State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1931 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,266 Iowa births in 1931 across 690 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#63Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#68Colleenoutside the national top 200
#76Eldonoutside the national top 200
#83Pattyoutside the national top 200
#17Darlene#128 nationally
#90Lorenoutside the national top 200
#90Deloris#200 nationally
#92Merlinoutside the national top 200
#93Orvilleoutside the national top 200
#53Lyle#157 nationally
#63Darrell#167 nationally
#94Merle#198 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,118US #1
#2Betty758US #2
#3Shirley509US #9
#4Marilyn476US #19
#5Dorothy456US #3
#6Donna450US #32
#7Patricia429US #8
#8Barbara399US #4
#9Beverly366US #31
#10Joan322US #5
#11Margaret316US #7
#12Norma312US #22
#13Helen306US #6
#14Phyllis304US #29
#15Lois296US #20
#16Doris262US #10
#17Darlene247US #128
#18Joyce232US #15
#19Virginia225US #12
#20Ruth219US #11
#21Bonnie189US #73
#22Marjorie187US #34
#23Delores185US #58
#24Jean183US #13
#25Evelyn180US #24
#26Dolores171US #14
#27Alice170US #21
#28Frances145US #18
#29Joann144US #90
#30Nancy138US #17
#31Elizabeth137US #16
#32Joanne129US #68
#33Arlene123US #77
#34Gloria119US #23
#35Carol118US #46
#36Elaine114US #72
#37Janet113US #45
#38Charlotte105US #75
#39Wanda104US #54
#40Maxine102US #101
#41Anna98US #25
#42Mildred98US #26
#43Carolyn94US #60
#44Rose94US #30
#45Janice89US #104
#46Martha88US #28
#47Wilma87US #69
#48Geraldine86US #38
#49Lorraine84US #49
#50Marian84US #84
#51Marlene81US #95
#52Rosemary79US #88
#53Irene76US #37
#54June76US #44
#55Kathryn76US #108
#56Audrey74US #64
#57Esther74US #79
#58Jane74US #50
#59Kathleen72US #87
#60Gladys71US #55
#61Jacqueline69US #78
#62Rita67US #48
#63Lavonne66
#64Pauline65US #56
#65Lucille64US #62
#66Peggy64US #42
#67Marie61US #27
#68Colleen59
#69Sally59US #97
#70Ann56US #35
#71Vivian56US #82
#72Florence55US #43
#73Roberta54US #121
#74Jo53US #116
#75Juanita53US #57
#76Louise53US #33
#77Ellen52US #99
#78Edna51US #52
#79Eleanor51US #40
#80Jeanne51US #98
#81Lillian51US #47
#82Vera51US #111
#83Patty50
#84Ramona50US #164
#85Ruby50US #39
#86Loretta49US #96
#87Thelma49US #53
#88Jeanette48US #105
#89Velma48US #131
#90Deloris47US #200
#91Grace47US #70
#92Catherine46US #36
#93Ethel46US #67
#94Hazel46US #74
#95Laura45US #89
#96Leona45US #133
#97Bernice44US #63
#98Gertrude43US #115
#99Elsie42US #86
#100Marcella40US #189

Boys

#1Robert1,351US #1
#2Donald1,029US #7
#3Richard910US #5
#4James775US #2
#5John760US #3
#6William601US #4
#7Charles458US #6
#8Kenneth376US #14
#9Harold308US #18
#10Jack305US #15
#11Paul267US #12
#12George262US #8
#13Gerald255US #26
#14Thomas227US #10
#15Dale222US #62
#16Ronald217US #27
#17Marvin205US #45
#18Raymond204US #17
#19David203US #13
#20Roger195US #53
#21Edward181US #11
#22Eugene174US #21
#23Duane169US #104
#24Wayne165US #58
#25Howard147US #34
#26Jerry145US #43
#27Keith143US #123
#28Norman138US #36
#29Joseph136US #9
#30Dean128US #127
#31Carl127US #28
#32Don126US #59
#33Ralph125US #25
#34Lawrence112US #38
#35Earl111US #40
#36Harry106US #30
#37Arthur104US #23
#38Leroy100US #52
#39Clarence99US #39
#40Bill98US #57
#41Larry98US #88
#42Francis97US #42
#43Gene96US #64
#44Melvin96US #51
#45Frank95US #16
#46Leo95US #69
#47Vernon93US #74
#48Stanley91US #49
#49Lloyd88US #68
#50Walter87US #20
#51Bob84US #78
#52Herbert84US #41
#53Lyle84US #157
#54Albert83US #24
#55Bernard83US #54
#56Billy83US #19
#57Gordon82US #76
#58Russell82US #63
#59Leonard81US #48
#60Henry80US #22
#61Louis79US #37
#62Fred76US #33
#63Darrell71US #167
#64Dick70US #152
#65Virgil70US #121
#66Delbert68US #159
#67Glen68US #112
#68Glenn60US #72
#69Roy60US #35
#70Arnold59US #98
#71Clifford59US #75
#72Joe59US #29
#73Alvin58US #80
#74Edwin58US #67
#75Jim58US #116
#76Eldon57
#77Elmer54US #82
#78Everett54US #136
#79Floyd53US #66
#80Bruce52US #101
#81Daniel51US #44
#82Ray49US #60
#83Dennis48US #138
#84Frederick46US #73
#85Gary46US #153
#86Lester46US #96
#87Max46US #140
#88Ernest45US #47
#89Lowell45US #147
#90Loren44
#91Leland43US #189
#92Merlin43
#93Orville43
#94Merle42US #198
#95Milton42US #99
#96Marion41US #133
#97Alfred40US #50
#98Leslie40US #139
#99Warren40US #100
#100Clyde39US #77

On the move since 1930

Rising

↑39Janice#45
↑34Larry#41
↑31Carolyn#43
↑30Sally#69
↑24Jo#74
↑20Louis#61
↑19Janet#37
↑19Ellen#77

Falling

↓38Bernice#97
↓31Catherine#92
↓26Merle#94
↓25Eleanor#79
↓20Russell#58
↓19Leona#96
↓19Walter#50
↓18June#54

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1930 rankings.