State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1912 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 16,113 Iowa births in 1912 across 502 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Iowa more than they say America.

#63Merleoutside the national top 200
#77Luella#200 nationally
#79Marcella#197 nationally
#43Dale#159 nationally
#70Lyle#181 nationally
#91Lorenoutside the national top 200
#92Dwightoutside the national top 200
#93Eldonoutside the national top 200
#27Maxine#134 nationally
#80Forrest#187 nationally
#98Lelandoutside the national top 200
#100Carrolloutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary403US #1
#2Helen398US #2
#3Dorothy323US #3
#4Mildred271US #6
#5Margaret267US #4
#6Ruth258US #5
#7Frances151US #9
#8Marie150US #10
#9Alice145US #11
#10Gladys124US #19
#11Esther120US #33
#12Irene119US #22
#13Florence117US #12
#14Evelyn115US #13
#15Hazel112US #25
#16Edna110US #16
#17Lucille110US #32
#18Anna106US #7
#19Bernice103US #51
#20Grace101US #24
#21Thelma100US #26
#22Marjorie95US #56
#23Martha90US #29
#24Elizabeth88US #8
#25Gertrude84US #30
#26Lillian81US #14
#27Maxine81US #134
#28Virginia81US #20
#29Wilma80US #99
#30Ethel79US #18
#31Louise79US #17
#32Doris77US #48
#33Lois75US #63
#34Ruby75US #23
#35Leona74US #76
#36Edith72US #31
#37Agnes69US #40
#38Mabel68US #46
#39Elsie65US #42
#40Viola64US #52
#41Velma63US #88
#42Vera62US #68
#43Pauline61US #38
#44Vivian55US #84
#45Kathryn52US #71
#46Emma51US #35
#47Catherine50US #21
#48Marguerite49US #79
#49Clara48US #34
#50Beulah47US #80
#51Genevieve46US #92
#52Opal44US #85
#53Eva43US #49
#54Bertha41US #36
#55Jean40US #64
#56Nellie40US #59
#57Eleanor39US #39
#58Ellen39US #86
#59Pearl39US #54
#60Violet39US #83
#61Ida37US #45
#62Betty36US #66
#63Rose36US #15
#64Josephine35US #28
#65Laura34US #57
#66Mae34US #74
#67Geraldine33US #122
#68Inez33US #100
#69Katherine33US #53
#70Myrtle33US #50
#71Alma32US #62
#72Marian32US #93
#73Verna32US #126
#74Ann31US #47
#75Charlotte31US #91
#76Erma31US #141
#77Luella31US #200
#78Bessie30US #43
#79Marcella30US #197
#80Phyllis30US #140
#81Anne29US #58
#82Blanche29US #75
#83Marion29US #55
#84Sylvia28US #77
#85Beatrice27US #37
#86Harriet27US #113
#87Julia27US #44
#88Norma27US #137
#89Olive27US #131
#90Fern26US #167
#91Juanita26US #103
#92Lorraine26US #176
#93Lola25US #127
#94Lucile25US #129
#95Georgia24US #101
#96Irma24US #146
#97Jessie24US #65
#98Lena24US #72
#99Henrietta23US #135
#100Minnie23US #60

Boys

#1John342US #1
#2Robert236US #4
#3William232US #2
#4James203US #3
#5George199US #6
#6Harold190US #13
#7Charles172US #7
#8Donald168US #27
#9Raymond137US #18
#10Paul129US #14
#11Kenneth119US #33
#12Joseph115US #5
#13Clarence109US #21
#14Arthur106US #15
#15Edward105US #8
#16Carl102US #24
#17Ralph93US #23
#18Richard92US #19
#19Frank87US #9
#20Henry83US #12
#21Earl80US #34
#22Walter74US #11
#23Harry71US #16
#24Howard70US #25
#25Lawrence67US #38
#26Albert66US #17
#27Fred66US #26
#28Leonard64US #45
#29Francis63US #35
#30Elmer61US #47
#31Roy61US #31
#32Thomas60US #10
#33Glenn58US #84
#34Floyd57US #59
#35Gerald53US #87
#36Leo53US #49
#37Wayne52US #118
#38Russell51US #56
#39Lester50US #58
#40Lloyd50US #70
#41Melvin50US #71
#42Clifford49US #62
#43Dale49US #159
#44Ernest49US #32
#45Herbert44US #39
#46Marvin42US #83
#47Edwin40US #54
#48Everett39US #96
#49Alfred37US #40
#50Arnold37US #99
#51Bernard36US #60
#52Chester36US #55
#53David36US #29
#54Herman36US #50
#55Orville36US #136
#56Eugene34US #41
#57Alvin33US #86
#58Vernon33US #90
#59Jack32US #28
#60Wilbur32US #92
#61Cecil31US #76
#62Ray31US #77
#63Merle30
#64Maurice29US #95
#65Glen28US #139
#66Leroy28US #66
#67Leslie28US #108
#68Virgil28US #111
#69Joe27US #36
#70Lyle27US #181
#71Stanley27US #43
#72Louis26US #20
#73Willard26US #105
#74Woodrow26US #46
#75Clyde25US #65
#76Frederick25US #51
#77Marion25US #112
#78Max24US #101
#79Andrew23US #44
#80Forrest22US #187
#81Milton22US #64
#82Victor22US #81
#83Martin21US #75
#84Peter21US #48
#85Theodore21US #52
#86Delbert20US #180
#87Ivan20US #173
#88Lewis20US #68
#89Don19US #177
#90Gordon19US #93
#91Loren19
#92Dwight18
#93Eldon18
#94Homer18US #98
#95Hugh18US #116
#96Vincent18US #72
#97Gilbert17US #115
#98Leland17
#99Adolph16US #183
#100Carroll16

On the move since 1911

Rising

↑44Orville#55
↑27Jean#55
↑26Wilbur#60
↑24Inez#68
↑21Virginia#28
↑21Arnold#50
↑20Beulah#50
↑19Maxine#27

Falling

↓34Lyle#70
↓30Joe#69
↓30Gilbert#97
↓26Martin#83
↓24Don#89
↓23Blanche#82
↓22Bessie#78
↓22Irma#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1911 rankings.