Humanverse

Names of North Dakota

1,139,287 births across 2,533 different names since 1910. No name belongs to North Dakota more than Marlys.

Most concentrated in North Dakota

Names given far more often here than in the country as a whole. The multiplier is how much more concentrated the name is than the state’s size alone would predict.

Name Born here Concentration
Marlys 1,070 41.9×
Alvina 463 30.2×
Ione 378 19.7×
Ardis 277 19.4×
Erna 264 17.6×
Arlen 163 14.9×
Renae 488 14.3×
Lavonne 607 13.8×
Elroy 158 13.2×
Anton 659 11.3×
Bridger 202 11.1×
Mavis 703 11.1×
Tillie 247 10.6×
Luella 771 10.3×
Maynard 357 10.1×
Lyle 1,709 9.5×
Duane 3,177 8.4×
Valentine 93 8.0×
Rosella 269 7.9×
Orville 755 7.7×

Most given, girls

#NameBirths
1Mary13,096
2Linda5,237
3Margaret5,199
4Patricia5,143
5Dorothy5,099
6Carol4,960
7Elizabeth4,900
8Helen4,687
9Barbara4,669
10Karen4,659
11Betty4,608
12Jennifer4,488
13Susan4,372
14Ruth4,084
15Donna4,078

Most given, boys

#NameBirths
1Robert16,349
2James15,469
3John15,125
4Michael12,366
5David12,118
6Richard9,859
7William9,566
8Donald9,040
9Thomas7,065
10Kenneth6,207
11Daniel6,010
12Joseph5,943
13Paul5,802
14Mark5,726
15Charles5,639

Other states and the District of Columbia

Source: US Social Security Administration state baby-name files, 1910 onwards. A name given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year is not published, so a name can be more common here than the table shows. Concentration is measured against the other state files, not against national totals, which cover more years and more names.