State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,004 Iowa births in 1936 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.

#62Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#63Colleen#198 nationally
#74Lorenoutside the national top 200
#77Marlysoutside the national top 200
#60Dixie#174 nationally
#87Harlanoutside the national top 200
#49Lyle#159 nationally
#79Patty#183 nationally
#97Eldonoutside the national top 200
#68Delbert#163 nationally
#31Dean#125 nationally
#40Karen#132 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,072US #1
#2Shirley890US #2
#3Patricia569US #5
#4Marilyn523US #13
#5Barbara519US #3
#6Betty427US #4
#7Donna400US #22
#8Beverly366US #17
#9Carol341US #10
#10Joyce326US #12
#11Nancy324US #8
#12Janice310US #31
#13Janet294US #21
#14Joan285US #7
#15Margaret265US #9
#16Dorothy255US #6
#17Ruth253US #16
#18Lois249US #26
#19Phyllis248US #25
#20Sharon246US #60
#21Darlene235US #83
#22Marlene221US #39
#23Sandra210US #38
#24Helen198US #11
#25Jean196US #20
#26Norma190US #29
#27Carolyn180US #23
#28Joann179US #55
#29Virginia177US #14
#30Doris168US #15
#31Marjorie157US #49
#32Kay142US #98
#33Bonnie139US #65
#34Delores136US #58
#35Joanne135US #48
#36Alice129US #27
#37Frances110US #19
#38Elaine107US #50
#39Judith106US #43
#40Karen101US #132
#41Charlotte99US #61
#42Evelyn99US #34
#43Jane99US #42
#44Sally97US #59
#45Elizabeth91US #18
#46Jeanette89US #94
#47Martha89US #24
#48Arlene87US #54
#49Dolores84US #30
#50Ann83US #28
#51Kathleen79US #67
#52Rose77US #37
#53Geraldine76US #41
#54Rosemary76US #111
#55Roberta75US #64
#56Gloria73US #32
#57Peggy72US #35
#58Carole71US #73
#59Wilma71US #78
#60Dixie70US #174
#61Kathryn70US #113
#62Lavonne70
#63Colleen66US #198
#64Jacqueline66US #66
#65Connie65US #134
#66Audrey63US #68
#67Marie63US #33
#68Anna61US #36
#69Charlene61US #145
#70Judy60US #118
#71Wanda60US #56
#72Yvonne60US #81
#73Louise58US #46
#74Mildred57US #40
#75Esther55US #107
#76Jo55US #72
#77Marlys55
#78Patsy55US #52
#79Patty53US #183
#80Linda52US #97
#81Marian51US #114
#82Rita51US #69
#83Irene50US #57
#84Pat49US #152
#85Susan49US #110
#86Lorraine47US #76
#87Juanita46US #75
#88Maxine46US #127
#89Pauline44US #82
#90June43US #62
#91Joy42US #144
#92Diane41US #112
#93Eleanor41US #47
#94Loretta41US #70
#95Myrna41US #149
#96Ellen39US #99
#97Anita38US #104
#98Eileen38US #103
#99Gladys38US #84
#100Grace38US #86

Boys

#1Robert1,185US #1
#2Richard952US #5
#3James890US #2
#4John810US #3
#5Donald786US #7
#6William566US #4
#7Larry518US #25
#8Ronald510US #12
#9David388US #10
#10Jerry375US #18
#11Charles365US #6
#12Gary348US #38
#13Kenneth337US #14
#14Roger269US #35
#15Jack265US #20
#16Gerald248US #19
#17Thomas248US #8
#18Paul231US #15
#19Harold223US #21
#20George212US #9
#21Dale205US #59
#22Marvin185US #49
#23Edward173US #13
#24Wayne173US #45
#25Raymond157US #17
#26Duane151US #110
#27Dennis132US #74
#28Don130US #51
#29Jim129US #85
#30Joseph127US #11
#31Dean125US #125
#32Norman124US #43
#33Eugene118US #29
#34Keith109US #122
#35Bob107US #77
#36Leroy106US #57
#37Ralph106US #31
#38Bill105US #61
#39Frank104US #16
#40Melvin104US #53
#41Carl103US #27
#42Gene103US #66
#43Fred99US #36
#44Lawrence97US #37
#45Russell97US #69
#46Howard96US #40
#47Stanley92US #58
#48Darrell88US #133
#49Lyle85US #159
#50Daniel84US #41
#51Dick84US #141
#52Michael82US #33
#53Tom80US #112
#54Leonard78US #54
#55Arthur77US #30
#56Earl77US #47
#57Gordon77US #75
#58Lloyd75US #88
#59Terry74US #126
#60Francis73US #50
#61Vernon73US #93
#62Leo68US #94
#63Billy67US #22
#64Joe65US #23
#65Phillip65US #102
#66Clarence64US #52
#67Glenn62US #80
#68Delbert59US #163
#69Walter59US #26
#70Clifford58US #90
#71Harry58US #39
#72Bernard56US #68
#73Max56US #129
#74Loren54
#75Jackie53US #106
#76Ray53US #65
#77Franklin52US #64
#78Albert51US #34
#79Glen51US #119
#80Allen50US #81
#81Bruce50US #73
#82Roy49US #42
#83Frederick48US #70
#84Henry48US #28
#85Philip48US #63
#86Edwin47US #84
#87Harlan47
#88Lowell47US #150
#89Virgil46US #149
#90Leslie45US #128
#91Warren45US #95
#92Ernest44US #55
#93Lee44US #76
#94Alan43US #108
#95Arnold43US #111
#96Carroll43US #172
#97Eldon43
#98Jimmy43US #46
#99Jon43US #168
#100Louis43US #44

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑29Judy#70
↑28Peggy#57
↑26Kay#32
↑24Colleen#63
↑24Terry#59
↑22Karen#40
↑22Jeanette#46
↑20Charlene#69

Falling

↓37Rita#82
↓31June#90
↓31Loretta#94
↓28Walter#69
↓26Harry#71
↓23Bernard#72
↓22Lorraine#86
↓19Mildred#74

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.