–	19
21	Elmer	60	↑17	45
22	Joseph	60	↓5	7
23	Melvin	59	↑8	54
24	Clifford	58	↑9	59
25	Paul	58	↓2	14
26	Henry	57	↑4	17
27	Marvin	57	↓5	62
28	Ralph	57	↑6	22
29	Francis	56	↓10	34
30	Frank	56	↓4	9
31	Eugene	54	↑8	30
32	Lawrence	54	↑18	36
33	Leo	53	↑8	48
34	Roy	50	new	32
35	Vernon	50	↓11	65
36	Wayne	49	↑7	86
37	Dale	48	new	>100
38	Harry	48	↓2	21
39	Warren	48	new	39
40	Norman	47	↓8	47
41	Thomas	47	↑1	11
42	Arnold	45	↓2	91
43	Alvin	44	↓22	76
44	Carl	44	↓15	27
45	Edwin	43	↓20	53
46	Russell	42	new	51
47	Ernest	41	↓12	37
48	Floyd	40	↓1	61
49	Jack	40	new	20
50	Bernard	37	↓2	46

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