State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1929 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,421 Iowa births in 1929 across 689 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#160 nationally
#66Darrell#194 nationally
#61Merle#188 nationally
#62Colleen#186 nationally
#78Eldonoutside the national top 200
#82Laverneoutside the national top 200
#85Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#88Merlinoutside the national top 200
#91Harlanoutside the national top 200
#30Duane#137 nationally
#82Marcella#189 nationally
#27Dean#133 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,025US #1
#2Betty940US #2
#3Dorothy617US #3
#4Shirley492US #9
#5Ruth405US #8
#6Helen369US #4
#7Lois356US #17
#8Margaret350US #5
#9Phyllis346US #24
#10Donna343US #47
#11Patricia328US #10
#12Doris311US #6
#13Barbara307US #7
#14Norma300US #25
#15Beverly299US #39
#16Marilyn296US #33
#17Marjorie254US #30
#18Darlene247US #160
#19Joan246US #13
#20Virginia219US #11
#21Evelyn215US #19
#22Joyce209US #23
#23Alice188US #21
#24Dolores185US #14
#25Delores176US #74
#26Mildred175US #18
#27Jean171US #12
#28Bonnie150US #86
#29Frances126US #16
#30Geraldine118US #43
#31Wilma116US #66
#32Anna115US #20
#33Marian114US #75
#34Carol111US #63
#35Elizabeth106US #15
#36Rose106US #26
#37Charlotte103US #73
#38Gloria101US #28
#39Marie101US #22
#40Arlene99US #105
#41Irene99US #29
#42Lucille98US #57
#43Ramona98US #120
#44Gladys97US #44
#45Maxine97US #85
#46Martha90US #27
#47Wanda90US #61
#48Elaine88US #67
#49Lorraine87US #42
#50Audrey84US #58
#51Joanne84US #101
#52Nancy83US #32
#53Pauline83US #50
#54Rita79US #52
#55Kathryn77US #104
#56Rosemary77US #80
#57Eleanor76US #38
#58Kathleen76US #89
#59Florence71US #35
#60Grace70US #54
#61Juanita69US #60
#62Colleen67US #186
#63Roberta67US #126
#64Vera66US #99
#65June65US #48
#66Edna64US #51
#67Esther64US #71
#68Joann64US #144
#69Ruby64US #36
#70Carolyn63US #77
#71Bernice62US #55
#72Jane62US #62
#73Jeanette62US #131
#74Lillian62US #40
#75Catherine59US #34
#76Ethel59US #56
#77Janice59US #136
#78Peggy59US #70
#79Leona58US #122
#80Thelma56US #41
#81Jacqueline53US #87
#82Marcella53US #189
#83Violet53US #111
#84Vivian53US #81
#85Lavonne52
#86Viola52US #109
#87Janet51US #82
#88Edith50US #59
#89Hazel50US #64
#90Jeannine49US #172
#91Eileen48US #98
#92Jo48US #140
#93Louise48US #31
#94Harriet46US #135
#95Sally46US #112
#96Deloris45
#97Laura45US #90
#98Ellen44US #97
#99Eva44US #83
#100Josephine44US #45

Boys

#1Robert1,409US #1
#2Donald1,018US #7
#3Richard872US #6
#4John776US #3
#5James740US #2
#6William681US #4
#7Charles478US #5
#8Kenneth392US #18
#9Harold340US #16
#10Paul290US #13
#11George289US #8
#12Jack289US #14
#13Raymond248US #15
#14Gerald230US #33
#15Marvin212US #46
#16Dale196US #73
#17Edward193US #10
#18Eugene192US #20
#19Wayne185US #69
#20Thomas175US #11
#21David170US #17
#22Ronald160US #45
#23Howard146US #31
#24Ralph142US #26
#25Joseph140US #9
#26Earl138US #36
#27Dean137US #133
#28Roger137US #64
#29Carl128US #28
#30Duane128US #137
#31Harry127US #27
#32Herbert123US #25
#33Don119US #78
#34Bernard118US #52
#35Clarence115US #37
#36Frank113US #12
#37Norman113US #40
#38Arthur112US #22
#39Keith112US #138
#40Lloyd112US #62
#41Francis105US #39
#42Leonard105US #42
#43Leo104US #60
#44Leroy103US #51
#45Walter103US #19
#46Russell99US #56
#47Melvin98US #49
#48Lawrence97US #38
#49Lyle97US #152
#50Bill89US #63
#51Vernon85US #71
#52Bob84US #89
#53Henry84US #21
#54Gordon83US #79
#55Louis83US #32
#56Billy82US #23
#57Gene81US #68
#58Jerry79US #61
#59Clifford78US #72
#60Glenn78US #80
#61Merle78US #188
#62Albert77US #24
#63Elmer74US #70
#64Roy73US #35
#65Max70US #128
#66Darrell69US #194
#67Stanley69US #48
#68Fred67US #34
#69Ray63US #57
#70Lester62US #88
#71Alvin60US #77
#72Arnold60US #95
#73Glen60US #123
#74Floyd59US #58
#75Edwin58US #66
#76Virgil58US #127
#77Ernest56US #43
#78Eldon54
#79Joe54US #30
#80Alfred52US #41
#81Delbert51US #157
#82Laverne51
#83Warren50US #92
#84Wilbur50US #131
#85Daniel48US #47
#86Dick48US #168
#87Jim45US #132
#88Merlin45
#89Everett43US #130
#90Frederick43US #67
#91Harlan42
#92Lee42US #85
#93Leland42US #182
#94Maurice42US #125
#95Harvey41US #90
#96Clyde40US #74
#97Carroll39US #192
#98Theodore39US #65
#99Billie38US #122
#100Lowell38US #193

On the move since 1928

Rising

↑29Joanne#51
↑23Don#33
↑22Peggy#78
↑19Charlotte#37
↑19Gloria#38
↑19Marie#39
↑19Edna#66
↑19Jerry#58

Falling

↓28Louise#93
↓26Bernice#71
↓26Edith#88
↓25June#65
↓23Alfred#80
↓22Gene#57
↓21Lavonne#85
↓20Thelma#80

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1928 rankings.