South Dakota Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)
Boys
Oliver led South Dakota male births in 2025 with 66 occurrences. David was the dominant name in the 1950s. Over the past 30 years, Dylan has seen the fastest rise, climbing 9 rank positions. Conversely, Joshua experienced the biggest decline, dropping 15 rank positions. These shifts illustrate dynamic naming preferences across the state.
Girls
South Dakota's female baby naming trends reveal Lainey as the top choice in 2025, accounting for 50 births. This marks a significant shift from the 1950s, when Mary was the dominant name. Over the past three decades, Hannah has shown the fastest ascent, climbing 11 rank positions. Meanwhile, Samantha experienced the biggest decline, dropping 15 rank positions, reflecting dynamic shifts in parental preferences across generations.
#1 Boy (2025)
Oliver
#1 Girl (2025)
Lainey
Fastest Rising
Dylan
↑ +9
Biggest Decline
Joshua
↓ −15
Longest #1 Run
Robert
3 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
2,302
births tracked
Fastest Rising
Hannah
↑ +11
Biggest Decline
Samantha
↓ −15
Longest #1 Run
Mary
4 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
1,825
births tracked
How the Most Popular Names Changed Over Time
Popularity by decade — lower ranks indicate greater popularity (#1 is the most popular name).
| Decade | Ethan | Liam | Mason | Oliver | Robert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | — | — | — | — | Rank #2 |
| 1920s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1930s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1940s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1950s | — | — | — | — | Rank #4 |
| 1960s | — | — | — | — | Rank #7 |
| 1970s | — | — | — | — | Rank #12 |
| 1980s | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990s | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000s | Rank #2 | — | Rank #3 | — | — |
| 2010s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #3 | Rank #6 | — |
| 2020s | — | Rank #3 | — | Rank #1 | — |
Baby Names by Decade
Most popular · Runner-up per decade
Biggest Name Shifts
Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity
Dylan
+9 rank positions · since 1990sJoshua
-15 rank positions · since 1980sHannah
+11 rank positions · since 1990sSamantha
-15 rank positions · since 1990sHow South Dakota Compares to the Nation
Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall
More Popular in South Dakota
- Baylor#96 here · #381 nationally↑ +285
- Sutton#55 here · #330 nationally↑ +275
- Benson#50 here · #279 nationally↑ +229
- Otto#91 here · #276 nationally↑ +185
- Nash#74 here · #255 nationally↑ +181
Less Popular in South Dakota
- Alexander#94 here · #30 nationally↓ −64
- Jacob#100 here · #43 nationally↓ −57
- Gabriel#88 here · #37 nationally↓ −51
- Mason#90 here · #39 nationally↓ −51
- Mateo#45 here · #8 nationally↓ −37
More Popular in South Dakota
- Briar#75 here · #399 nationally↑ +324
- Murphy#92 here · #396 nationally↑ +304
- Sylvie#50 here · #280 nationally↑ +230
- Harlow#89 here · #307 nationally↑ +218
