State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1930 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,168 Iowa births in 1930 across 716 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#60Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#71Colleenoutside the national top 200
#68Merle#196 nationally
#18Darlene#141 nationally
#79Eldonoutside the national top 200
#42Lyle#160 nationally
#87Merlinoutside the national top 200
#91Delorisoutside the national top 200
#91Harlanoutside the national top 200
#82Lowell#191 nationally
#93Ivanoutside the national top 200
#66Darrell#173 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,140US #1
#2Betty879US #2
#3Dorothy564US #3
#4Shirley519US #11
#5Patricia420US #7
#6Marilyn371US #22
#7Donna360US #37
#8Helen359US #4
#9Barbara350US #6
#10Beverly348US #34
#11Lois345US #17
#12Phyllis339US #28
#13Ruth328US #10
#14Norma319US #25
#15Doris309US #9
#16Joan300US #8
#17Margaret282US #5
#18Darlene251US #141
#19Virginia226US #12
#20Marjorie224US #32
#21Jean218US #14
#22Delores204US #66
#23Joyce197US #18
#24Evelyn187US #19
#25Dolores175US #13
#26Alice173US #20
#27Bonnie162US #78
#28Frances137US #16
#29Carol125US #54
#30Mildred119US #21
#31Anna112US #23
#32Wilma110US #68
#33Arlene109US #103
#34Rose108US #29
#35Elaine105US #69
#36June104US #47
#37Joann103US #118
#38Geraldine102US #43
#39Nancy101US #24
#40Elizabeth96US #15
#41Gloria95US #30
#42Irene95US #33
#43Wanda95US #56
#44Marian92US #80
#45Joanne91US #81
#46Martha89US #27
#47Maxine88US #93
#48Rita88US #42
#49Charlotte86US #75
#50Lorraine83US #46
#51Lucille82US #59
#52Kathryn81US #101
#53Audrey80US #63
#54Eleanor79US #39
#55Esther79US #77
#56Janet79US #53
#57Pauline78US #52
#58Rosemary76US #82
#59Bernice75US #58
#60Lavonne75
#61Catherine71US #35
#62Jacqueline71US #74
#63Juanita71US #57
#64Jane70US #55
#65Kathleen70US #84
#66Marie70US #26
#67Gladys68US #48
#68Louise65US #31
#69Ann64US #41
#70Thelma63US #45
#71Colleen61
#72Roberta61US #125
#73Vera61US #104
#74Carolyn59US #72
#75Peggy59US #67
#76Jeanette58US #106
#77Leona58US #130
#78Velma58US #127
#79Edna56US #51
#80Ruby56US #36
#81Vivian56US #91
#82Clara55US #64
#83Grace55US #62
#84Janice55US #126
#85Ramona55US #149
#86Viola53US #116
#87Edith52US #61
#88Florence52US #38
#89Jeanne52US #92
#90Lillian50US #44
#91Deloris48
#92Loretta48US #105
#93Hazel46US #71
#94Josephine44US #49
#95Violet44US #120
#96Ellen43US #100
#97Gertrude42US #96
#98Jo42US #131
#99Sally42US #98
#100Laura41US #89

Boys

#1Robert1,384US #1
#2Donald1,026US #7
#3Richard915US #5
#4John834US #3
#5James821US #2
#6William641US #4
#7Charles526US #6
#8Kenneth385US #17
#9Harold355US #18
#10Jack321US #14
#11George281US #8
#12Paul263US #12
#13Dale239US #64
#14Eugene226US #21
#15Gerald216US #30
#16Raymond213US #16
#17Marvin204US #48
#18David197US #15
#19Thomas197US #11
#20Ronald191US #37
#21Edward190US #10
#22Wayne187US #65
#23Duane166US #120
#24Dean157US #129
#25Joseph157US #9
#26Roger155US #58
#27Ralph154US #25
#28Howard133US #31
#29Norman130US #40
#30Earl125US #38
#31Walter123US #19
#32Jerry118US #51
#33Melvin117US #50
#34Keith116US #130
#35Lloyd115US #69
#36Vernon113US #72
#37Carl111US #26
#38Russell110US #60
#39Leo109US #63
#40Harry107US #28
#41Leonard107US #45
#42Lyle106US #160
#43Arthur103US #23
#44Clarence101US #39
#45Lawrence101US #36
#46Billy96US #20
#47Frank94US #13
#48Francis92US #42
#49Don91US #68
#50Leroy89US #53
#51Virgil88US #128
#52Stanley86US #49
#53Fred84US #32
#54Bill83US #59
#55Gene83US #70
#56Bernard82US #52
#57Bob81US #88
#58Glenn78US #71
#59Henry78US #22
#60Herbert78US #35
#61Clifford75US #73
#62Roy73US #33
#63Gordon70US #77
#64Jim70US #125
#65Floyd69US #61
#66Darrell68US #173
#67Dick64US #161
#68Merle64US #196
#69Albert63US #24
#70Delbert62US #151
#71Joe62US #27
#72Arnold59US #98
#73Edwin59US #66
#74Max59US #143
#75Larry57US #108
#76Ray54US #57
#77Alvin53US #79
#78Elmer53US #80
#79Eldon52
#80Glen52US #114
#81Louis48US #34
#82Lowell48US #191
#83Alfred47US #46
#84Daniel47US #47
#85Ernest47US #43
#86Lester47US #95
#87Merlin47
#88Wilbur47US #141
#89Everett46US #134
#90Marion46US #126
#91Harlan44
#92Warren44US #96
#93Ivan43
#94Leland43US #198
#95Gilbert42US #90
#96Theodore42US #67
#97Willard42US #117
#98Dwight41
#99Junior41US #135
#100Wallace41US #112

On the move since 1929

Rising

↑31Joann#37
↑31Janet#56
↑29June#36
↑26Jerry#32
↑25Lavonne#60
↑25Louise#68
↑25Virgil#51
↑23Jim#64

Falling

↓42Ramona#85
↓29Florence#88
↓28Herbert#60
↓27Marie#66
↓26Louis#81
↓23Gladys#67
↓23Grace#83
↓22Bernard#56

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1929 rankings.