State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1920 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 43,165 Iowa births in 1920 across 791 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#77Darleneoutside the national top 200
#81Lowell#198 nationally
#85Eldonoutside the national top 200
#66Dean#180 nationally
#34Arlene#145 nationally
#65Keith#175 nationally
#62Merle#171 nationally
#92Donnaoutside the national top 200
#95Duaneoutside the national top 200
#46Lyle#151 nationally
#97Luellaoutside the national top 200
#99Laverneoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,213US #1
#2Dorothy985US #2
#3Helen788US #3
#4Margaret671US #4
#5Ruth665US #5
#6Betty461US #11
#7Mildred409US #6
#8Virginia401US #7
#9Evelyn367US #12
#10Marjorie344US #24
#11Doris335US #14
#12Maxine327US #81
#13Frances312US #9
#14Lois272US #38
#15Alice265US #15
#16Marie240US #13
#17Florence222US #16
#18Irene222US #17
#19Lucille221US #29
#20Jean220US #33
#21Elizabeth207US #8
#22Esther189US #39
#23Gladys185US #22
#24Wilma181US #78
#25Thelma171US #31
#26Anna170US #10
#27Bernice170US #40
#28Hazel170US #34
#29Marian170US #73
#30Edna164US #27
#31Pauline149US #36
#32Phyllis149US #72
#33Viola147US #59
#34Arlene144US #145
#35Leona139US #89
#36Lillian137US #18
#37Grace134US #37
#38June134US #53
#39Eleanor133US #25
#40Kathryn133US #67
#41Edith132US #32
#42Martha131US #23
#43Ethel129US #30
#44Norma129US #69
#45Ruby128US #26
#46Vivian127US #64
#47Shirley123US #56
#48Charlotte118US #79
#49Catherine116US #21
#50Geraldine116US #60
#51Vera116US #75
#52Velma110US #105
#53Barbara105US #47
#54Violet105US #77
#55Lorraine103US #70
#56Louise101US #19
#57Gertrude99US #42
#58Opal99US #101
#59Agnes96US #54
#60Genevieve94US #86
#61Kathleen91US #91
#62Pearl90US #62
#63Clara88US #44
#64Elsie87US #51
#65Rose87US #20
#66Josephine82US #28
#67Marcella82US #161
#68Ellen80US #92
#69Eva80US #58
#70Marguerite80US #93
#71Mabel78US #83
#72Marion77US #43
#73Jane75US #48
#74Patricia75US #104
#75Fern73US #170
#76Jeanne73US #114
#77Darlene72
#78Beulah67US #109
#79Eileen67US #100
#80Laura65US #63
#81Katherine64US #45
#82Elaine63US #107
#83Juanita63US #61
#84Emma62US #46
#85Bertha61US #57
#86Dolores61US #110
#87Audrey59US #103
#88Jeanette59US #126
#89Rita59US #52
#90Wanda57US #117
#91Alma56US #80
#92Donna56
#93Erma56US #152
#94Harriet56US #112
#95Ida56US #66
#96Beatrice55US #41
#97Luella55
#98Joyce54US #153
#99Loretta53US #120
#100Eunice52US #115

Boys

#1Robert1,389US #3
#2John929US #1
#3William749US #2
#4Donald690US #16
#5Charles561US #5
#6James543US #4
#7Harold526US #12
#8Richard429US #10
#9George407US #6
#10Kenneth401US #23
#11Raymond364US #15
#12Paul324US #14
#13Edward264US #8
#14Joseph246US #7
#15Ralph246US #22
#16Jack240US #20
#17Howard220US #24
#18Arthur216US #18
#19Clarence213US #26
#20Frank204US #9
#21Harry200US #21
#22Earl199US #31
#23Walter197US #13
#24Warren189US #39
#25Wayne182US #86
#26Eugene180US #30
#27Dale178US #105
#28Francis176US #34
#29Carl175US #27
#30Lloyd164US #58
#31Lawrence160US #36
#32Thomas158US #11
#33Gerald157US #64
#34Vernon156US #65
#35Russell149US #51
#36Leonard139US #38
#37Melvin138US #54
#38Albert137US #19
#39Henry135US #17
#40Glenn134US #80
#41Floyd131US #61
#42Leo130US #48
#43Elmer126US #45
#44Fred124US #33
#45Lester121US #69
#46Lyle119US #151
#47Marvin119US #62
#48Bernard117US #46
#49Clifford117US #59
#50Roy116US #32
#51Herbert115US #41
#52Leroy110US #56
#53David108US #25
#54Edwin102US #53
#55Virgil101US #101
#56Louis100US #28
#57Everett99US #95
#58Arnold98US #91
#59Norman93US #47
#60Ernest92US #37
#61Max91US #112
#62Merle91US #171
#63Glen87US #122
#64Alvin86US #76
#65Keith80US #175
#66Dean78US #180
#67Marion75US #109
#68Gordon71US #85
#69Alfred70US #42
#70Wilbur70US #98
#71Clyde68US #68
#72Stanley68US #40
#73Harvey66US #87
#74Orville66US #134
#75Ray66US #67
#76Cecil64US #77
#77Maurice64US #102
#78Roger64US #103
#79Delbert62US #150
#80Joe62US #35
#81Lowell62US #198
#82Theodore62US #63
#83Frederick58US #60
#84Chester56US #55
#85Eldon56
#86Vincent56US #73
#87Don55US #148
#88Ivan55US #179
#89Lewis55US #72
#90Herman54US #66
#91Martin54US #78
#92Ronald53US #168
#93Leslie52US #110
#94Lee51US #82
#95Duane48
#96Leland48US #177
#97Wallace46US #93
#98Willard46US #88
#99Laverne45
#100Daniel44US #52

On the move since 1919

Rising

↑44Warren#24
↑40Shirley#47
↑22Kathleen#61
↑20Gordon#68
↑19Jeanne#76
↑18Marian#29
↑18Charlotte#48
↑18Lowell#81

Falling

↓27Willard#98
↓24Katherine#81
↓22Erma#93
↓18Harriet#94
↓17Leslie#93
↓16Lorraine#55
↓15Vera#51
↓15Louise#56

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1919 rankings.