State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1947 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,673 Iowa births in 1947 across 803 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#76Lyleoutside the national top 200
#77Dixieoutside the national top 200
#50Sheryl#163 nationally
#89Dickoutside the national top 200
#97Pattyoutside the national top 200
#47Dean#140 nationally
#45Duane#135 nationally
#68Lynn#151 nationally
#100Kent#182 nationally
#49Julie#124 nationally
#82Dave#155 nationally
#92Pat#164 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,365US #1
#2Mary1,397US #2
#3Barbara753US #4
#4Patricia719US #3
#5Susan704US #8
#6Nancy688US #7
#7Carol644US #6
#8Sandra614US #5
#9Sharon567US #9
#10Judy556US #14
#11Karen553US #13
#12Donna468US #10
#13Connie465US #43
#14Judith396US #12
#15Janice382US #22
#16Diane374US #18
#17Kathleen364US #11
#18Cheryl357US #24
#19Janet355US #23
#20Pamela334US #28
#21Joyce319US #20
#22Marilyn306US #29
#23Jane278US #36
#24Shirley271US #19
#25Carolyn261US #15
#26Margaret255US #16
#27Jean239US #40
#28Beverly237US #31
#29Kathy233US #64
#30Betty232US #17
#31Bonnie210US #35
#32Diana207US #48
#33Cynthia190US #33
#34Marcia186US #81
#35Joan180US #30
#36Ruth180US #44
#37Ann176US #41
#38Vicki172US #101
#39Kathryn162US #55
#40Phyllis159US #37
#41Peggy153US #42
#42Virginia150US #34
#43Sherry149US #67
#44Gloria147US #27
#45Sue142US #69
#46Elizabeth133US #25
#47Sally130US #70
#48Jo128US #51
#49Julie127US #124
#50Sheryl121US #163
#51Elaine119US #50
#52Suzanne118US #53
#53Jeanne117US #86
#54Christine114US #45
#55Dianne113US #83
#56Lois113US #63
#57Darlene112US #71
#58Martha112US #32
#59Kay109US #104
#60Dorothy106US #26
#61Rita106US #60
#62Rebecca105US #52
#63Catherine97US #46
#64Deborah97US #62
#65Jacqueline95US #59
#66Alice94US #47
#67Ellen92US #61
#68Paula91US #54
#69Constance88US #100
#70Marsha88US #88
#71Sheila88US #73
#72Marlene87US #114
#73Helen86US #38
#74Joann86US #89
#75Marjorie81US #106
#76Rosemary77US #80
#77Dixie76
#78Joanne76US #56
#79Roberta76US #90
#80Janis75US #108
#81Lynda73US #77
#82Rose73US #65
#83Carole72US #102
#84Cathy71US #119
#85Laura70US #74
#86Lynn68US #75
#87Norma68US #82
#88Anita66US #94
#89Charlene66US #105
#90Frances63US #39
#91Katherine63US #76
#92Pat61US #164
#93Victoria60US #123
#94Charlotte59US #68
#95Evelyn59US #72
#96Doris58US #58
#97Patty58
#98Penny58US #142
#99Vickie57US #169
#100Anne56US #95

Boys

#1James1,428US #1
#2John1,377US #3
#3David1,311US #6
#4Robert1,297US #2
#5Richard1,164US #5
#6Dennis1,036US #17
#7Michael1,024US #7
#8Larry860US #10
#9Gary851US #12
#10Ronald794US #11
#11Thomas769US #8
#12William767US #4
#13Steven586US #24
#14Donald547US #13
#15Charles465US #9
#16Terry419US #26
#17Kenneth415US #15
#18Jerry409US #20
#19Roger405US #25
#20Stephen363US #21
#21Paul358US #18
#22Douglas267US #31
#23Daniel262US #22
#24Jim230US #77
#25Bruce224US #29
#26Craig221US #93
#27Mark214US #47
#28Mike212US #65
#29Dale208US #63
#30Steve208US #58
#31Tom207US #87
#32George201US #16
#33Joseph198US #14
#34Gerald197US #28
#35Edward194US #19
#36Jack183US #37
#37Gregory177US #33
#38Danny172US #39
#39Wayne168US #30
#40Alan167US #45
#41Keith162US #91
#42Patrick158US #53
#43Bill157US #76
#44Raymond154US #27
#45Duane141US #135
#46Timothy139US #52
#47Dean133US #140
#48Allen125US #73
#49Frank124US #23
#50Russell123US #69
#51Eugene120US #59
#52Harold120US #35
#53Lawrence115US #32
#54Marvin114US #89
#55Darrell110US #125
#56Gene108US #103
#57Rodney106US #94
#58Carl104US #40
#59Don103US #86
#60Jon98US #123
#61Stanley95US #67
#62Bob92US #115
#63Ronnie91US #61
#64Philip89US #57
#65Phillip88US #74
#66Fred87US #56
#67Ralph85US #50
#68Lynn80US #151
#69Dan78US #109
#70Norman78US #81
#71Joe77US #43
#72Harry74US #54
#73Brian73US #95
#74Randy73US #116
#75Jeffrey69US #66
#76Lyle68
#77Melvin68US #85
#78Randall68US #106
#79Howard67US #62
#80Leroy65US #98
#81Allan64US #132
#82Dave64US #155
#83Arthur62US #38
#84Barry62US #68
#85Glenn61US #70
#86Roy61US #48
#87Peter59US #36
#88Warren58US #108
#89Dick57
#90Francis57US #84
#91Gordon57US #111
#92Walter57US #34
#93Glen55US #138
#94Leonard55US #71
#95Micheal55US #159
#96Earl54US #83
#97Henry54US #46
#98Ted54US #157
#99Tim54US #170
#100Kent53US #182

On the move since 1946

Rising

↑25Christine#54
↑23Jeffrey#75
↑22Paula#68
↑20Craig#26
↑16Jacqueline#65
↑16Gregory#37
↑15Brian#73
↑14Rodney#57

Falling

↓27Frances#90
↓22Charlotte#94
↓21Norma#87
↓19Rosemary#76
↓17Lois#56
↓17Roy#86
↓17Walter#92
↓16Doris#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1946 rankings.