State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1948 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 55,561 Iowa births in 1948 across 759 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#66Lyleoutside the national top 200
#85Beckyoutside the national top 200
#91Cindyoutside the national top 200
#93Dixieoutside the national top 200
#90Kent#194 nationally
#73Rick#174 nationally
#45Dean#143 nationally
#44Duane#140 nationally
#62Lynn#157 nationally
#55Sheryl#144 nationally
#84Tim#171 nationally
#52Jon#128 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,145US #1
#2Mary1,354US #2
#3Susan757US #5
#4Barbara705US #3
#5Patricia647US #4
#6Nancy593US #7
#7Carol552US #8
#8Sandra543US #6
#9Sharon537US #9
#10Karen492US #12
#11Judy407US #16
#12Kathleen402US #10
#13Pamela390US #22
#14Donna386US #11
#15Connie384US #43
#16Janet368US #24
#17Diane338US #19
#18Cheryl310US #25
#19Janice310US #23
#20Joyce281US #21
#21Judith277US #15
#22Jane254US #39
#23Kathy253US #55
#24Margaret251US #13
#25Marilyn250US #33
#26Jean241US #47
#27Cynthia240US #27
#28Carolyn239US #14
#29Shirley212US #20
#30Betty205US #18
#31Diana204US #48
#32Marcia204US #79
#33Vicki198US #81
#34Beverly193US #31
#35Ann186US #44
#36Deborah186US #30
#37Peggy179US #38
#38Bonnie177US #34
#39Joan168US #37
#40Ruth162US #45
#41Kathryn161US #54
#42Rebecca146US #50
#43Elizabeth144US #26
#44Virginia134US #36
#45Christine132US #35
#46Sherry132US #61
#47Gloria123US #28
#48Sally122US #72
#49Rita121US #59
#50Lois118US #70
#51Marsha118US #76
#52Elaine109US #53
#53Julie109US #117
#54Sue109US #78
#55Sheryl104US #144
#56Dianne103US #86
#57Teresa101US #82
#58Cathy100US #104
#59Sheila100US #71
#60Paula97US #52
#61Catherine96US #41
#62Phyllis96US #46
#63Martha95US #32
#64Suzanne94US #66
#65Jacqueline93US #58
#66Katherine91US #68
#67Dorothy89US #29
#68Jo89US #56
#69Helen87US #40
#70Kay85US #113
#71Lynn84US #80
#72Jeanne83US #95
#73Charlotte79US #69
#74Darlene79US #77
#75Ellen77US #67
#76Marlene77US #109
#77Roberta76US #101
#78Alice75US #49
#79Rose74US #62
#80Gail68US #51
#81Doris67US #64
#82Frances67US #42
#83Joann67US #94
#84Theresa67US #63
#85Becky66
#86Colleen66US #161
#87Constance66US #93
#88Vickie66US #143
#89Rosemary65US #90
#90Marjorie64US #110
#91Cindy63
#92Carole62US #106
#93Dixie62
#94Lynda62US #84
#95Anita61US #102
#96Norma61US #103
#97Charlene60US #105
#98Janis60US #121
#99Laura60US #73
#100Joanne58US #65

Boys

#1James1,298US #1
#2Robert1,281US #2
#3John1,212US #3
#4David1,187US #5
#5Michael1,009US #6
#6Dennis929US #17
#7Richard928US #7
#8Larry864US #11
#9Steven808US #23
#10Gary775US #12
#11William768US #4
#12Thomas737US #8
#13Ronald735US #10
#14Donald532US #14
#15Charles463US #9
#16Kenneth430US #15
#17Terry409US #26
#18Roger398US #24
#19Stephen397US #20
#20Jerry365US #21
#21Paul329US #18
#22Douglas288US #33
#23Mark282US #29
#24Daniel274US #22
#25Craig220US #82
#26Joseph217US #13
#27Bruce206US #28
#28Timothy199US #38
#29Jim198US #86
#30Steve198US #60
#31Alan197US #46
#32Dale192US #56
#33Danny190US #39
#34Mike190US #68
#35Gregory187US #32
#36Gerald185US #30
#37Edward175US #19
#38Jack171US #43
#39Tom167US #94
#40Patrick164US #48
#41Wayne163US #34
#42George157US #16
#43Keith155US #89
#44Duane144US #140
#45Dean138US #143
#46Raymond133US #27
#47Bill131US #84
#48Harold120US #36
#49Randy118US #99
#50Philip111US #54
#51Allen108US #72
#52Jon108US #128
#53Randall104US #98
#54Russell103US #67
#55Marvin96US #90
#56Lawrence95US #31
#57Dan94US #113
#58Stanley93US #65
#59Darrell92US #121
#60Eugene92US #61
#61Joe91US #47
#62Lynn91US #157
#63Don88US #91
#64Rodney87US #92
#65Gene86US #111
#66Lyle86
#67Phillip85US #69
#68Carl84US #42
#69Frank84US #25
#70Ronnie84US #59
#71Jeffrey76US #58
#72Bob75US #141
#73Rick74US #174
#74Ralph70US #51
#75Barry69US #74
#76Curtis67US #101
#77Brian66US #95
#78Norman66US #85
#79Fred65US #66
#80Harry65US #57
#81Walter65US #35
#82Gordon63US #112
#83Micheal63US #148
#84Tim63US #171
#85Arthur61US #44
#86Allan60US #132
#87Roy59US #49
#88Dave58US #161
#89Peter58US #37
#90Kent56US #194
#91Leslie56US #129
#92Melvin56US #81
#93Lee55US #93
#94Clifford54US #105
#95Francis54US #80
#96Ricky54US #155
#97Howard53US #63
#98Jimmy53US #50
#99Leonard51US #71
#100Henry49US #45

On the move since 1947

Rising

↑28Deborah#36
↑26Cathy#58
↑25Katherine#66
↑25Randy#49
↑25Randall#53
↑21Charlotte#73
↑20Rebecca#42
↑19Marsha#51

Falling

↓22Phyllis#62
↓22Joanne#100
↓20Jo#68
↓20Frank#69
↓19Jeanne#72
↓18Constance#87
↓18Janis#98
↓18Howard#97

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1947 rankings.