State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1918 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 42,210 Iowa births in 1918 across 817 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#44Arlene#165 nationally
#80Keithoutside the national top 200
#52Merle#170 nationally
#84Eldonoutside the national top 200
#73Dean#189 nationally
#53Fern#164 nationally
#95Lowelloutside the national top 200
#99Luellaoutside the national top 200
#99Rexoutside the national top 200
#100Bernieceoutside the national top 200
#88Leland#187 nationally
#53Lyle#145 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,070US #1
#2Dorothy913US #3
#3Helen857US #2
#4Ruth643US #5
#5Margaret621US #4
#6Mildred467US #6
#7Evelyn377US #11
#8Virginia339US #7
#9Frances321US #8
#10Maxine299US #87
#11Alice288US #13
#12Marjorie287US #34
#13Doris268US #19
#14Marie258US #12
#15Florence245US #14
#16Irene243US #16
#17Lucille237US #29
#18Betty228US #21
#19Lois226US #42
#20Esther221US #38
#21Anna211US #10
#22Elizabeth210US #9
#23Gladys203US #22
#24Wilma194US #82
#25Edna192US #23
#26Bernice172US #41
#27Viola171US #59
#28Hazel165US #33
#29Eleanor158US #26
#30Pauline157US #35
#31Edith154US #30
#32Thelma151US #32
#33Grace148US #31
#34Jean147US #37
#35Lillian145US #15
#36Louise145US #18
#37Leona144US #79
#38Ethel140US #28
#39June139US #66
#40Vera136US #68
#41Geraldine133US #77
#42Gertrude130US #39
#43Kathryn130US #63
#44Arlene127US #165
#45Ruby127US #27
#46Marian126US #76
#47Phyllis121US #80
#48Elsie118US #49
#49Martha118US #25
#50Lorraine117US #69
#51Velma116US #103
#52Violet112US #83
#53Fern111US #164
#54Vivian110US #72
#55Marguerite108US #86
#56Opal106US #94
#57Agnes103US #47
#58Catherine103US #20
#59Eva103US #55
#60Clara100US #43
#61Rose100US #17
#62Mabel97US #74
#63Charlotte93US #78
#64Jane93US #53
#65Genevieve92US #81
#66Josephine90US #24
#67Laura89US #64
#68Marion88US #45
#69Myrtle87US #62
#70Ellen82US #92
#71Pearl79US #56
#72Barbara77US #60
#73Norma77US #98
#74Bertha75US #51
#75Katherine75US #50
#76Marcella72US #163
#77Beulah70US #104
#78Emma70US #46
#79Verna70US #125
#80Eileen67US #110
#81Nellie66US #65
#82Ann65US #44
#83Alma62US #73
#84Dolores62US #127
#85Bessie61US #61
#86Elaine61US #152
#87Jeanne61US #126
#88Kathleen61US #99
#89Lola61US #146
#90Harriet60US #106
#91Rita59US #58
#92Loretta58US #116
#93Wanda57US #128
#94Ella53US #84
#95Erma53US #153
#96Lucile53US #156
#97Sarah52US #52
#98Juanita51US #85
#99Luella51
#100Berniece50

Boys

#1Robert1,069US #4
#2John937US #1
#3William692US #2
#4Donald581US #18
#5James533US #3
#6Charles532US #5
#7Harold488US #13
#8George450US #6
#9Raymond382US #15
#10Richard367US #12
#11Kenneth334US #27
#12Paul332US #14
#13Edward320US #8
#14Ralph250US #22
#15Joseph233US #7
#16Walter231US #11
#17Clarence222US #23
#18Carl221US #25
#19Arthur218US #17
#20Earl207US #31
#21Jack207US #21
#22Harry197US #20
#23Lloyd197US #51
#24Howard194US #26
#25Francis186US #30
#26Frank184US #9
#27Thomas179US #10
#28Dale167US #111
#29Albert166US #19
#30Elmer165US #44
#31Vernon158US #66
#32Lawrence156US #38
#33Leonard155US #41
#34Henry153US #16
#35Wayne149US #91
#36Gerald141US #72
#37Leo141US #48
#38Russell136US #50
#39Lester134US #62
#40Marvin129US #68
#41Floyd128US #61
#42Melvin127US #56
#43Clifford126US #60
#44Eugene124US #35
#45Fred119US #33
#46Roy118US #32
#47Herbert116US #40
#48Leroy111US #57
#49Louis108US #24
#50Bernard106US #47
#51Ernest106US #37
#52Merle106US #170
#53Lyle103US #145
#54Edwin102US #55
#55Glenn101US #84
#56Max101US #106
#57Arnold99US #92
#58Wilbur95US #97
#59Virgil94US #99
#60Glen92US #125
#61Alfred90US #42
#62Norman82US #49
#63Alvin81US #80
#64Ray80US #69
#65Maurice70US #103
#66Harvey69US #88
#67Victor68US #63
#68Stanley66US #36
#69Willard66US #83
#70Everett65US #93
#71Marion65US #107
#72Warren65US #90
#73Dean63US #189
#74David62US #28
#75Orville62US #134
#76Gordon58US #85
#77Leslie58US #102
#78Cecil57US #82
#79Frederick57US #59
#80Keith57
#81Roger57US #116
#82Chester56US #54
#83Delbert54US #164
#84Eldon54
#85Gilbert54US #105
#86Joe53US #34
#87Clyde51US #67
#88Leland51US #187
#89Lewis51US #74
#90Don50US #153
#91Herman50US #65
#92Ronald50US #176
#93Allen49US #98
#94Ivan47US #177
#95Lowell46
#96Andrew44US #46
#97Hubert44US #114
#98Martin44US #81
#99Rex42
#100Vincent42US #73

On the move since 1917

Rising

↑27Lorraine#50
↑21Victor#67
↑17Vernon#31
↑15Geraldine#41
↑15Laura#67
↑13Harvey#66
↑13Warren#72
↑11Jean#34

Falling

↓22Ronald#92
↓21David#74
↓19Loretta#92
↓18Vincent#100
↓17Josephine#66
↓17Ivan#94
↓16Martha#49
↓16Glenn#55

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1917 rankings.