State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 38,959 Iowa births in 1938 across 685 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#55Lyle#183 nationally
#77Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#79Colleenoutside the national top 200
#83Marlysoutside the national top 200
#51Dixie#167 nationally
#94Merleoutside the national top 200
#95Eldonoutside the national top 200
#71Patty#175 nationally
#37Dean#129 nationally
#30Keith#120 nationally
#77Dick#165 nationally
#29Duane#114 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,087US #1
#2Barbara542US #2
#3Patricia514US #3
#4Shirley469US #5
#5Karen462US #50
#6Janice457US #24
#7Carol447US #6
#8Donna433US #20
#9Marilyn419US #19
#10Sharon405US #30
#11Betty400US #4
#12Sandra382US #14
#13Beverly377US #18
#14Nancy371US #7
#15Janet337US #16
#16Joyce320US #11
#17Judith284US #12
#18Margaret235US #9
#19Carolyn227US #15
#20Phyllis222US #28
#21Joan217US #10
#22Ruth210US #21
#23Judy208US #41
#24Dorothy204US #8
#25Darlene200US #76
#26Lois200US #33
#27Marlene175US #51
#28Norma174US #34
#29Kay167US #81
#30Linda157US #31
#31Joann153US #68
#32Helen149US #13
#33Virginia141US #22
#34Jean133US #27
#35Doris125US #25
#36Rosalie114US #66
#37Bonnie110US #65
#38Marjorie107US #53
#39Alice106US #29
#40Delores104US #75
#41Elizabeth103US #17
#42Kathleen103US #58
#43Connie102US #110
#44Sally102US #54
#45Elaine97US #42
#46Jane97US #44
#47Carole93US #46
#48Rose93US #39
#49Ann89US #32
#50Frances86US #23
#51Dixie85US #167
#52Martha85US #26
#53Evelyn82US #38
#54Peggy82US #35
#55Charlotte81US #70
#56Gloria81US #36
#57Marcia80US #116
#58Rosemary80US #95
#59Deanna73US #115
#60Kathryn72US #114
#61Roberta72US #73
#62Geraldine70US #45
#63Joanne70US #57
#64Diane69US #64
#65Jo69US #78
#66Arlene68US #63
#67Charlene68US #143
#68Wanda66US #49
#69Eleanor65US #60
#70Rita64US #74
#71Patty62US #175
#72Anna61US #40
#73Marian61US #128
#74Marie61US #37
#75Jeanette60US #91
#76Susan58US #71
#77Lavonne57
#78Myrna57US #134
#79Colleen55
#80Jacqueline55US #69
#81Mildred54US #52
#82Lucille52US #106
#83Marlys52
#84Maxine49US #130
#85Pat49US #149
#86Audrey48US #87
#87Wilma48US #85
#88Loretta45US #62
#89Dolores44US #43
#90Katherine44US #105
#91Pauline44US #97
#92June43US #79
#93Yvonne43US #101
#94Catherine42US #48
#95Eileen41US #113
#96Louise41US #59
#97Ellen40US #89
#98Lorraine39US #93
#99Gladys38US #103
#100Glenda38US #123

Boys

#1Robert1,128US #1
#2James971US #2
#3Larry890US #16
#4Richard881US #5
#5John845US #3
#6Donald721US #7
#7Ronald609US #10
#8Gary561US #22
#9William559US #4
#10David506US #8
#11Jerry455US #17
#12Charles407US #6
#13Kenneth365US #14
#14Roger314US #31
#15Gerald290US #19
#16Thomas279US #9
#17Paul226US #15
#18Dennis210US #49
#19Jack208US #25
#20George203US #11
#21Dale196US #56
#22Wayne188US #40
#23Harold175US #23
#24Edward165US #13
#25Marvin164US #53
#26Michael163US #21
#27Raymond162US #20
#28Jim146US #81
#29Duane139US #114
#30Keith130US #120
#31Joseph126US #12
#32Eugene117US #33
#33Norman117US #43
#34Don106US #52
#35Carl104US #29
#36Lawrence104US #36
#37Dean102US #129
#38Bill99US #67
#39Ralph97US #35
#40Gordon92US #78
#41Frank91US #18
#42Leroy90US #61
#43Fred89US #38
#44Gene86US #65
#45Terry85US #86
#46Howard83US #42
#47Darrell81US #128
#48Leonard80US #57
#49Bob79US #94
#50Francis79US #51
#51Earl78US #50
#52Russell77US #70
#53Douglas76US #60
#54Stanley75US #59
#55Lyle73US #183
#56Daniel71US #39
#57Joe71US #28
#58Harry70US #44
#59Melvin69US #54
#60Arthur68US #32
#61Bernard67US #75
#62Bruce65US #66
#63Philip65US #64
#64Tom63US #106
#65Vernon63US #103
#66Walter63US #26
#67Billy62US #24
#68Jon62US #126
#69Allen60US #73
#70Roy60US #41
#71Ronnie59US #113
#72Edwin58US #90
#73Albert57US #37
#74Clarence56US #58
#75Glenn56US #83
#76Jerome55US #93
#77Dick54US #165
#78Henry54US #30
#79Glen51US #121
#80Lee51US #80
#81Leo51US #104
#82Patrick50US #88
#83Alan49US #91
#84Arnold48US #111
#85Warren48US #102
#86Lloyd47US #92
#87Lowell47US #164
#88Frederick45US #71
#89Phillip45US #95
#90Allan44US #119
#91Clifford44US #89
#92Delbert44US #169
#93Max44US #140
#94Merle44
#95Eldon41
#96Virgil41US #151
#97Jimmy40US #45
#98Rodney39US #133
#99Stephen39US #74
#100Lester37US #115

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑28Karen#5
↑24Jerome#76
↑22Deanna#59
↑21Linda#30
↑19Connie#43
↑18Jon#68
↑17Marian#73
↑17Lucille#82

Falling

↓36Dick#77
↓29Lloyd#86
↓24Joanne#63
↓22Clifford#91
↓21Wilma#87
↓17Myrna#78
↓17Jacqueline#80
↓17Phillip#89

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.