State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1921 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 44,632 Iowa births in 1921 across 812 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#57Darleneoutside the national top 200
#71Laverneoutside the national top 200
#80Duaneoutside the national top 200
#62Merle#173 nationally
#28Arlene#138 nationally
#60Dean#168 nationally
#68Fern#174 nationally
#97Lowell#199 nationally
#53Keith#153 nationally
#74Bette#169 nationally
#94Donna#189 nationally
#73Carol#166 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,215US #1
#2Dorothy1,044US #2
#3Helen828US #3
#4Betty675US #8
#5Ruth616US #5
#6Margaret600US #4
#7Marjorie452US #16
#8Virginia433US #6
#9Evelyn397US #12
#10Mildred373US #7
#11Doris352US #13
#12Frances321US #9
#13Lois293US #38
#14Maxine289US #77
#15Alice288US #15
#16Jean263US #25
#17Elizabeth253US #10
#18Irene237US #18
#19Esther222US #42
#20Lucille222US #31
#21Phyllis198US #60
#22Florence191US #17
#23Marie191US #14
#24Wilma185US #72
#25Gladys180US #24
#26Bernice173US #39
#27Anna170US #11
#28Arlene168US #138
#29Norma164US #51
#30Edna162US #27
#31Hazel162US #34
#32Marian150US #69
#33Kathryn143US #64
#34Shirley142US #44
#35Eleanor139US #29
#36Martha139US #21
#37Pauline138US #37
#38Ethel133US #32
#39Thelma131US #30
#40Edith130US #33
#41Grace129US #35
#42Barbara128US #40
#43Lorraine128US #61
#44June127US #50
#45Lillian124US #19
#46Louise123US #22
#47Viola123US #66
#48Geraldine122US #62
#49Catherine120US #23
#50Vivian120US #68
#51Ruby119US #26
#52Leona116US #92
#53Vera110US #76
#54Gertrude109US #46
#55Rose108US #20
#56Velma103US #108
#57Darlene99
#58Charlotte93US #79
#59Clara93US #45
#60Jeanne92US #109
#61Eileen91US #100
#62Eva90US #63
#63Elaine88US #97
#64Genevieve88US #90
#65Agnes86US #56
#66Patricia85US #84
#67Juanita84US #57
#68Fern83US #174
#69Kathleen83US #83
#70Elsie81US #55
#71Marcella81US #159
#72Violet79US #81
#73Carol78US #166
#74Bette76US #169
#75Wanda76US #101
#76Jeanette74US #125
#77Josephine74US #28
#78Opal74US #103
#79Pearl73US #65
#80Harriet70US #114
#81Mabel70US #85
#82Nellie70US #80
#83Jane69US #47
#84Marguerite69US #98
#85Dolores67US #111
#86Marion67US #43
#87Ellen64US #95
#88Katherine64US #49
#89Audrey63US #82
#90Ann61US #53
#91Beulah61US #116
#92Laura61US #71
#93Rosemary61US #128
#94Donna58US #189
#95Joyce58US #137
#96Rita58US #48
#97Alma57US #78
#98Ida57US #67
#99Eunice56US #120
#100Erma53US #158

Boys

#1Robert1,591US #2
#2John1,003US #1
#3William804US #3
#4Donald756US #13
#5James627US #4
#6Charles571US #5
#7Harold509US #12
#8Richard506US #10
#9George423US #6
#10Kenneth393US #22
#11Paul372US #14
#12Raymond366US #16
#13Edward282US #8
#14Jack272US #18
#15Clarence235US #28
#16Warren221US #24
#17Joseph220US #7
#18Earl216US #31
#19Ralph216US #23
#20Walter212US #15
#21Eugene209US #26
#22Howard206US #27
#23Wayne206US #81
#24Dale190US #93
#25Arthur189US #19
#26Frank184US #9
#27Harry184US #21
#28Thomas182US #11
#29Carl173US #30
#30Gerald160US #60
#31Albert157US #20
#32Leo152US #50
#33Francis151US #35
#34Lawrence151US #37
#35Lloyd147US #58
#36Leonard142US #39
#37Russell141US #52
#38Elmer138US #48
#39Marvin138US #59
#40Roy134US #32
#41Floyd133US #63
#42Henry129US #17
#43Clifford128US #62
#44Glenn126US #80
#45Melvin120US #53
#46Vernon117US #68
#47Bernard114US #45
#48Louis114US #29
#49Max111US #112
#50Leroy110US #55
#51Virgil105US #98
#52David104US #25
#53Keith103US #153
#54Lester103US #66
#55Everett101US #95
#56Fred101US #33
#57Stanley101US #41
#58Lyle100US #150
#59Herbert99US #42
#60Dean98US #168
#61Edwin98US #54
#62Merle96US #173
#63Ernest94US #38
#64Alvin93US #73
#65Norman92US #46
#66Glen88US #119
#67Ray86US #67
#68Alfred80US #43
#69Arnold78US #91
#70Roger77US #99
#71Laverne72
#72Ronald71US #154
#73Joe69US #36
#74Wilbur69US #100
#75Clyde66US #69
#76Maurice66US #101
#77Marion63US #102
#78Orville63US #137
#79Cecil62US #79
#80Duane60
#81Don57US #136
#82Gordon57US #84
#83Harvey57US #87
#84Delbert56US #156
#85Leland56US #171
#86Frederick52US #61
#87Herman52US #64
#88Theodore52US #65
#89Martin51US #78
#90Willard51US #89
#91Lee50US #86
#92Leslie50US #106
#93Vincent49US #70
#94Victor48US #83
#95Ivan47US #176
#96Willis47US #133
#97Lowell46US #199
#98Chester45US #56
#99Peter45US #57
#100Wesley45US #127

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑28Laverne#71
↑20Darlene#57
↑20Ronald#72
↑19Elaine#63
↑18Eileen#61
↑16Jeanne#60
↑16Juanita#67
↑15Norma#29

Falling

↓20Opal#78
↓19Ellen#87
↓18Violet#72
↓17Leona#52
↓17Pearl#79
↓16Lowell#97
↓14Thelma#39
↓14Viola#47

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.