State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1917 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,128 Iowa births in 1917 across 782 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#41Arlene#167 nationally
#78Keithoutside the national top 200
#63Merle#178 nationally
#86Luellaoutside the national top 200
#87Eldonoutside the national top 200
#69Marcella#175 nationally
#57Fern#162 nationally
#49Lyle#153 nationally
#98Lowelloutside the national top 200
#99Rexoutside the national top 200
#90Leland#191 nationally
#70Ronald#165 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,077US #1
#2Dorothy854US #3
#3Helen801US #2
#4Ruth585US #5
#5Margaret569US #4
#6Mildred447US #6
#7Evelyn380US #11
#8Virginia311US #10
#9Marjorie306US #36
#10Frances296US #9
#11Doris265US #25
#12Marie264US #12
#13Maxine263US #93
#14Lucille248US #29
#15Irene246US #17
#16Alice245US #13
#17Florence232US #14
#18Lois226US #43
#19Esther217US #38
#20Gladys209US #23
#21Elizabeth208US #8
#22Edna191US #20
#23Bernice182US #42
#24Wilma175US #82
#25Anna173US #7
#26Grace171US #30
#27Betty166US #34
#28Hazel166US #31
#29Thelma161US #32
#30Eleanor156US #26
#31Lillian151US #15
#32Pauline147US #33
#33Martha144US #22
#34Ruby142US #27
#35Louise139US #19
#36Viola134US #59
#37Marian133US #74
#38Leona131US #80
#39Vera130US #66
#40Edith129US #28
#41Arlene126US #167
#42Ethel125US #24
#43Gertrude123US #37
#44Kathryn117US #60
#45Jean116US #40
#46June116US #73
#47Velma115US #99
#48Agnes110US #48
#49Josephine108US #21
#50Catherine104US #18
#51Clara104US #41
#52Phyllis103US #92
#53Mabel102US #68
#54Vivian101US #79
#55Elsie100US #50
#56Geraldine99US #89
#57Fern94US #162
#58Opal91US #95
#59Violet91US #84
#60Eva90US #54
#61Rose90US #16
#62Genevieve86US #77
#63Charlotte85US #76
#64Jane85US #55
#65Marion85US #45
#66Marguerite79US #78
#67Pearl74US #57
#68Katherine71US #49
#69Marcella71US #175
#70Norma71US #108
#71Bertha70US #51
#72Ellen69US #90
#73Loretta68US #114
#74Myrtle68US #58
#75Eileen66US #106
#76Harriet66US #104
#77Lorraine66US #116
#78Barbara65US #67
#79Ann64US #44
#80Beulah63US #102
#81Verna63US #124
#82Laura60US #65
#83Nellie60US #64
#84Alma55US #71
#85Emma54US #46
#86Luella54
#87Dolores53US #139
#88Julia53US #47
#89Wanda53US #140
#90Blanche52US #91
#91Bessie51US #61
#92Jeanette51US #132
#93Naomi51US #133
#94Beatrice50US #39
#95Erma49US #148
#96Georgia49US #105
#97Inez48US #110
#98Eunice47US #111
#99Shirley46US #123
#100Rosemary45US #176

Boys

#1Robert961US #4
#2John872US #1
#3William600US #2
#4Donald527US #20
#5James504US #3
#6Charles444US #7
#7Harold443US #12
#8George394US #6
#9Richard340US #14
#10Raymond318US #16
#11Paul301US #13
#12Kenneth284US #27
#13Edward249US #8
#14Ralph222US #21
#15Howard214US #26
#16Joseph208US #5
#17Harry201US #19
#18Carl197US #24
#19Frank197US #9
#20Clarence196US #25
#21Arthur193US #17
#22Walter187US #11
#23Jack186US #22
#24Earl175US #32
#25Lloyd168US #53
#26Thomas167US #10
#27Lawrence163US #36
#28Leonard163US #41
#29Elmer157US #45
#30Francis153US #30
#31Henry151US #15
#32Gerald149US #69
#33Melvin146US #57
#34Dale144US #120
#35Leo140US #47
#36Marvin140US #68
#37Roy140US #33
#38Wayne138US #96
#39Glenn135US #86
#40Albert132US #18
#41Lester128US #61
#42Russell126US #52
#43Eugene125US #39
#44Herbert112US #40
#45Fred110US #29
#46Clifford108US #59
#47Floyd104US #62
#48Vernon102US #71
#49Lyle101US #153
#50Bernard98US #49
#51Louis97US #23
#52Ernest95US #37
#53David92US #28
#54Edwin92US #55
#55Norman91US #46
#56Glen90US #122
#57Leroy89US #60
#58Virgil88US #103
#59Max81US #104
#60Ray76US #74
#61Arnold74US #91
#62Everett71US #94
#63Merle71US #178
#64Wilbur71US #92
#65Frederick69US #51
#66Alfred67US #43
#67Willard66US #80
#68Maurice64US #101
#69Orville63US #134
#70Ronald63US #165
#71Stanley63US #34
#72Alvin61US #81
#73Roger61US #119
#74Marion58US #108
#75Cecil57US #83
#76Herman57US #58
#77Ivan55US #168
#78Keith54
#79Harvey53US #90
#80Chester52US #56
#81Joe52US #35
#82Vincent52US #65
#83Clyde51US #64
#84Delbert51US #162
#85Warren51US #93
#86Gordon50US #84
#87Eldon49
#88Victor49US #78
#89Lewis48US #70
#90Leland45US #191
#91Ervin44US #174
#92Gilbert44US #105
#93Allen43US #100
#94Martin43US #77
#95Theodore43US #63
#96Homer42US #102
#97Hubert41US #115
#98Lowell40
#99Rex39
#100Don38US #167

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑25Norman#55
↑22Betty#27
↑21Loretta#73
↑21Ronald#70
↑14Vincent#82
↑13Agnes#48
↑13Harriet#76
↑13Luella#86

Falling

↓20Erma#95
↓20Theodore#95
↓18Vivian#54
↓16Emma#85
↓16Martin#94
↓15Beulah#80
↓14Gertrude#43
↓14Don#100

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.