South Dakota is located in the upper Midwestern United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory. The location and demographics of South Dakota impact the name trends of the state. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Every year names are given to more than 10 000 newborn babies.
Baby names in South Dakota are on the whole similar to the most popular names in other states. There are differences around the country but names topping the list are more or less the same. The most popular baby name in South Dakota is Oliver for boys and Harper for girls.
In this article you will first find a table that explores how popular names in the state of South Dakota have changed over time. We have also published a table of the 100 most popular names in South Dakota for births in 2020 – we’ve provided this list for both girls and boys.
Popular Baby Names in South Dakota Changes Over Time
In the tables below you can see how popular baby names have changed in South Dakota over time.
| Girl names in South Dakota | |||
| 2020 | 2000 | 1980 | |
| 1 | Harper | Hannah | Jennifer |
| 2 | Charlotte | Emily | Jessica |
| 3 | Amelia | Morgan | Amanda |
| 4 | Ella | Taylor | Melissa |
| 5 | Emma | Grace | Sarah |
| Boy names in South Dakota | |||
| 2020 | 2000 | 1980 | |
| 1 | Oliver | Jacob | Michael |
| 2 | Liam | Dylan | Justin |
| 3 | Henry | Austin | Matthew |
| 4 | Maverick | Ethan | Joshua |
| 5 | Asher | Nicholas | Ryan |
South Dakota Baby Names
In the tables below we will present the 100 most popular names in South Dakota given to girls and boys born in 2020. The data is based on Social Security card application data.
Boy Names in South Dakota
Below are the most popular boy names in South Dakota given to boys born in 2020. The number in the “count” column shows the number of babies given the name.
| Rank | Boy name | Count |
| 1 | Oliver | 60 |
| 2 | Liam | 57 |
| 3 | Henry | 48 |
| 4 | Maverick | 45 |
| 5 | Asher | 42 |
| 6 | Theodore | 40 |
| 7 | Jack | 39 |
| 8 | William | 39 |
| 9 | Levi | 38 |
| 10 | Noah | 38 |
| 11 | Hudson | 36 |
| 12 | James | 34 |
| 13 | Wyatt | 34 |
| 14 | Benjamin | 31 |
| 15 | Carter | 31 |
| 16 | Elijah | 31 |
| 17 | Brooks | 30 |
| 18 | Lincoln | 30 |
| 19 | Logan | 30 |
| 20 | Owen | 30 |
| 21 | Rhett | 30 |
| 22 | Grayson | 28 |
| 23 | Easton | 27 |
| 24 | Jackson | 26 |
| 25 | Isaac | 25 |
| 26 | Leo | 25 |
| 27 | Mason | 25 |
| 28 | Thomas | 25 |
| 29 | Samuel | 24 |
| 30 | Cooper | 23 |
| 31 | Michael | 23 |
| 32 | Carson | 22 |
| 33 | Emmett | 22 |
| 34 | Lane | 22 |
| 35 | Charles | 21 |
| 36 | Daniel | 21 |
| 37 | Everett | 21 |
| 38 | Hayes | 21 |
| 39 | Wesley | 21 |
| 40 | Bennett | 20 |
| 41 | Jameson | 20 |
| 42 | Lucas | 20 |
| 43 | Miles | 20 |
| 44 | Sawyer | 20 |
| 45 | Alexander | 19 |
| 46 | Cameron | 19 |
| 47 | Ezra | 19 |
| 48 | Isaiah | 19 |
| 49 | Nash | 18 |
| 50 | Ryker | 18 |
| 51 | Weston | 18 |
| 52 | Greyson | 17 |
| 53 | Jaxon | 17 |
| 54 | Landon | 17 |
| 55 | Nolan | 17 |
| 56 | Aiden | 16 |
| 57 | Andrew | 16 |
| 58 | Colton | 16 |
| 59 | Declan | 16 |
| 60 | Hunter | 16 |
| 61 | Knox | 16 |
| 62 | Mateo | 16 |
| 63 | Rowan | 16 |
| 64 | Beau | 15 |
| 65 | Caleb | 15 |
| 66 | Christopher | 15 |
| 67 | David | 15 |
| 68 | Ethan | 15 |
| 69 | Gabriel | 15 |
| 70 | Jace | 15 |
| 71 | Matthew | 15 |
| 72 | Waylon | 15 |
| 73 | Archer | 14 |
| 74 | Briggs | 14 |
| 75 | Eli | 14 |
| 76 | Luke | 14 |
| 77 | Arthur | 13 |
| 78 | Axel | 13 |
| 79 | Beckett | 13 |
| 80 | Bentley | 13 |
| 81 | Connor | 13 |
| 82 | Daxton | 13 |
| 83 | Holden | 13 |
| 84 | Jaxson | 13 |
| 85 | Micah | 13 |
| 86 | Milo | 13 |
| 87 | Roman | 13 |
| 88 | Ryder | 13 |
| 89 | Arlo | 12 |
| 90 | Barrett | 12 |
| 91 | Ezekiel | 12 |
| 92 | Finn | 12 |
| 93 | Graham | 12 |
| 94 | Griffin | 12 |
| 95 | Hayden | 12 |
| 96 | Jasper | 12 |
| 97 | Jesse | 12 |
| 98 | Joseph | 12 |
| 99 | Joshua | 12 |
| 100 | Kyler | 12 |
| 101 | Layton | 12 |
| 102 | Riley | 12 |
| 103 | Walker | 12 |
Girl Names in South Dakota
Below are the most popular girl names in South Dakota given to girls born in 2020. The number in the “count” column shows the number of babies given the name.
