State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1949 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 56,911 Iowa births in 1949 across 784 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#70Lyleoutside the national top 200
#81Beckyoutside the national top 200
#89Dixieoutside the national top 200
#92Timoutside the national top 200
#86Kent#194 nationally
#95Cindyoutside the national top 200
#97Lorenoutside the national top 200
#75Rick#170 nationally
#43Duane#137 nationally
#57Sheryl#149 nationally
#68Lynn#159 nationally
#42Dean#129 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,854US #1
#2Mary1,290US #2
#3Susan831US #5
#4Patricia714US #3
#5Barbara707US #4
#6Nancy646US #7
#7Sandra562US #6
#8Karen509US #11
#9Carol481US #8
#10Kathleen469US #9
#11Sharon445US #10
#12Donna411US #12
#13Connie410US #43
#14Pamela404US #21
#15Diane383US #19
#16Deborah362US #15
#17Janet359US #23
#18Judy344US #20
#19Cynthia305US #27
#20Judith293US #16
#21Janice285US #24
#22Cheryl283US #28
#23Kathy278US #42
#24Joyce277US #26
#25Margaret276US #14
#26Jane271US #41
#27Rebecca269US #40
#28Marilyn260US #33
#29Shirley243US #18
#30Vicki239US #70
#31Beverly223US #31
#32Jean223US #45
#33Kathryn219US #52
#34Peggy212US #38
#35Carolyn209US #17
#36Marcia200US #78
#37Diana190US #48
#38Bonnie186US #35
#39Ruth185US #47
#40Betty173US #22
#41Ann166US #44
#42Christine164US #30
#43Joan147US #36
#44Gloria146US #29
#45Elizabeth142US #25
#46Virginia134US #39
#47Julie129US #113
#48Rita128US #54
#49Catherine121US #37
#50Constance118US #83
#51Marsha115US #79
#52Brenda112US #13
#53Paula109US #55
#54Sheila109US #76
#55Sally108US #77
#56Martha106US #34
#57Sheryl101US #149
#58Phyllis97US #50
#59Sherry97US #68
#60Cathy96US #81
#61Jacqueline96US #58
#62Sue95US #88
#63Lois94US #73
#64Dorothy93US #32
#65Katherine92US #59
#66Jeanne91US #92
#67Elaine90US #57
#68Helen89US #46
#69Jo89US #60
#70Kay89US #119
#71Dianne87US #85
#72Marlene87US #110
#73Victoria87US #96
#74Suzanne86US #62
#75Colleen82US #146
#76Teresa82US #82
#77Roberta78US #97
#78Lynn77US #74
#79Ellen74US #64
#80Debra73US #134
#81Becky71
#82Joann71US #101
#83Marjorie71US #116
#84Theresa71US #63
#85Rose68US #66
#86Vickie66US #124
#87Laura65US #65
#88Charlene63US #100
#89Dixie63
#90Doris62US #69
#91Joanne62US #61
#92Wanda62US #56
#93Lynda61US #93
#94Carole60US #118
#95Cindy60
#96Jill60US #152
#97Alice59US #53
#98Anne59US #86
#99Frances59US #49
#100Darlene56US #75

Boys

#1James1,335US #1
#2David1,286US #6
#3Robert1,256US #2
#4Michael1,224US #5
#5John1,220US #3
#6Richard991US #7
#7Dennis936US #16
#8Steven845US #20
#9Thomas820US #8
#10William765US #4
#11Gary713US #12
#12Larry677US #10
#13Ronald675US #11
#14Donald547US #13
#15Charles482US #9
#16Stephen467US #19
#17Terry413US #28
#18Roger406US #25
#19Douglas395US #29
#20Kenneth384US #15
#21Mark369US #24
#22Paul363US #17
#23Daniel361US #22
#24Jerry316US #23
#25Bruce295US #26
#26Craig262US #77
#27Joseph243US #14
#28Gregory225US #31
#29Timothy220US #34
#30Gerald212US #33
#31Dale210US #54
#32Patrick204US #39
#33Alan191US #45
#34Edward181US #21
#35Steve171US #68
#36George170US #18
#37Wayne170US #35
#38Keith160US #85
#39Randy158US #92
#40Danny155US #40
#41Randall153US #79
#42Dean142US #129
#43Duane140US #137
#44Jack140US #47
#45Tom134US #114
#46Marvin132US #89
#47Mike130US #88
#48Jim128US #108
#49Raymond128US #30
#50Allen124US #71
#51Rodney123US #87
#52Lawrence115US #32
#53Russell114US #69
#54Harold107US #42
#55Jeffrey104US #48
#56Stanley103US #60
#57Frank99US #27
#58Bill96US #106
#59Scott93US #99
#60Eugene88US #58
#61Carl86US #43
#62Dan86US #125
#63Philip86US #55
#64Phillip82US #66
#65Brian81US #86
#66Jon81US #144
#67Kevin80US #95
#68Lynn79US #159
#69Francis77US #78
#70Lyle75
#71Ronnie75US #65
#72Martin74US #83
#73Micheal72US #122
#74Don68US #98
#75Rick68US #170
#76Roy68US #51
#77Lee66US #93
#78Allan65US #143
#79Darrell65US #117
#80Joel65US #138
#81Walter63US #37
#82Ralph62US #50
#83Gene60US #119
#84Howard60US #63
#85Joe60US #52
#86Kent60US #194
#87Melvin60US #82
#88Norman58US #90
#89Ricky58US #148
#90Bob57US #162
#91Peter56US #38
#92Tim56
#93Leonard54US #74
#94Christopher52US #81
#95Curtis52US #97
#96Ray52US #109
#97Loren50
#98Barry49US #73
#99Fred49US #72
#100Glenn49US #61

On the move since 1948

Rising

↑37Constance#50
↑26Francis#69
↑20Deborah#16
↑16Jeffrey#55
↑16Lee#77
↑15Rebecca#27
↑13Rodney#51
↑13Howard#84

Falling

↓26Darlene#100
↓24Joe#85
↓23Barry#98
↓20Darrell#79
↓20Fred#99
↓19Teresa#76
↓19Alice#97
↓19Jim#48

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1948 rankings.