State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1916 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,746 Iowa births in 1916 across 781 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#66Merle#191 nationally
#52Arlene#172 nationally
#81Deanoutside the national top 200
#66Marcella#182 nationally
#89Keithoutside the national top 200
#95Lowelloutside the national top 200
#99Luellaoutside the national top 200
#99Laverneoutside the national top 200
#100Gwendolynoutside the national top 200
#100Dwightoutside the national top 200
#54Lyle#153 nationally
#56Fern#152 nationally

Girls

#1Mary982US #1
#2Dorothy874US #3
#3Helen824US #2
#4Ruth628US #5
#5Margaret601US #4
#6Mildred448US #6
#7Evelyn384US #11
#8Frances318US #9
#9Alice285US #13
#10Marjorie278US #37
#11Virginia264US #10
#12Marie261US #12
#13Lucille248US #30
#14Florence247US #14
#15Esther244US #34
#16Lois236US #43
#17Gladys231US #22
#18Elizabeth230US #8
#19Irene228US #17
#20Maxine226US #96
#21Doris220US #32
#22Wilma197US #82
#23Edna185US #19
#24Hazel185US #31
#25Bernice173US #42
#26Pauline168US #33
#27Grace164US #26
#28Anna155US #7
#29Gertrude154US #35
#30Lillian145US #16
#31Ruby145US #23
#32Louise140US #18
#33Martha140US #24
#34Kathryn138US #60
#35Thelma137US #29
#36Vivian134US #77
#37Ethel132US #25
#38Eleanor131US #27
#39Edith129US #28
#40Vera128US #66
#41Leona126US #75
#42Marian123US #72
#43Viola123US #59
#44Elsie120US #48
#45Velma120US #99
#46Clara118US #39
#47Catherine117US #20
#48June116US #86
#49Betty111US #44
#50Mabel110US #65
#51Geraldine106US #94
#52Arlene103US #172
#53Jean100US #45
#54Josephine100US #21
#55Phyllis100US #95
#56Fern96US #152
#57Rose95US #15
#58Violet92US #83
#59Marguerite91US #78
#60Genevieve90US #76
#61Agnes89US #50
#62Charlotte88US #80
#63Opal88US #91
#64Eva87US #55
#65Beulah85US #97
#66Marcella79US #182
#67Pearl77US #57
#68Marion74US #47
#69Emma73US #41
#70Nellie73US #61
#71Laura71US #64
#72Bertha70US #49
#73Norma70US #111
#74Ann69US #40
#75Erma68US #145
#76Jane68US #62
#77Katherine68US #51
#78Eileen64US #118
#79Myrtle64US #58
#80Ellen62US #87
#81Lorraine62US #128
#82Alma61US #70
#83Bessie56US #56
#84Lucile56US #139
#85Irma55US #149
#86Mae55US #92
#87Naomi55US #130
#88Barbara54US #74
#89Harriet54US #106
#90Beatrice53US #38
#91Hilda52US #105
#92Verna52US #125
#93Inez51US #107
#94Loretta51US #113
#95Alberta50US #123
#96Blanche50US #89
#97Jennie49US #79
#98Kathleen49US #104
#99Luella48
#100Gwendolyn46

Boys

#1Robert861US #4
#2John827US #1
#3William673US #2
#4Donald494US #20
#5Harold471US #13
#6George464US #7
#7Charles454US #6
#8James451US #3
#9Paul377US #12
#10Richard318US #15
#11Kenneth306US #27
#12Edward270US #8
#13Raymond262US #16
#14Joseph254US #5
#15Ralph213US #21
#16Arthur211US #18
#17Carl205US #23
#18Walter200US #11
#19Clarence189US #24
#20Frank188US #9
#21Earl187US #32
#22Howard186US #25
#23Henry168US #14
#24Lawrence164US #38
#25Harry161US #19
#26Jack157US #26
#27Francis156US #31
#28Leonard153US #42
#29Gerald151US #76
#30Wayne151US #98
#31Elmer149US #45
#32Roy140US #33
#33Dale138US #121
#34Albert137US #17
#35Lloyd135US #58
#36Thomas135US #10
#37Leo134US #47
#38Russell129US #51
#39Marvin125US #66
#40Melvin120US #57
#41Vernon119US #75
#42Lester118US #59
#43Edwin113US #53
#44Floyd113US #60
#45Glenn106US #84
#46Fred104US #29
#47Clifford101US #61
#48Herbert101US #40
#49Louis101US #22
#50Eugene100US #39
#51Max97US #105
#52Bernard96US #49
#53Ernest89US #36
#54Lyle89US #153
#55Glen88US #122
#56Virgil84US #104
#57Everett83US #91
#58Arnold81US #89
#59Wilbur79US #94
#60Maurice77US #100
#61David76US #28
#62Leroy75US #63
#63Ray73US #73
#64Alfred69US #43
#65Willard67US #69
#66Merle66US #191
#67Stanley65US #34
#68Cecil64US #80
#69Joe62US #35
#70Alvin60US #82
#71Clyde60US #62
#72Frederick60US #52
#73Harvey59US #92
#74Marion58US #110
#75Theodore58US #65
#76Orville57US #131
#77Lewis55US #71
#78Martin55US #81
#79Herman54US #56
#80Norman53US #48
#81Dean50
#82Gordon50US #90
#83Chester49US #54
#84Ivan48US #165
#85Roger48US #129
#86Don47US #160
#87Peter47US #50
#88Victor45US #78
#89Keith43
#90Leslie43US #112
#91Ronald43US #167
#92Lee42US #83
#93Delbert41US #161
#94Forrest41US #183
#95Lowell40
#96Vincent40US #67
#97Warren40US #102
#98Gilbert39US #106
#99Laverne37
#100Dwight36

On the move since 1915

Rising

↑29Arlene#52
↑28Marion#68
↑21Phyllis#55
↑19Marcella#66
↑17Jean#53
↑17Jane#76
↑16Ruby#31
↑16Vivian#36

Falling

↓21Myrtle#79
↓18Alvin#70
↓17Ellen#80
↓17Chester#83
↓16Agnes#61
↓16Ronald#91
↓15Herman#79
↓15Vincent#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1915 rankings.