What baby names are unique to Nebraska?

Lumir is the name most distinctive to Nebraska, given about 49 times more often there than in the United States as a whole. Wauneta, Orneta and Merna follow.

How is a distinctive name measured?

Each name's share of births in Nebraska is compared with its share nationally. The multiplier shown is the conservative low end of that ratio, so a name carried by a handful of births cannot outrank one carried by hundreds.

Name Legacy

Names unique to Nebraska

The most distinctive Nebraska baby names, 1910–2025

These are the names given far more often in Nebraska than anywhere else in the country, across the whole record from 1910 to 2025. Lumir leads: it is given about 49× more often here than across the United States as a whole.

The multiplier compares each name's share of Nebraska births with its share nationally, and reports the conservative low end of that comparison — so a name carried by a handful of births cannot outrank one carried by hundreds.

Across the whole record, 1910–2025

#	Name	Births	vs national
1	Lumir	69	49×
2	Wauneta	91	20×
3	Orneta	5	15×
4	Merna	204	11×
5	Rogene	74	10×
6	Neleigh	6	10×
7	Ardyce	97	9×
8	Ardith	306	7×
9	Lavern	797	7×
10	Nyamal	6	6×
11	Eh	42	6×
12	Laverna	173	6×
13	Lyle	2,507	6×
14	Brecken	272	6×
15	Eldon	1,073	6×
16	Twila	491	6×
17	Rolland	382	5×
18	Vlasta	38	5×
19	Dick	1,039	5×
20	Burdette	77	5×
21	Lavonne	593	5×
22	Creighton	145	5×
23	Darold	160	5×
24	Merlin	554	5×
25	Vern	390	5×
26	Ardis	259	5×
27	Fern	1,062	5×
28	Jodene	40	4×
29	Harlan	811	4×
30	Ferne	134	4×
31	Berniece	291	4×
32	Delmar	431	4×
33	Merle	1,217	4×
34	Duane	3,211	4×
35	Gaylord	183	4×
36	Verla	182	4×
37	Merlyn	158	4×
38	Gaylene	84	4×
39	Dwaine	132	4×
40	Thaine	11	4×

Right now, in 2025

A different list from the one above, and not a contradiction: these are the names distinctive to Nebraska in a single recent year rather than across the whole record.

Name	Births	vs national
Bergen	10	66×
Eh	5	21×
Merritt	31	8×
Brecken	10	6×
Scotlynn	6	5×
Baylor	34	3×
Laramie	9	3×
Barrett	52	3×
Syrus	5	3×
Berkley	10	3×

Decade by decade

The single most distinctive name of each decade.

Decade	Name	vs national
1910s	Lumir	32×
1920s	Lumir	24×
1930s	Rogene	11×
1940s	Twila	7×
1950s	Michaela	14×
1960s	Jolene	5×
1970s	Michaela	11×
1980s	Makayla	13×
1990s	Trev	16×
2000s	Neleigh	19×
2010s	Creighton	12×
2020s	Bergen	18×

Explore further

See Nebraska on the interactive map

Names unique to other states

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. State records begin in 1910. Names given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org