State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1927 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,417 Iowa births in 1927 across 741 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#16Darlene#185 nationally
#65Darrelloutside the national top 200
#78Eldonoutside the national top 200
#82Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#75Lowell#193 nationally
#83Merlinoutside the national top 200
#85Lorenoutside the national top 200
#77Colleen#192 nationally
#87Laverneoutside the national top 200
#35Duane#147 nationally
#68Merle#179 nationally
#49Lyle#151 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,170US #1
#2Betty1,026US #3
#3Dorothy672US #2
#4Helen432US #4
#5Shirley431US #9
#6Ruth419US #6
#7Lois379US #19
#8Doris363US #7
#9Margaret358US #5
#10Phyllis351US #29
#11Patricia346US #18
#12Virginia310US #8
#13Barbara307US #10
#14Norma294US #26
#15Marjorie290US #25
#16Darlene247US #185
#17Donna236US #70
#18Jean232US #14
#19Evelyn222US #15
#20Marilyn220US #46
#21Beverly214US #57
#22Mildred211US #11
#23Alice204US #17
#24Joyce187US #35
#25Frances170US #12
#26Arlene153US #108
#27Bonnie146US #100
#28Maxine145US #87
#29Anna142US #16
#30Dolores138US #34
#31Joan135US #41
#32Lucille134US #45
#33Elizabeth132US #13
#34Marian124US #74
#35Irene119US #21
#36Florence112US #28
#37Wanda111US #66
#38Audrey108US #62
#39Elaine108US #69
#40Marie108US #20
#41Wilma107US #68
#42Lorraine106US #44
#43Geraldine104US #58
#44Gladys102US #37
#45Kathleen100US #83
#46Martha99US #24
#47Edna98US #40
#48Rosemary96US #86
#49Esther95US #65
#50Rose93US #23
#51June90US #43
#52Kathryn90US #90
#53Delores88US #128
#54Ruby87US #30
#55Vivian87US #77
#56Pauline85US #42
#57Charlotte84US #75
#58Gloria82US #22
#59Thelma81US #38
#60Jeanne79US #85
#61Eleanor76US #33
#62Lillian75US #32
#63Bernice74US #49
#64Carol73US #106
#65Rita73US #54
#66Leona71US #121
#67Louise70US #27
#68Hazel69US #53
#69Viola69US #101
#70Grace68US #50
#71Velma68US #118
#72Catherine66US #31
#73Eileen66US #91
#74Ethel65US #47
#75Roberta64US #122
#76Gertrude59US #78
#77Colleen58US #192
#78Edith58US #48
#79Josephine58US #39
#80Vera57US #89
#81Juanita56US #55
#82Lavonne56
#83Jane54US #60
#84Verna54US #153
#85Bette53US #175
#86Elsie53US #72
#87Clara52US #63
#88Carolyn51US #99
#89Jeanette51US #131
#90Janice50US #159
#91Violet50US #103
#92Agnes49US #81
#93Harriet49US #132
#94Marion49US #51
#95Ellen47US #93
#96Eunice46US #134
#97Jacqueline46US #115
#98Janet46US #111
#99Joanne46US #181
#100Katherine46US #73

Boys

#1Robert1,497US #1
#2Donald975US #8
#3John846US #2
#4William738US #4
#5Richard735US #6
#6James711US #3
#7Charles495US #5
#8Harold432US #14
#9Kenneth404US #18
#10Jack314US #16
#11Paul310US #13
#12George292US #7
#13Raymond280US #15
#14Eugene232US #20
#15Edward216US #10
#16Gerald205US #38
#17Dale195US #81
#18Thomas195US #11
#19Wayne193US #67
#20Marvin185US #47
#21Howard171US #28
#22Ralph167US #24
#23Carl156US #26
#24Joseph155US #9
#25Earl146US #33
#26David135US #21
#27Harry135US #25
#28Ronald135US #63
#29Arthur134US #22
#30Lloyd132US #58
#31Russell131US #54
#32Clarence129US #32
#33Dean125US #133
#34Walter125US #17
#35Duane122US #147
#36Melvin121US #48
#37Frank118US #12
#38Lawrence117US #37
#39Roger117US #84
#40Norman114US #39
#41Vernon112US #71
#42Francis109US #36
#43Leo108US #55
#44Don105US #90
#45Leroy104US #51
#46Leonard97US #40
#47Roy96US #34
#48Gene95US #72
#49Lyle94US #151
#50Glenn93US #76
#51Clifford92US #65
#52Fred92US #35
#53Arnold90US #97
#54Keith90US #141
#55Bernard89US #50
#56Albert88US #23
#57Henry85US #19
#58Elmer84US #61
#59Max84US #142
#60Virgil84US #121
#61Gordon82US #74
#62Bob81US #100
#63Louis80US #29
#64Glen77US #115
#65Darrell76
#66Edwin75US #57
#67Lester74US #83
#68Merle70US #179
#69Floyd69US #53
#70Stanley69US #44
#71Bill66US #69
#72Joe65US #30
#73Warren65US #79
#74Herbert64US #42
#75Lowell64US #193
#76Ernest63US #41
#77Alvin62US #66
#78Eldon59
#79Ray59US #60
#80Billy57US #31
#81Everett56US #120
#82Frederick55US #64
#83Merlin54
#84Dick53US #186
#85Loren53
#86Marion53US #117
#87Laverne52
#88Alfred49US #45
#89Bruce49US #123
#90Delbert48US #159
#91Leon46US #78
#92Daniel45US #46
#93Jerry45US #93
#94Orville45US #172
#95Leland44US #177
#96Lee43US #86
#97Maurice43US #122
#98Philip43US #75
#99Wilbur43US #130
#100Allen42US #95

On the move since 1926

Rising

↑29Ronald#28
↑29Don#44
↑25Arnold#53
↑23Joe#72
↑18Wanda#37
↑17Dolores#30
↑17Duane#35
↑15Kathleen#45

Falling

↓21Lavonne#82
↓18Leland#95
↓18Wilbur#99
↓17Warren#73
↓16Delbert#90
↓15Rose#50
↓15Eleanor#61
↓15Ellen#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1926 rankings.