Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1938

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1938 were Mary for girls (225 babies) and Robert for boys (266). Social Security records list 9,457 babies born in South Dakota in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1938

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

Marlys: 30 babies, 20× the national rate
Lavonne: 24 babies, 13.1× the national rate
Janis: 16 babies, 6× the national rate
Ramona: 20 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Darlene: 64 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Deanna: 43 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Delores: 53 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Sharon: 103 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Connie: 34 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Karen: 62 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Boys

Darrel: 24 babies, 11.7× the national rate
Jerald: 20 babies, 10.8× the national rate
Harlan: 18 babies, 10.8× the national rate
Lyle: 35 babies, 10.1× the national rate
Duane: 53 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Merle: 17 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Loren: 15 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Rodney: 32 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Darrell: 32 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Dennis: 87 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	225	–	1
2	Carol	152	↑1	6
3	Shirley	132	↓1	5
4	Donna	108	–	20
5	Barbara	105	↑3	2
6	Sharon	103	↑6	30
7	Betty	98	↓2	4
8	Janice	96	↓2	24
9	Marilyn	95	↑2	19
10	Patricia	93	↓3	3
11	Beverly	83	↓1	18
12	Dorothy	80	↑2	8
13	Joyce	80	–	11
14	Joan	68	↑2	10
15	Darlene	64	↓6	76
16	Janet	64	↓1	16
17	Karen	62	↑5	50
18	Margaret	62	↓1	9
19	Marlene	56	↑1	51
20	Delores	53	↑11	75
21	Jean	51	↑19	27
22	Nancy	51	↑19	7
23	Ruth	51	↑1	21
24	Helen	48	↓5	13
25	Alice	47	↑13	29
26	Norma	46	↓3	34
27	Phyllis	45	↓6	28
28	Joann	44	↓2	68
29	Deanna	43	new	>100
30	Lois	41	↓12	33
31	Marjorie	41	↑16	53
32	Gloria	39	↑10	36
33	Loretta	39	new	62
34	Kay	38	↓9	81
35	Judy	36	new	41
36	Arlene	35	↓2	63
37	Elaine	35	↓8	42
38	Connie	34	↑1	>100
39	Carolyn	33	new	15
40	Doris	32	↓12	25
41	Sandra	32	↑7	14
42	Bonnie	30	↓9	65
43	Marlys	30	↓11	>100
44	Virginia	29	↓17	22
45	Judith	28	new	12
46	Yvonne	28	↓2	>100
47	Evelyn	26	↓11	38
48	Geraldine	26	↓3	45
49	Kathleen	26	new	58
50	Audrey	25	new	87

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	266	–	1
2	James	232	–	2
3	Donald	184	–	7
4	Richard	184	–	5
5	John	154	–	3
6	Larry	141	↑1	16
7	William	127	↓1	4
8	Ronald	125	–	10
9	Charles	118	–	6
10	David	111	–	8
11	Jerry	107	↑3	17
12	Roger	91	↑1	31
13	Dennis	87	↑3	49
14	Gary	82	↓3	22
15	Gerald	79	–	19
16	Kenneth	77	↓4	14
17	Wayne	59	↑3	40
18	Dale	56	–	56
19	Harold	54	↑6	23
20	Duane	53	↑1	>100
21	Leroy	53	↑9	61
22	Paul	53	↑2	15
23	George	51	↓4	11
24	Marvin	51	↓2	53
25	Eugene	49	↑2	33
26	Thomas	45	↓9	9
27	Raymond	44	↓4	20
28	Joseph	42	↑21	12
29	Douglas	40	↑16	60
30	Edward	39	↓2	13
31	Jack	35	↑8	25
32	Lyle	35	↓1	>100
33	Melvin	35	↓7	54
34	Norman	34	↑3	43
35	Darrell	32	↓2	>100
36	Rodney	32	new	>100
37	Terry	31	new	86
38	Jim	30	↑9	81
39	Ralph	29	new	35
40	Gene	28	↓8	65
41	Leonard	27	new	57
42	Don	26	↓4	52
43	Bruce	25	new	66
44	Carl	25	new	29
45	Daniel	25	new	39
46	Gordon	25	–	78
47	Clifford	24	↓5	89
48	Darrel	24	new	>100
49	Lloyd	24	↓9	92
50	Jerome	23	↓16	93

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