State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1926 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,818 Iowa births in 1926 across 731 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#20Darleneoutside the national top 200
#61Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#71Darrelloutside the national top 200
#59Merle#180 nationally
#84Colleenoutside the national top 200
#86Merlinoutside the national top 200
#88Eldonoutside the national top 200
#83Lowell#195 nationally
#41Lyle#152 nationally
#77Leland#186 nationally
#52Duane#160 nationally
#94Lorenoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Betty1,054US #3
#2Mary1,051US #1
#3Dorothy762US #2
#4Helen535US #4
#5Ruth432US #6
#6Margaret423US #5
#7Lois403US #19
#8Shirley392US #14
#9Doris377US #7
#10Phyllis323US #33
#11Virginia305US #8
#12Marjorie299US #22
#13Barbara268US #16
#14Norma258US #29
#15Patricia250US #23
#16Evelyn246US #13
#17Jean241US #12
#18Mildred213US #9
#19Frances208US #10
#20Darlene206
#21Donna197US #90
#22Alice192US #17
#23Maxine185US #85
#24Beverly177US #74
#25Arlene168US #108
#26Marilyn164US #65
#27Wilma155US #67
#28Marie141US #18
#29Joyce140US #44
#30Joan137US #51
#31Elizabeth131US #11
#32Irene131US #21
#33Marian130US #70
#34Lorraine126US #53
#35Rose126US #25
#36Bonnie125US #105
#37Lucille124US #43
#38Geraldine121US #54
#39Anna120US #15
#40June119US #40
#41Audrey115US #60
#42Elaine115US #68
#43Florence108US #26
#44Gladys108US #35
#45Martha105US #24
#46Eleanor103US #32
#47Dolores102US #49
#48Gloria102US #20
#49Bernice101US #45
#50Pauline100US #39
#51Esther98US #62
#52Kathryn97US #87
#53Rosemary95US #95
#54Charlotte94US #78
#55Wanda93US #66
#56Carol89US #113
#57Edna87US #38
#58Leona86US #112
#59Thelma85US #36
#60Kathleen84US #83
#61Lavonne83
#62Delores82US #145
#63Ruby81US #30
#64Edith77US #42
#65Rita77US #50
#66Grace75US #46
#67Hazel75US #48
#68Vivian74US #80
#69Jeanne73US #88
#70Vera73US #84
#71Viola73US #97
#72Velma72US #124
#73Louise71US #27
#74Bette70US #166
#75Gertrude70US #71
#76Catherine69US #31
#77Lillian66US #28
#78Marcella64US #177
#79Eileen62US #92
#80Ellen62US #100
#81Elsie62US #69
#82Ethel61US #41
#83Violet60US #94
#84Colleen58
#85Juanita58US #52
#86Josephine57US #37
#87Jane55US #56
#88Jeanette55US #136
#89Loretta53US #126
#90Roberta53US #135
#91Genevieve52US #128
#92Janet52US #110
#93Agnes51US #77
#94Harriet51US #133
#95Marion51US #47
#96Janice48US #159
#97Eva47US #79
#98Deloris46
#99Ann45US #55
#100Beulah45US #148

Boys

#1Robert1,575US #1
#2Donald922US #9
#3John882US #2
#4William786US #4
#5Richard745US #7
#6James672US #3
#7Charles442US #5
#8Harold396US #14
#9Kenneth387US #18
#10George352US #6
#11Paul310US #13
#12Raymond280US #15
#13Jack278US #16
#14Dale221US #84
#15Edward215US #10
#16Eugene214US #23
#17Wayne202US #68
#18Gerald197US #41
#19Ralph195US #24
#20Thomas195US #11
#21Joseph194US #8
#22Marvin186US #50
#23Howard175US #27
#24Earl153US #32
#25Carl147US #26
#26Arthur146US #20
#27Melvin139US #47
#28Russell138US #52
#29Walter138US #17
#30Clarence135US #29
#31Francis127US #35
#32Lawrence126US #36
#33Frank124US #12
#34Vernon124US #66
#35Dean122US #139
#36David121US #22
#37Lloyd117US #60
#38Norman117US #39
#39Harry116US #25
#40Leonard116US #38
#41Lyle111US #152
#42Henry109US #19
#43Glenn107US #75
#44Leo104US #54
#45Virgil101US #118
#46Bernard99US #49
#47Keith99US #148
#48Leroy99US #51
#49Elmer98US #61
#50Fred98US #31
#51Albert97US #21
#52Duane95US #160
#53Gene93US #91
#54Roger89US #89
#55Roy89US #34
#56Warren88US #71
#57Ronald87US #88
#58Clifford86US #62
#59Merle86US #180
#60Lester83US #78
#61Edwin82US #55
#62Max79US #137
#63Louis78US #30
#64Stanley75US #43
#65Bob74US #102
#66Gordon74US #76
#67Herbert73US #44
#68Floyd72US #53
#69Glen72US #121
#70Ernest70US #37
#71Darrell68
#72Alvin67US #72
#73Don67US #96
#74Delbert64US #163
#75Billy63US #40
#76Everett63US #119
#77Leland61US #186
#78Arnold60US #99
#79Ray59US #57
#80Bill56US #74
#81Wilbur56US #122
#82Maurice55US #110
#83Lowell52US #195
#84Wallace52US #95
#85Daniel51US #46
#86Merlin51
#87Carroll50US #193
#88Eldon48
#89Frederick47US #64
#90Marion47US #113
#91Calvin46US #65
#92Cecil46US #86
#93Ivan46US #189
#94Loren46
#95Joe45US #33
#96Willard44US #100
#97Bruce43US #127
#98Harlan43
#99Laverne43
#100Philip43US #70

On the move since 1925

Rising

↑32Audrey#41
↑32Bob#65
↑27Joan#30
↑27Gene#53
↑24Rose#35
↑20Charlotte#54
↑19Elmer#49
↑18Lavonne#61

Falling

↓32Calvin#91
↓21Rita#65
↓20Bernice#49
↓20Bette#74
↓19Herbert#67
↓18Floyd#68
↓17Albert#51
↓16Grace#66

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1925 rankings.