State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1928 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,310 Iowa births in 1928 across 700 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#18Darlene#176 nationally
#64Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#76Darrelloutside the national top 200
#64Merle#186 nationally
#66Colleen#185 nationally
#83Eldonoutside the national top 200
#86Merlinoutside the national top 200
#22Dean#136 nationally
#87Laverneoutside the national top 200
#30Duane#141 nationally
#93Rexoutside the national top 200
#95Wendelloutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,100US #1
#2Betty959US #2
#3Dorothy666US #3
#4Shirley520US #10
#5Helen419US #4
#6Ruth347US #6
#7Doris342US #7
#8Lois339US #18
#9Patricia338US #11
#10Margaret335US #5
#11Phyllis322US #26
#12Donna306US #61
#13Barbara300US #8
#14Norma294US #23
#15Marjorie285US #29
#16Beverly279US #46
#17Virginia277US #9
#18Darlene263US #176
#19Marilyn254US #38
#20Jean232US #12
#21Evelyn217US #17
#22Joyce189US #30
#23Alice181US #19
#24Frances178US #13
#25Mildred168US #15
#26Dolores167US #20
#27Arlene165US #106
#28Bonnie162US #89
#29Maxine154US #84
#30Joan138US #27
#31Geraldine133US #50
#32Elizabeth129US #14
#33Anna128US #16
#34Delores128US #94
#35Marian120US #71
#36Wilma119US #69
#37Wanda110US #63
#38Rose108US #24
#39Gladys104US #41
#40June104US #44
#41Elaine99US #68
#42Martha97US #22
#43Florence96US #32
#44Carol95US #77
#45Bernice94US #53
#46Kathryn94US #99
#47Eleanor93US #36
#48Pauline93US #48
#49Audrey91US #60
#50Esther91US #66
#51Irene90US #28
#52Lucille88US #51
#53Ramona86US #117
#54Lorraine84US #39
#55Rosemary84US #88
#56Charlotte83US #72
#57Gloria81US #25
#58Marie81US #21
#59Kathleen74US #82
#60Thelma73US #40
#61Rita71US #57
#62Edith70US #56
#63Velma69US #114
#64Lavonne68
#65Louise68US #31
#66Colleen67US #185
#67Grace67US #52
#68Roberta66US #127
#69Ruby65US #34
#70Vera65US #92
#71Vivian65US #78
#72Hazel64US #59
#73Jeanne63US #90
#74Lillian63US #35
#75Violet62US #113
#76Marcella60US #174
#77Viola60US #103
#78Juanita58US #58
#79Catherine57US #33
#80Joanne56US #142
#81Jane55US #62
#82Janice55US #149
#83Jeanette55US #126
#84Ethel54US #55
#85Edna53US #45
#86Elsie52US #73
#87Leona52US #122
#88Carolyn49US #91
#89Janet49US #95
#90Ellen48US #98
#91Marion48US #47
#92Gertrude47US #86
#93Clara46US #65
#94Theresa46US #49
#95Agnes44US #85
#96Eileen44US #102
#97Jacqueline44US #97
#98Laura44US #83
#99Harriet43US #133
#100Peggy43US #76

Boys

#1Robert1,405US #1
#2Donald977US #7
#3John878US #2
#4Richard838US #6
#5James714US #3
#6William686US #4
#7Charles493US #5
#8Kenneth389US #17
#9Harold372US #14
#10Paul313US #13
#11George308US #8
#12Jack302US #15
#13Dale231US #75
#14Raymond227US #16
#15Marvin208US #46
#16Wayne207US #69
#17Edward206US #10
#18Eugene204US #20
#19Gerald203US #41
#20Thomas174US #11
#21David147US #19
#22Dean147US #136
#23Joseph145US #9
#24Ralph144US #24
#25Ronald142US #50
#26Francis141US #40
#27Earl139US #37
#28Carl136US #28
#29Howard135US #31
#30Duane133US #141
#31Walter132US #18
#32Roger130US #71
#33Melvin128US #48
#34Arthur124US #22
#35Gene124US #62
#36Norman124US #39
#37Leonard116US #42
#38Harry113US #26
#39Vernon112US #70
#40Lawrence109US #38
#41Herbert108US #25
#42Frank105US #12
#43Russell105US #55
#44Keith103US #139
#45Glenn102US #76
#46Lloyd102US #59
#47Bernard98US #49
#48Clarence98US #35
#49Bob97US #95
#50Louis90US #32
#51Leroy87US #51
#52Roy87US #34
#53Albert86US #23
#54Leo86US #61
#55Alvin84US #72
#56Don84US #84
#57Alfred83US #33
#58Henry83US #21
#59Lyle83US #155
#60Floyd80US #54
#61Clifford78US #68
#62Stanley77US #45
#63Bill75US #64
#64Merle74US #186
#65Gordon73US #77
#66Max73US #125
#67Elmer72US #63
#68Joe72US #30
#69Glen70US #115
#70Virgil70US #126
#71Billy67US #27
#72Dick67US #172
#73Fred66US #36
#74Lester66US #89
#75Warren66US #85
#76Darrell64
#77Jerry61US #79
#78Ray61US #57
#79Arnold56US #98
#80Edwin54US #58
#81Delbert53US #154
#82Leland53US #181
#83Eldon52
#84Ernest50US #43
#85Everett50US #123
#86Merlin50
#87Laverne48
#88Cecil47US #97
#89Wallace47US #104
#90Daniel46US #47
#91Ivan46US #189
#92Lowell46US #188
#93Rex46
#94Marion45US #118
#95Wendell45
#96Allen44US #93
#97Harvey43US #90
#98Willard42US #113
#99Wilbur41US #127
#100Bruce40US #112

On the move since 1927

Rising

↑33Herbert#41
↑31Alfred#57
↑22Alvin#55
↑20Carol#44
↑19Delores#34
↑19Joanne#80
↑18Bernice#45
↑18Lavonne#64

Falling

↓38Edna#85
↓26Arnold#79
↓23Eileen#96
↓21Leona#87
↓21Fred#73
↓20Lucille#52
↓18Marie#58
↓17Lowell#92

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1927 rankings.