Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1926

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1926 were Dorothy for girls (236 babies) and Robert for boys (397). Dorothy ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 11,761 babies born in South Dakota in 1926 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1926

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

Lavonne: 39 babies, 24.4× the national rate
Mavis: 33 babies, 11.9× the national rate
Darlene: 46 babies, 10.6× the national rate
Avis: 18 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Delores: 71 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Luella: 22 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Deloris: 18 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Donna: 77 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Arlene: 58 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Fern: 21 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Boys

Merle: 40 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Laverne: 20 babies, 9.5× the national rate
Lyle: 51 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Darrell: 28 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Duane: 40 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Harlan: 17 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Lowell: 24 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Dale: 72 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Orville: 27 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Dean: 34 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1926

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925	US rank
1	Dorothy	236	↑1	2
2	Mary	227	↓1	1
3	Betty	195	–	3
4	Helen	134	–	4
5	Doris	126	↑1	7
6	Ruth	121	↓1	6
7	Lois	119	–	19
8	Margaret	116	↑1	5
9	Phyllis	113	↓1	33
10	Shirley	107	↑2	14
11	Evelyn	97	↓1	13
12	Marjorie	89	↓1	22
13	Joyce	85	↑9	44
14	Donna	77	↑11	90
15	Irene	72	↓1	21
16	Delores	71	↑7	>100
17	Lorraine	71	↓1	53
18	Virginia	71	–	8
19	Alice	68	↓6	17
20	Jean	64	↓1	12
21	Mildred	63	↓4	9
22	Patricia	60	↑7	23
23	Esther	59	↓8	62
24	Arlene	58	↓4	>100
25	Gladys	58	↑5	35
26	Lucille	55	↑1	43
27	Norma	55	↓1	29
28	Beverly	54	↑3	74
29	Frances	51	↑3	10
30	Viola	50	↑14	97
31	Maxine	47	↓3	85
32	Darlene	46	↑13	>100
33	Elaine	46	↑4	68
34	Elizabeth	46	↑6	11
35	Lillian	46	↓1	28
36	Rose	46	new	25
37	Dolores	45	new	49
38	Bernice	43	new	45
39	Ruby	42	↑4	30
40	Marie	41	↓16	18
41	Leona	40	new	>100
42	Violet	40	↑6	94
43	Anna	39	↑6	15
44	Florence	39	↓23	26
45	Lavonne	39	new	>100
46	Marilyn	39	new	65
47	June	38	↓14	40
48	Martha	36	new	24
49	Grace	35	↓10	46
50	Eleanor	34	↓15	32

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925	US rank
1	Robert	397	–	1
2	Donald	259	–	9
3	John	205	–	2
4	William	184	–	4
5	James	160	–	3
6	Richard	138	–	7
7	Kenneth	130	–	18
8	Harold	120	↑1	14
9	Charles	104	↓1	5
10	George	95	–	6
11	Eugene	76	↑3	23
12	Raymond	75	↓1	15
13	Dale	72	↑4	84
14	Edward	70	↑5	10
15	Marvin	70	↓3	50
16	Arthur	63	↑7	20
17	Thomas	63	↑3	11
18	Lloyd	61	–	60
19	Leonard	59	↑13	38
20	Gerald	58	↑4	41
21	Joseph	58	↑14	8
22	Wayne	56	↑20	68
23	Paul	55	↓10	13
24	Melvin	52	↓2	47
25	Jack	51	↑6	16
26	Lyle	51	↑1	>100
27	Clarence	50	↓2	29
28	Clifford	49	↓13	62
29	Earl	49	↓1	32
30	Howard	48	↓14	27
31	Elmer	47	↑8	61
32	Walter	47	↓11	17
33	Vernon	46	↑4	66
34	Alvin	43	↓4	72
35	Floyd	43	new	53
36	Leroy	43	↑9	51
37	Norman	42	↑11	39
38	Lawrence	41	↑9	36
39	Leo	41	↓3	54
40	Duane	40	↑9	>100
41	Francis	40	↑3	35
42	Frank	40	↓4	12
43	Merle	40	new	>100
44	Calvin	38	↓11	65
45	Edwin	37	new	55
46	Gordon	37	↓20	76
47	Albert	36	new	21
48	Roy	36	↓7	34
49	Arnold	35	↓6	99
50	Bernard	35	new	49

← South Dakota 1925 South Dakota: all years · US 1926 South Dakota 1927 →