State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 40,765 Iowa births in 1940 across 705 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#74Marlysoutside the national top 200
#53Dixie#171 nationally
#85Lavonneoutside the national top 200
#56Dick#171 nationally
#87Sherryoutside the national top 200
#89Lorenoutside the national top 200
#90Merleoutside the national top 200
#34Dean#143 nationally
#64Lyle#173 nationally
#32Duane#134 nationally
#99Eldonoutside the national top 200
#100Colleenoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,099US #1
#2Karen718US #34
#3Sharon673US #17
#4Judith579US #4
#5Patricia572US #3
#6Sandra547US #10
#7Carol523US #6
#8Barbara508US #2
#9Judy473US #16
#10Janice423US #22
#11Nancy407US #7
#12Linda389US #8
#13Donna384US #23
#14Marilyn355US #25
#15Shirley335US #9
#16Janet330US #19
#17Joyce320US #13
#18Betty290US #5
#19Carolyn263US #15
#20Beverly258US #27
#21Margaret226US #11
#22Joan223US #14
#23Dorothy198US #12
#24Jean194US #29
#25Phyllis185US #33
#26Ruth183US #24
#27Lois173US #38
#28Kay158US #77
#29Bonnie156US #39
#30Susan151US #36
#31Virginia138US #21
#32Helen136US #18
#33Marlene128US #80
#34Jane122US #47
#35Joann118US #63
#36Kathleen118US #40
#37Carole117US #49
#38Connie117US #88
#39Darlene112US #79
#40Doris112US #31
#41Norma109US #43
#42Alice107US #32
#43Elaine105US #50
#44Elizabeth104US #20
#45Marjorie98US #64
#46Ann97US #35
#47Diane96US #45
#48Sally94US #61
#49Charlotte89US #55
#50Gloria89US #30
#51Delores87US #83
#52Joanne86US #54
#53Dixie85US #171
#54Frances81US #28
#55Rose81US #44
#56Evelyn80US #48
#57Kathryn72US #103
#58Rita70US #70
#59Peggy69US #37
#60Martha68US #26
#61Pat68US #134
#62Deanna67US #136
#63Ellen66US #74
#64Roberta66US #71
#65June65US #82
#66Sue61US #81
#67Suzanne59US #109
#68Wanda59US #52
#69Marcia58US #112
#70Jacqueline56US #76
#71Arlene53US #75
#72Charlene53US #145
#73Jo53US #72
#74Marlys53
#75Audrey52US #99
#76Rosemary52US #85
#77Myrna51US #150
#78Jeanne50US #129
#79Katherine50US #92
#80Geraldine49US #46
#81Patty49US #175
#82Diana48US #117
#83Anna47US #51
#84Marian47US #142
#85Lavonne46
#86Marie45US #41
#87Sherry45
#88Constance44US #124
#89Wilma44US #93
#90Catherine43US #53
#91Eleanor42US #68
#92Dolores41US #67
#93Patsy40US #57
#94Jeanette39US #90
#95Anita37US #87
#96Esther37US #131
#97Loretta37US #69
#98Pauline37US #104
#99Sarah37US #60
#100Colleen36

Boys

#1Robert1,095US #2
#2James1,077US #1
#3Larry1,077US #13
#4Richard932US #5
#5John879US #3
#6Gary719US #19
#7David682US #7
#8Ronald671US #10
#9Donald585US #9
#10William537US #4
#11Jerry513US #14
#12Charles427US #6
#13Dennis391US #24
#14Kenneth372US #15
#15Thomas359US #8
#16Roger358US #26
#17Michael267US #18
#18Gerald264US #21
#19Paul258US #17
#20George183US #11
#21Harold182US #23
#22Dale170US #57
#23Wayne169US #39
#24Jack162US #29
#25Raymond152US #22
#26Edward141US #16
#27Joseph136US #12
#28Terry131US #73
#29Jim127US #78
#30Marvin123US #63
#31Bill118US #67
#32Duane112US #134
#33Lawrence110US #36
#34Dean105US #143
#35Eugene105US #38
#36Keith103US #125
#37Leroy98US #66
#38Don94US #62
#39Norman93US #48
#40Darrell91US #131
#41Douglas91US #56
#42Ralph90US #37
#43Tom89US #92
#44Frank88US #20
#45Fred86US #40
#46Ronnie86US #101
#47Russell86US #72
#48Stanley83US #59
#49Allen80US #71
#50Carl79US #32
#51Melvin79US #53
#52Howard75US #45
#53Gene73US #70
#54Alan72US #88
#55Bob72US #99
#56Dick72US #171
#57Walter72US #25
#58Patrick71US #74
#59Daniel69US #34
#60Jon69US #123
#61Bruce68US #55
#62Leonard67US #54
#63Joe66US #28
#64Lyle65US #173
#65Albert63US #41
#66Clarence62US #64
#67Phillip61US #79
#68Arthur60US #33
#69Francis60US #61
#70Glenn59US #83
#71Earl57US #52
#72Harry56US #47
#73Lloyd56US #100
#74Stephen55US #49
#75Steven55US #119
#76Vernon53US #105
#77Leo52US #112
#78Henry51US #31
#79Mike51US #122
#80Gordon49US #91
#81Clifford48US #94
#82Jerome48US #95
#83Philip47US #60
#84Louis46US #50
#85Roy46US #42
#86Glen45US #130
#87Floyd43US #103
#88Lee43US #80
#89Loren43
#90Merle42
#91Bernard41US #82
#92Billy41US #27
#93Rodney41US #133
#94Edwin40US #96
#95Martin40US #85
#96Max40US #165
#97Allan39US #115
#98Lester39US #116
#99Eldon38
#100Leland38

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑33Alan#54
↑24June#65
↑24Albert#65
↑20Pat#61
↑18Suzanne#67
↑18Patrick#58
↑17Sue#66
↑17Audrey#75

Falling

↓24Jeanette#94
↓20Rosemary#76
↓20Lyle#64
↓18Dolores#92
↓18Billy#92
↓17Arthur#68
↓16Geraldine#80
↓16Eleanor#91

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.