Popular baby names in South Dakota, 1956

The most popular baby names in South Dakota in 1956 were Debra for girls (280 babies) and Michael for boys (347). Debra ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 15,684 babies born in South Dakota in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in South Dakota in 1956

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

Karla: 43 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Darla: 35 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Kristi: 15 babies, 6× the national rate
Lynette: 21 babies, 5× the national rate
Kristine: 15 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Kay: 33 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Luann: 16 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Patty: 19 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Mona: 15 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Julie: 96 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Loren: 24 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Lyle: 25 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Monte: 18 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Lynn: 25 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Kim: 53 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Duane: 46 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Bradley: 59 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Todd: 29 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Kelly: 21 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Rodney: 82 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in South Dakota, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Debra	280	–	2
2	Mary	270	–	1
3	Susan	223	–	5
4	Linda	195	–	3
5	Nancy	165	↑2	11
6	Cynthia	144	↑6	8
7	Patricia	143	↓1	6
8	Barbara	141	–	9
9	Karen	141	↓4	7
10	Sandra	130	↑3	14
11	Pamela	127	↓1	12
12	Donna	108	↑3	10
13	Deborah	106	↓4	4
14	Carol	105	↓3	16
15	Cheryl	102	↓1	18
16	Julie	96	↑3	48
17	Kathleen	94	↓1	17
18	Sharon	92	–	13
19	Diane	88	↓2	15
20	Connie	80	↑2	43
21	Cindy	77	↑21	37
22	Lori	77	↑3	66
23	Peggy	77	–	63
24	Teresa	68	↑6	24
25	Janet	65	↓5	21
26	Judy	59	↑5	35
27	Kathy	57	↓6	20
28	Brenda	56	↑5	19
29	Dawn	55	↑5	92
30	Janice	55	↑2	26
31	Jean	55	↓4	65
32	Kim	55	new	38
33	Elizabeth	54	↑6	22
34	Jane	53	↓10	50
35	Kathryn	51	↓7	60
36	Vickie	51	↑10	68
37	Rebecca	50	↑1	27
38	Vicki	50	↓12	57
39	Bonnie	46	↓2	51
40	Joan	45	↓5	52
41	Ann	44	new	46
42	Paula	44	↑6	47
43	Karla	43	new	>100
44	Margaret	42	↓15	25
45	Joyce	41	↓9	30
46	Marilyn	41	↓6	70
47	Rhonda	41	↓6	62
48	Catherine	40	new	28
49	Laurie	40	↓4	76
50	Colleen	38	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Michael	347	↑1	1
2	David	323	↓1	4
3	Steven	286	↑1	10
4	Robert	282	↑1	3
5	James	280	↓2	2
6	Mark	266	–	8
7	John	216	↑1	5
8	Richard	186	↓1	7
9	Thomas	172	↑2	9
10	Douglas	159	↑2	29
11	Kevin	158	↑9	22
12	Daniel	155	↓3	18
13	William	154	↓3	6
14	Timothy	140	–	19
15	Randy	131	–	28
16	Gary	126	↓3	13
17	Terry	122	↓1	31
18	Donald	118	–	14
19	Ronald	115	↓2	15
20	Gregory	114	↑2	24
21	Jeffrey	113	↓2	20
22	Paul	106	↑4	17
23	Larry	104	↓2	21
24	Kenneth	98	↑1	16
25	Bruce	94	↑8	33
26	Scott	91	↑3	34
27	Charles	89	–	11
28	Dale	88	↓5	50
29	Craig	86	↑2	51
30	Roger	86	↓2	41
31	Rodney	82	↓1	65
32	Joseph	80	↑3	12
33	Dennis	79	↓9	26
34	Brian	64	↑12	32
35	Keith	63	↑2	36
36	Patrick	61	↑2	40
37	Randall	60	↑5	54
38	Bradley	59	↑1	>100
39	Alan	55	↓3	44
40	Wayne	55	↓8	45
41	Jerry	54	↓7	35
42	Kim	53	new	>100
43	Gerald	47	↑5	49
44	Steve	47	new	59
45	Duane	46	↓2	>100
46	Russell	44	↑4	52
47	Dean	43	↓6	99
48	Curtis	39	↓8	80
49	Edward	39	↓5	25
50	Stephen	35	↓3	23

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