Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1944

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1944 were Mary for girls (273 babies) and James for boys (281). Social Security records list 10,039 babies born in South Dakota in 1944 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1944

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: 16 babies, 19.6× the national rate
Lavonne: 16 babies, 15.9× the national rate
Dianne: 40 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Julie: 19 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Joann: 45 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Darlene: 40 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Audrey: 19 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Marlene: 27 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Connie: 49 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Kay: 30 babies, 2.6× the national rate

Boys

Lyle: 32 babies, 10.2× the national rate
Duane: 52 babies, 8.6× the national rate
Jerald: 16 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Dean: 32 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Dale: 70 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Darrell: 26 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Rodney: 26 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Keith: 33 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Jerome: 26 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Dennis: 173 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1944

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	Mary	273	–	1
2	Sharon	181	–	8
3	Carol	161	–	5
4	Karen	143	–	16
5	Barbara	135	↑1	2
6	Patricia	135	↑1	4
7	Judy	128	↓2	12
8	Linda	124	–	3
9	Donna	115	–	17
10	Sandra	113	↑3	6
11	Judith	106	↓1	9
12	Betty	92	↑2	10
13	Shirley	84	↓1	15
14	Janice	81	↓3	28
15	Nancy	78	↑5	7
16	Janet	73	↓1	21
17	Diane	70	↑2	24
18	Cheryl	66	new	36
19	Marilyn	66	↑2	27
20	Margaret	64	↑7	14
21	Bonnie	59	↓3	34
22	Kathleen	56	↑3	20
23	Gloria	55	↑10	25
24	Jean	52	↑4	37
25	Joyce	52	↓8	18
26	Connie	49	↑4	51
27	Joan	49	↓11	22
28	Beverly	47	↓4	35
29	Joann	45	↑8	65
30	Dorothy	44	↓8	19
31	Carolyn	43	↓8	11
32	Darlene	40	–	76
33	Dianne	40	↑3	90
34	Rita	38	–	54
35	Ruth	38	↓6	32
36	Susan	36	new	13
37	Lois	34	↓2	47
38	Carole	32	↑9	43
39	Elaine	31	↑5	46
40	Kay	30	↓9	88
41	Jane	29	new	41
42	Helen	28	↑4	31
43	Phyllis	28	↓5	40
44	Virginia	28	↓18	26
45	Marlene	27	new	>100
46	Charlotte	26	↓7	50
47	Frances	26	new	33
48	Pamela	26	new	44
49	Norma	25	↓4	66
50	Alice	24	↓9	38

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	James	281	↑1	1
2	Robert	256	↓1	2
3	Richard	224	–	5
4	Larry	200	–	12
5	John	190	↑2	3
6	Gary	187	↑4	15
7	David	173	↓2	6
8	Dennis	173	↓2	20
9	William	166	↑3	4
10	Donald	143	↓2	11
11	Ronald	135	↓2	10
12	Roger	129	↓1	23
13	Thomas	113	↑3	8
14	Kenneth	98	↓1	16
15	Charles	94	↓1	7
16	Michael	88	↑2	9
17	Jerry	86	↓2	19
18	Dale	70	↑4	61
19	Gerald	63	↓2	24
20	George	55	↑6	14
21	Wayne	53	↓2	37
22	Duane	52	↑3	>100
23	Douglas	50	↓2	34
24	Paul	47	↓4	17
25	Terry	42	↓1	43
26	Leroy	41	↑4	78
27	Raymond	39	↑14	22
28	Edward	38	↑3	18
29	Joseph	38	↑3	13
30	Daniel	35	↓7	25
31	Jim	35	↓2	68
32	Keith	33	↑1	>100
33	Dean	32	↑2	>100
34	Lyle	32	↑5	>100
35	Gene	30	↑15	95
36	Harold	30	↓9	27
37	Frank	29	new	21
38	Marvin	28	↓10	75
39	Allen	27	↓3	77
40	Darrell	26	↓6	>100
41	Jerome	26	↓4	>100
42	Lawrence	26	↑2	32
43	Melvin	26	↑6	67
44	Patrick	26	new	64
45	Rodney	26	↓5	>100
46	Jack	25	↓4	30
47	Ralph	25	new	42
48	Tom	25	new	87
49	Gordon	24	new	>100
50	Norman	24	↓4	58

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