State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1922 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 42,824 Iowa births in 1922 across 787 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#61Darleneoutside the national top 200
#71Duaneoutside the national top 200
#49Merle#172 nationally
#80Eldonoutside the national top 200
#82Lowell#197 nationally
#87Darrelloutside the national top 200
#47Dean#158 nationally
#91Laverneoutside the national top 200
#47Marcella#155 nationally
#28Arlene#133 nationally
#77Fern#182 nationally
#56Bette#160 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,144US #1
#2Dorothy1,015US #2
#3Betty826US #6
#4Helen758US #3
#5Ruth551US #5
#6Margaret550US #4
#7Virginia437US #7
#8Marjorie425US #16
#9Doris419US #11
#10Evelyn333US #13
#11Mildred315US #8
#12Frances268US #10
#13Lois268US #35
#14Jean247US #20
#15Maxine234US #82
#16Alice230US #15
#17Phyllis222US #53
#18Irene211US #17
#19Norma195US #46
#20Elizabeth194US #9
#21Florence191US #18
#22Shirley191US #39
#23Wilma191US #77
#24Marie184US #14
#25Anna179US #12
#26Lucille175US #33
#27Gladys170US #25
#28Arlene158US #133
#29Esther152US #44
#30Bernice148US #41
#31Martha142US #21
#32Eleanor141US #28
#33Edna139US #29
#34Marian135US #67
#35Thelma134US #31
#36Hazel132US #37
#37Pauline131US #36
#38June127US #45
#39Patricia127US #69
#40Vivian126US #74
#41Barbara125US #40
#42Lillian125US #19
#43Lorraine124US #56
#44Geraldine120US #58
#45Kathryn118US #73
#46Grace116US #38
#47Marcella110US #155
#48Ruby110US #26
#49Viola109US #72
#50Edith108US #34
#51Catherine105US #24
#52Gertrude105US #48
#53Leona105US #101
#54Ethel103US #32
#55Charlotte102US #76
#56Bette101US #160
#57Jeanne100US #97
#58Louise97US #22
#59Elsie96US #59
#60Vera96US #79
#61Darlene93
#62Bonnie91US #137
#63Rose89US #23
#64Velma89US #113
#65Wanda87US #92
#66Elaine86US #102
#67Eileen84US #96
#68Kathleen83US #80
#69Violet83US #86
#70Agnes81US #62
#71Donna81US #166
#72Juanita81US #57
#73Marilyn79US #145
#74Dolores77US #104
#75Clara76US #47
#76Ellen76US #95
#77Fern76US #182
#78Genevieve76US #98
#79Katherine73US #54
#80Pearl72US #71
#81Opal69US #108
#82Josephine68US #27
#83Marion68US #42
#84Eva67US #64
#85Mabel65US #99
#86Laura63US #68
#87Rita63US #52
#88Jane61US #55
#89Marguerite61US #106
#90Carol60US #158
#91Jeanette60US #128
#92Beulah59US #124
#93Harriet58US #117
#94Rosemary57US #120
#95Joan55US #127
#96Audrey53US #89
#97Delores52
#98Lavonne52
#99Nellie52US #83
#100Eunice51US #119

Boys

#1Robert1,644US #2
#2John938US #1
#3Donald836US #12
#4William796US #3
#5James610US #4
#6Richard575US #9
#7Charles484US #5
#8Kenneth438US #21
#9Harold424US #13
#10George396US #6
#11Paul354US #14
#12Raymond345US #16
#13Jack264US #18
#14Joseph254US #7
#15Edward240US #8
#16Wayne212US #78
#17Dale206US #89
#18Eugene206US #25
#19Gerald199US #58
#20Clarence194US #29
#21Ralph193US #23
#22Howard190US #26
#23Walter188US #15
#24Thomas185US #11
#25Arthur181US #19
#26Francis171US #34
#27Earl169US #31
#28Harry169US #22
#29Russell161US #49
#30Marvin151US #56
#31Frank149US #10
#32Henry144US #17
#33Carl142US #30
#34Bernard139US #46
#35Lawrence139US #36
#36Leonard134US #38
#37Melvin134US #50
#38Leo133US #51
#39Albert132US #20
#40Lloyd131US #59
#41Roy127US #32
#42Glenn123US #79
#43Warren117US #45
#44Clifford116US #63
#45David111US #24
#46Leroy110US #55
#47Dean105US #158
#48Floyd104US #61
#49Merle104US #172
#50Lester102US #69
#51Vernon99US #68
#52Elmer98US #54
#53Virgil98US #99
#54Max95US #117
#55Lyle94US #146
#56Fred92US #33
#57Edwin90US #52
#58Keith89US #157
#59Louis88US #27
#60Roger88US #96
#61Ernest87US #37
#62Everett87US #98
#63Arnold85US #94
#64Herbert84US #40
#65Norman82US #44
#66Glen79US #123
#67Alfred78US #42
#68Ray73US #65
#69Ronald72US #147
#70Wilbur71US #102
#71Duane70
#72Orville69US #151
#73Stanley67US #41
#74Wallace64US #87
#75Alvin63US #73
#76Gordon62US #76
#77Maurice62US #103
#78Willard62US #91
#79Don61US #136
#80Eldon59
#81Joe59US #35
#82Lowell59US #197
#83Marion57US #107
#84Harvey56US #88
#85Clyde55US #67
#86Lewis54US #75
#87Darrell52
#88Cecil51US #85
#89Leland51US #183
#90Gene50US #144
#91Laverne50
#92Roland49US #115
#93Theodore49US #62
#94Victor48US #86
#95Frederick47US #60
#96Leslie46US #114
#97Allen45US #95
#98Delbert44US #162
#99Leon44US #77
#100Loren44

On the move since 1921

Rising

↑27Patricia#39
↑24Marcella#47
↑23Donna#71
↑18Bette#56
↑15Lowell#82
↑13Bernard#34
↑13Dean#47
↑13Merle#49

Falling

↓27Warren#43
↓22Eva#84
↓20Laverne#91
↓17Carol#90
↓17Nellie#99
↓16Ethel#54
↓16Clara#75
↓16Stanley#73

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1921 rankings.