State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1937 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 37,591 Iowa births in 1937 across 686 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#42Dixie#174 nationally
#69Colleenoutside the national top 200
#71Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#84Marlysoutside the national top 200
#51Lyle#167 nationally
#85Eldonoutside the national top 200
#41Dick#153 nationally
#92Merleoutside the national top 200
#73Patty#180 nationally
#99Harlanoutside the national top 200
#98Deloris#193 nationally
#34Dean#127 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,100US #1
#2Shirley615US #4
#3Patricia533US #3
#4Barbara527US #2
#5Janice430US #25
#6Donna420US #21
#7Betty412US #5
#8Marilyn406US #13
#9Beverly405US #14
#10Carol372US #6
#11Janet334US #18
#12Sandra308US #26
#13Nancy306US #7
#14Joyce296US #11
#15Dorothy269US #8
#16Sharon255US #41
#17Margaret243US #10
#18Joan237US #9
#19Phyllis230US #27
#20Marlene217US #40
#21Lois199US #29
#22Carolyn194US #20
#23Darlene192US #72
#24Ruth178US #15
#25Norma176US #33
#26Virginia170US #16
#27Joann163US #58
#28Judith161US #34
#29Helen160US #12
#30Jean159US #23
#31Doris152US #22
#32Kay145US #79
#33Karen144US #113
#34Bonnie136US #64
#35Marjorie132US #57
#36Alice124US #28
#37Delores122US #68
#38Judy116US #91
#39Joanne110US #51
#40Elaine109US #45
#41Sally107US #59
#42Dixie101US #174
#43Elizabeth97US #17
#44Frances96US #19
#45Jane95US #42
#46Kathryn94US #108
#47Rose93US #38
#48Gloria90US #32
#49Martha89US #24
#50Evelyn84US #36
#51Linda84US #49
#52Ann82US #30
#53Peggy80US #31
#54Charlotte79US #67
#55Roberta78US #66
#56Arlene77US #60
#57Carole75US #56
#58Kathleen74US #61
#59Rita68US #69
#60Wanda67US #55
#61Myrna66US #137
#62Connie64US #128
#63Jacqueline64US #70
#64Jo64US #73
#65Anna63US #39
#66Wilma63US #80
#67Jeanette61US #90
#68Rosemary60US #110
#69Colleen59
#70Geraldine59US #44
#71Lavonne59
#72Marcia59US #124
#73Patty58US #180
#74Susan58US #97
#75Marie56US #35
#76Dolores55US #37
#77Eleanor54US #53
#78Audrey53US #85
#79Charlene53US #141
#80Diane52US #76
#81Deanna50US #139
#82Ellen50US #102
#83Yvonne50US #77
#84Marlys49
#85Pauline49US #87
#86Grace44US #94
#87Ruby44US #52
#88Lorraine43US #83
#89Maxine43US #136
#90Marian42US #129
#91Mildred42US #43
#92Patsy42US #54
#93Catherine41US #47
#94June41US #71
#95Loretta41US #63
#96Pat39US #147
#97Esther38US #116
#98Deloris37US #193
#99Lucille37US #98
#100Edith36US #96

Boys

#1Robert1,164US #1
#2Richard926US #5
#3James902US #2
#4John782US #3
#5Donald747US #7
#6Larry730US #16
#7Ronald569US #11
#8William513US #4
#9David484US #8
#10Gary445US #29
#11Charles435US #6
#12Jerry392US #17
#13Kenneth310US #14
#14Paul286US #15
#15Roger281US #36
#16Thomas260US #9
#17Gerald257US #20
#18Jack247US #23
#19Harold207US #21
#20George202US #10
#21Dale192US #59
#22Wayne173US #44
#23Edward172US #13
#24Raymond170US #19
#25Marvin166US #49
#26Dennis151US #63
#27Duane144US #115
#28Eugene140US #33
#29Joseph129US #12
#30Don123US #51
#31Frank106US #18
#32Jim106US #82
#33Norman106US #43
#34Dean104US #127
#35Keith103US #123
#36Michael103US #27
#37Carl101US #28
#38Gene100US #61
#39Russell96US #67
#40Leroy92US #56
#41Dick90US #153
#42Bill89US #64
#43Terry89US #113
#44Darrell87US #130
#45Fred87US #35
#46Lawrence87US #38
#47Ralph87US #34
#48Melvin85US #50
#49Francis84US #55
#50Bob83US #81
#51Lyle83US #167
#52Stanley81US #57
#53Daniel78US #39
#54Howard74US #42
#55Tom73US #108
#56Gordon72US #75
#57Lloyd71US #91
#58Walter66US #26
#59Arthur63US #31
#60Douglas63US #74
#61Harry62US #41
#62Joe62US #25
#63Billy60US #22
#64Leonard60US #58
#65Bruce59US #70
#66Earl59US #48
#67Bernard58US #73
#68Clarence58US #54
#69Clifford57US #90
#70Philip57US #62
#71Henry56US #30
#72Phillip56US #98
#73Vernon56US #96
#74Glenn55US #88
#75Leo54US #97
#76Max54US #141
#77Edwin53US #89
#78Lee53US #78
#79Ray52US #71
#80Louis50US #46
#81Patrick50US #94
#82Roy50US #40
#83Glen49US #122
#84Allen48US #76
#85Eldon48
#86Jon47US #150
#87Leon46US #85
#88Albert45US #37
#89Ernest45US #53
#90Lowell45US #155
#91Elmer42US #120
#92Merle42
#93Frederick41US #68
#94Arnold40US #111
#95Danny40US #152
#96Allan39US #124
#97Virgil39US #158
#98Floyd38US #80
#99Harlan38
#100Jerome38US #100

On the move since 1936

Rising

↑34Myrna#61
↑32Judy#38
↑29Linda#51
↑23Rita#59
↑20Louis#80
↑18Dixie#42
↑16Eleanor#77
↑16Michael#36

Falling

↓27Dolores#76
↓22Esther#97
↓21Jeanette#67
↓17Geraldine#70
↓17Mildred#91
↓15Bob#50
↓14Rosemary#68
↓14Patsy#92

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1936 rankings.