- Brynlee#68 here · #240 nationally↑ +172
Less Popular in South Dakota
- Zoe#96 here · #32 nationally↓ −64
- Penelope#82 here · #22 nationally↓ −60
- Abigail#98 here · #41 nationally↓ −57
- Eliana#63 here · #10 nationally↓ −53
- Chloe#76 here · #23 nationally↓ −53
Top 100 Baby Names in South Dakota
Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births
Top 10
- #1Oliver66#3
- #2Liam60#1
- #3Henry50#5
- #4Hudson50#17
- #5Noah50#2
- #6Theodore47#4
- #7Beau42#60
- #8William41#9
- #9Leo40#19
- #10Maverick38#49
Names #11–100
- #11 Elijah
- #12 Brooks
- #13 Asher
- #14 James
- #15 Bennett
- #16 Ezra
- #17 Cooper
- #18 Levi
- #19 Colter
- #20 Stetson
- #21 Waylon
- #22 Grayson
- #23 Jackson
- #24 Myles
- #25 Nolan
- #26 Archer
- #27 Beckett
- #28 Lincoln
- #29 Luke
- #30 Dean
- #31 Elias
- #32 Benjamin
- #33 Graham
- #34 Jack
- #35 Rowan
- #36 Thomas
- #37 Lucas
- #38 Michael
- #39 Weston
- #40 Wyatt
- #41 August
- #42 Carter
- #43 Daniel
- #44 Everett
- #45 Mateo
- #46 Cameron
- #47 Owen
- #48 Rhett
- #49 Samuel
- #50 Benson
- #51 Charles
- #52 Isaiah
- #53 John
- #54 Sawyer
- #55 Sutton
- #56 Wesley
- #57 Hayes
- #58 Joseph
- #59 Josiah
- #60 Luka
- #61 Micah
- #62 Miles
- #63 Ryker
- #64 Atlas
- #65 Jaxon
- #66 Logan
- #67 Milo
- #68 Tate
- #69 Callum
- #70 David
- #71 Dawson
- #72 Easton
- #73 Emmett
- #74 Nash
- #75 Roman
- #76 Walker
- #77 Baker
- #78 Callan
- #79 Charlie
- #80 Isaac
- #81 Nathan
- #82 Parker
- #83 Theo
- #84 Tucker
- #85 Arthur
- #86 Axel
- #87 Caleb
- #88 Gabriel
- #89 Jasper
- #90 Mason
- #91 Otto
- #92 Robert
- #93 Silas
- #94 Alexander
- #95 Barrett
- #96 Baylor
- #97 Callahan
- #98 Harrison
- #99 Harvey
- #100 Jacob
Top 10
- #1Lainey50#30
- #2Charlotte44#2
- #3Evelyn39#8
- #4Emma36#3
- #5Olivia36#1
- #6Eleanor32#12
- #7Ellie31#25
- #8Harper31#16
- #9Nora31#20
- #10Amelia30#4
Names #11–100
- #11 Lucy
- #12 Ella
- #13 Ivy
- #14 Hazel
- #15 Lily
- #16 Sophie
- #17 Willow
- #18 Aurora
- #19 Emery
- #20 Isla
- #21 Sophia
- #22 Paisley
- #23 Iris
- #24 Nova
- #25 Ava
- #26 Avery
- #27 Violet
- #28 Clara
- #29 Elizabeth
- #30 Elsie
- #31 Isabella
- #32 Layla
- #33 Mia
- #34 Millie
- #35 Sadie
- #36 Vivian
- #37 Wrenley
- #38 Adeline
- #39 Delilah
- #40 Eden
- #41 Ember
- #42 Sutton
- #43 Ailany
- #44 Grace
- #45 Quinn
- #46 Emersyn
- #47 Remi
- #48 Scarlett
- #49 Scottie
- #50 Sylvie
- #51 Cora
- #52 Eloise
- #53 Everly
- #54 Gianna
- #55 Hadley
- #56 June
- #57 Kinsley
- #58 Lennon
- #59 Luna
- #60 Ruth
- #61 Zoey
- #62 Claire
- #63 Eliana
- #64 Haven
- #65 Josephine
- #66 Ruby
- #67 Stella
- #68 Brynlee
- #69 Lydia
- #70 Melody
- #71 Naomi
- #72 Rose
- #73 Aria
- #74 Blair
- #75 Briar
- #76 Chloe
- #77 Hannah
- #78 Josie
- #79 Lillian
- #80 Madison
- #81 Parker
- #82 Penelope
- #83 Tatum
- #84 Addison
- #85 Daisy
- #86 Eliza
- #87 Emily
- #88 Everleigh
- #89 Harlow
- #90 Maeve
- #91 Mila
- #92 Murphy
- #93 Oaklynn
- #94 Rylee
- #95 Wren
- #96 Zoe
- #97 Aaliyah
- #98 Abigail
- #99 Adalynn
- #100 Annie
Explore Neighboring States
See how naming trends differ in nearby states