State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1923 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 42,227 Iowa births in 1923 across 779 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#44Darleneoutside the national top 200
#72Eldonoutside the national top 200
#64Duane#190 nationally
#58Merle#180 nationally
#81Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#82Laverneoutside the national top 200
#85Darrelloutside the national top 200
#87Lowell#194 nationally
#39Keith#145 nationally
#96Lorenoutside the national top 200
#52Donna#156 nationally
#97Rexoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,204US #1
#2Betty985US #5
#3Dorothy886US #2
#4Helen669US #3
#5Ruth531US #6
#6Margaret501US #4
#7Doris412US #11
#8Marjorie408US #16
#9Virginia407US #7
#10Mildred342US #8
#11Lois311US #27
#12Evelyn281US #12
#13Frances277US #10
#14Maxine259US #76
#15Phyllis244US #45
#16Alice243US #15
#17Jean221US #19
#18Elizabeth210US #9
#19Shirley198US #26
#20Irene195US #17
#21Norma178US #41
#22Barbara176US #33
#23Marie173US #14
#24Wilma172US #74
#25Gladys170US #29
#26Florence166US #18
#27Arlene163US #127
#28Patricia160US #56
#29Lucille158US #35
#30Esther152US #47
#31Anna147US #13
#32Marian135US #65
#33Geraldine131US #58
#34Martha131US #21
#35Lorraine126US #57
#36Lillian124US #20
#37Eleanor123US #28
#38Kathryn118US #72
#39Bernice117US #43
#40Bonnie117US #126
#41Hazel117US #40
#42Edna116US #32
#43June115US #42
#44Darlene112
#45Catherine111US #24
#46Louise109US #22
#47Pauline104US #37
#48Ruby102US #25
#49Charlotte101US #77
#50Thelma100US #31
#51Viola98US #79
#52Donna97US #156
#53Edith96US #36
#54Kathleen95US #70
#55Jeanne94US #90
#56Wanda93US #80
#57Bette91US #148
#58Grace91US #39
#59Rose91US #23
#60Dolores90US #83
#61Vera90US #82
#62Velma89US #116
#63Marilyn88US #118
#64Vivian88US #69
#65Leona85US #100
#66Ethel84US #38
#67Elaine82US #87
#68Juanita81US #51
#69Katherine81US #60
#70Marcella80US #158
#71Elsie79US #61
#72Gertrude78US #59
#73Joyce76US #104
#74Eileen75US #95
#75Beulah74US #129
#76Clara72US #49
#77Rita72US #50
#78Violet72US #86
#79Marion70US #44
#80Audrey69US #85
#81Lavonne69
#82Opal69US #113
#83Agnes68US #63
#84Genevieve68US #97
#85Delores67US #184
#86Fern66US #187
#87Jeanette66US #131
#88Josephine65US #30
#89Carol63US #139
#90Eva63US #66
#91Joan63US #117
#92Rosemary63US #110
#93Ellen59US #103
#94Emma59US #53
#95Roberta58US #152
#96Beverly54US #144
#97Alberta53US #135
#98Gloria53US #48
#99Janet52US #121
#100Loretta52US #124

Boys

#1Robert1,583US #2
#2John874US #1
#3Donald869US #10
#4William748US #3
#5James640US #4
#6Richard609US #9
#7Charles515US #5
#8Harold482US #13
#9Kenneth446US #21
#10George407US #6
#11Paul359US #14
#12Raymond305US #15
#13Jack263US #17
#14Joseph242US #7
#15Edward239US #8
#16Wayne218US #75
#17Eugene214US #25
#18Dale201US #90
#19Ralph198US #23
#20Earl189US #31
#21Harry187US #22
#22Thomas183US #12
#23Howard181US #26
#24Frank177US #11
#25Marvin177US #51
#26Walter176US #16
#27Gerald163US #54
#28Arthur158US #19
#29Albert147US #20
#30Lawrence144US #36
#31Carl143US #28
#32Francis143US #34
#33Clarence141US #29
#34Leonard140US #37
#35Lloyd140US #59
#36Russell139US #52
#37Leo134US #49
#38Melvin133US #48
#39Keith128US #145
#40Warren127US #43
#41Vernon123US #67
#42Roy122US #32
#43David121US #24
#44Elmer120US #57
#45Lester115US #71
#46Henry113US #18
#47Bernard111US #46
#48Virgil107US #100
#49Leroy101US #55
#50Glenn98US #84
#51Louis98US #27
#52Floyd97US #64
#53Norman97US #44
#54Herbert94US #40
#55Dean92US #153
#56Clifford91US #65
#57Max90US #122
#58Merle90US #180
#59Roger89US #95
#60Ernest88US #38
#61Lyle86US #154
#62Ray86US #61
#63Edwin85US #56
#64Duane81US #190
#65Glen80US #121
#66Fred79US #33
#67Arnold78US #93
#68Alvin73US #73
#69Stanley72US #41
#70Gordon69US #76
#71Joe68US #35
#72Eldon67
#73Don66US #130
#74Everett66US #99
#75Wilbur66US #105
#76Alfred62US #42
#77Marion61US #106
#78Orville61US #152
#79Ronald60US #142
#80Calvin59US #82
#81Frederick59US #60
#82Laverne58
#83Willard58US #92
#84Maurice56US #101
#85Darrell55
#86Delbert55US #156
#87Lowell54US #194
#88Ivan53US #176
#89Wallace53US #69
#90Chester52US #63
#91Leland52US #174
#92Victor52US #88
#93Clyde51US #68
#94Philip50US #70
#95Allen49US #97
#96Loren49
#97Rex48
#98Billy47US #78
#99Daniel47US #47
#100Harlan47

On the move since 1922

Rising

↑22Bonnie#40
↑19Barbara#22
↑19Donna#52
↑19Keith#39
↑17Darlene#44
↑17Beulah#75
↑17Lavonne#81
↑16Audrey#80

Falling

↓24Vivian#64
↓23Marcella#70
↓20Gertrude#72
↓17Ellen#93
↓15Thelma#50
↓15Wallace#89
↓14Henry#46
↓13Agnes#83

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1922 rankings.