State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,306 Iowa births in 1939 across 676 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#69Marlysoutside the national top 200
#44Lyle#175 nationally
#82Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#85Loren#200 nationally
#86Colleenoutside the national top 200
#93Merleoutside the national top 200
#62Dixie#169 nationally
#63Dick#169 nationally
#36Dean#134 nationally
#91Patty#181 nationally
#42Darrell#130 nationally
#31Keith#117 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,028US #1
#2Karen617US #39
#3Patricia565US #3
#4Barbara562US #2
#5Sharon527US #23
#6Carol441US #6
#7Judith427US #8
#8Sandra426US #13
#9Shirley419US #5
#10Betty386US #4
#11Donna379US #20
#12Nancy378US #7
#13Marilyn377US #19
#14Joyce374US #12
#15Janice372US #24
#16Judy347US #28
#17Janet329US #17
#18Beverly287US #25
#19Joan253US #11
#20Carolyn247US #14
#21Linda221US #15
#22Margaret216US #10
#23Kay204US #76
#24Ruth204US #22
#25Dorothy189US #9
#26Phyllis180US #30
#27Darlene172US #75
#28Joann162US #57
#29Marlene162US #64
#30Lois158US #35
#31Helen153US #16
#32Virginia147US #21
#33Norma142US #38
#34Elizabeth133US #18
#35Jean133US #32
#36Jane125US #46
#37Susan121US #44
#38Sally118US #52
#39Bonnie117US #61
#40Doris112US #29
#41Alice106US #31
#42Connie105US #111
#43Marjorie105US #60
#44Delores102US #79
#45Kathryn100US #106
#46Carole99US #47
#47Elaine97US #45
#48Evelyn94US #40
#49Diane93US #51
#50Kathleen90US #48
#51Ann89US #33
#52Martha84US #27
#53Joanne83US #53
#54Frances81US #26
#55Marcia78US #109
#56Rosemary77US #93
#57Peggy76US #34
#58Rose76US #42
#59Jo74US #70
#60Gloria69US #36
#61Arlene67US #69
#62Dixie67US #169
#63Roberta67US #71
#64Geraldine66US #41
#65Charlotte65US #66
#66Jacqueline65US #72
#67Wanda64US #50
#68Ellen61US #80
#69Marlys58
#70Jeanette57US #82
#71Anna56US #43
#72Myrna56US #144
#73Rita56US #78
#74Dolores55US #58
#75Eleanor55US #63
#76Wilma54US #87
#77Charlene52US #139
#78Deanna52US #133
#79Marie52US #37
#80Maxine52US #137
#81Pat51US #142
#82Lavonne49
#83Sue48US #92
#84Catherine47US #49
#85Suzanne47US #122
#86Colleen46
#87Eileen45US #115
#88Loretta45US #65
#89June42US #83
#90Marian42US #130
#91Patty42US #181
#92Audrey40US #98
#93Constance40US #123
#94Joy40US #166
#95Louise40US #59
#96Mildred39US #55
#97Rosalie38US #114
#98Irene37US #74
#99Juanita37US #77
#100Glenda36US #112

Boys

#1Robert1,116US #1
#2Larry991US #14
#3James915US #2
#4Richard913US #5
#5John856US #3
#6Ronald640US #10
#7Donald639US #8
#8Gary625US #21
#9William573US #4
#10David566US #7
#11Jerry461US #16
#12Charles455US #6
#13Roger341US #28
#14Kenneth331US #13
#15Dennis309US #34
#16Thomas309US #9
#17Gerald262US #19
#18Paul259US #17
#19Michael200US #18
#20Jack195US #26
#21George180US #11
#22Harold174US #23
#23Marvin168US #52
#24Dale167US #59
#25Joseph157US #12
#26Edward147US #15
#27Wayne141US #39
#28Raymond131US #22
#29Terry131US #83
#30Jim129US #75
#31Keith125US #117
#32Don116US #56
#33Bill113US #67
#34Duane113US #118
#35Eugene109US #37
#36Dean106US #134
#37Norman103US #44
#38Lawrence100US #36
#39Carl97US #30
#40Douglas96US #58
#41Frank93US #20
#42Darrell91US #130
#43Fred87US #40
#44Lyle84US #175
#45Howard80US #47
#46Gene78US #69
#47Russell78US #73
#48Jon76US #121
#49Ronnie76US #109
#50Tom74US #97
#51Arthur73US #32
#52Ralph73US #35
#53Leroy71US #61
#54Bob70US #89
#55Daniel70US #38
#56Bruce69US #64
#57Joe68US #27
#58Leonard67US #54
#59Melvin65US #51
#60Allen64US #72
#61Francis63US #53
#62Walter63US #25
#63Dick62US #169
#64Stanley62US #57
#65Vernon62US #100
#66Leo61US #108
#67Lloyd59US #95
#68Gordon58US #82
#69Clifford57US #88
#70Leon57US #86
#71Glen56US #123
#72Earl55US #50
#73Phillip55US #92
#74Billy54US #24
#75Lee54US #78
#76Patrick54US #79
#77Philip53US #66
#78Mike52US #129
#79Bernard51US #76
#80Clarence51US #60
#81Stephen50US #65
#82Henry49US #31
#83Glenn48US #87
#84Harry47US #45
#85Loren47US #200
#86Roy47US #42
#87Alan46US #85
#88Jerome46US #93
#89Albert44US #41
#90Louis44US #49
#91Rodney44US #122
#92Lynn42US #167
#93Merle42
#94Edwin41US #96
#95Jimmy41US #43
#96Delbert40US #174
#97Jimmie39US #80
#98Peter39US #46
#99Allan38US #125
#100Martin38US #91

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑39Susan#37
↑29Ellen#68
↑22Ronnie#49
↑22Clifford#69
↑20Jon#48
↑19Lloyd#67
↑18Stephen#81
↑16Terry#29

Falling

↓61Rosalie#97
↓28Gordon#68
↓26Harry#84
↓22Edwin#94
↓21Earl#72
↓20Patty#91
↓19Deanna#78
↓18Bernard#79

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.