| Rank | Girl name | Count |
| 1 | Harper | 47 |
| 2 | Charlotte | 45 |
| 3 | Amelia | 43 |
| 4 | Ella | 36 |
| 5 | Emma | 36 |
| 6 | Olivia | 36 |
| 7 | Ava | 35 |
| 8 | Evelyn | 33 |
| 9 | Nora | 31 |
| 10 | Sophia | 29 |
| 11 | Elizabeth | 27 |
| 12 | Quinn | 27 |
| 13 | Hazel | 26 |
| 14 | Chloe | 25 |
| 15 | Grace | 25 |
| 16 | Everly | 24 |
| 17 | Isabella | 24 |
| 18 | Clara | 23 |
| 19 | Emersyn | 22 |
| 20 | Paisley | 22 |
| 21 | Rylee | 22 |
| 22 | Hannah | 21 |
| 23 | Natalie | 21 |
| 24 | Emery | 20 |
| 25 | Layla | 20 |
| 26 | Claire | 19 |
| 27 | Willow | 19 |
| 28 | Abigail | 18 |
| 29 | Lydia | 18 |
| 30 | Oaklynn | 18 |
| 31 | Aurora | 17 |
| 32 | Avery | 17 |
| 33 | Hadley | 17 |
| 34 | Madelyn | 17 |
| 35 | Addison | 16 |
| 36 | Brooklyn | 16 |
| 37 | Cora | 16 |
| 38 | Everleigh | 16 |
| 39 | Isla | 16 |
| 40 | Ivy | 16 |
| 41 | Kennedy | 16 |
| 42 | Kinsley | 16 |
| 43 | Luna | 16 |
| 44 | Mia | 16 |
| 45 | Nova | 16 |
| 46 | Aria | 15 |
| 47 | Gemma | 15 |
| 48 | Zoey | 15 |
| 49 | Aubrey | 14 |
| 50 | Ellie | 14 |
| 51 | Lily | 14 |
| 52 | Reagan | 14 |
| 53 | Scarlett | 14 |
| 54 | Wren | 14 |
| 55 | Adeline | 13 |
| 56 | Eleanor | 13 |
| 57 | Gracie | 13 |
| 58 | Hattie | 13 |
| 59 | Lillian | 13 |
| 60 | Madison | 13 |
| 61 | Millie | 13 |
| 62 | Skylar | 13 |
| 63 | Stella | 13 |
| 64 | Violet | 13 |
| 65 | Vivian | 13 |
| 66 | Charlie | 12 |
| 67 | Leah | 12 |
| 68 | Lucy | 12 |
| 69 | Piper | 12 |
| 70 | Remi | 12 |
| 71 | Ruth | 12 |
| 72 | Sophie | 12 |
| 73 | Brielle | 11 |
| 74 | Brynlee | 11 |
| 75 | Eden | 11 |
| 76 | Gianna | 11 |
| 77 | Lennon | 11 |
| 78 | Parker | 11 |
| 79 | Samantha | 11 |
| 80 | Adalynn | 10 |
| 81 | Adelaide | 10 |
| 82 | Aspen | 10 |
| 83 | Caroline | 10 |
| 84 | Charlee | 10 |
| 85 | Eliza | 10 |
| 86 | Ember | 10 |
| 87 | Emily | 10 |
| 88 | Mary | 10 |
| 89 | Mckenna | 10 |
| 90 | Mila | 10 |
| 91 | Naomi | 10 |
| 92 | Raelynn | 10 |
| 93 | Sawyer | 10 |
| 94 | Sofia | 10 |
| 95 | Amara | 9 |
| 96 | Anna | 9 |
| 97 | Audrey | 9 |
| 98 | Collins | 9 |
| 99 | Finley | 9 |
| 100 | Hailey | 9 |
| 101 | Hallie | 9 |
| 102 | Josephine | 9 |
| 103 | Lainey | 9 |
| 104 | Maggie | 9 |
| 105 | Mya | 9 |
| 106 | Presley | 9 |
| 107 | Serenity | 9 |
Summary of Popular Names in South Dakota
The name given to most newborns in South Dakota during the year was Oliver for boys and Harper for girls. If you’d like to know what the name trends are in different states, you can find all the states HERE. You can also use the search function to find a state of your choice.