State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1950 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 57,782 Iowa births in 1950 across 825 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#77Beckyoutside the national top 200
#86Lyleoutside the national top 200
#88Daryloutside the national top 200
#95Kirk#199 nationally
#99Vickyoutside the national top 200
#80Kent#180 nationally
#69Rick#168 nationally
#42Duane#137 nationally
#50Sheryl#145 nationally
#66Lynn#154 nationally
#97Cindy#185 nationally
#61Tom#145 nationally

Girls

#1Linda1,476US #1
#2Mary1,313US #2
#3Susan829US #5
#4Patricia744US #3
#5Barbara710US #4
#6Nancy645US #6
#7Sandra554US #8
#8Karen515US #12
#9Carol511US #9
#10Connie454US #44
#11Pamela448US #17
#12Deborah443US #7
#13Kathleen443US #10
#14Diane437US #16
#15Donna384US #13
#16Sharon384US #11
#17Janet356US #18
#18Cynthia349US #23
#19Janice339US #22
#20Rebecca299US #36
#21Judith295US #21
#22Judy286US #25
#23Cheryl281US #29
#24Jane271US #39
#25Margaret270US #15
#26Joyce266US #27
#27Kathy262US #38
#28Kathryn252US #46
#29Jean238US #48
#30Vicki232US #61
#31Marilyn226US #37
#32Peggy223US #41
#33Beverly218US #31
#34Shirley204US #19
#35Carolyn202US #20
#36Marcia202US #77
#37Bonnie185US #33
#38Ann182US #45
#39Diana181US #47
#40Christine173US #28
#41Debra163US #59
#42Julie162US #111
#43Elizabeth159US #24
#44Marsha158US #68
#45Betty157US #26
#46Ruth154US #49
#47Catherine143US #34
#48Joan143US #40
#49Sherry130US #62
#50Sheryl128US #145
#51Rita125US #56
#52Constance124US #85
#53Virginia117US #43
#54Lois115US #83
#55Jacqueline113US #55
#56Sue113US #100
#57Teresa113US #81
#58Cathy110US #75
#59Brenda107US #14
#60Gloria107US #30
#61Paula106US #54
#62Suzanne103US #71
#63Dianne102US #90
#64Sally102US #78
#65Katherine100US #58
#66Jo99US #64
#67Marlene97US #112
#68Jeanne96US #95
#69Vickie96US #108
#70Martha95US #32
#71Sheila94US #70
#72Wanda87US #52
#73Elaine85US #60
#74Colleen84US #124
#75Phyllis84US #53
#76Helen80US #50
#77Becky79
#78Ellen79US #66
#79Lynn79US #76
#80Rose78US #69
#81Victoria75US #94
#82Dorothy74US #35
#83Laura74US #63
#84Alice72US #57
#85Rosemary72US #101
#86Darlene71US #79
#87Joanne70US #67
#88Roberta70US #96
#89Joann69US #98
#90Gail68US #42
#91Rhonda67US #125
#92Glenda65US #87
#93Kay64US #123
#94Theresa64US #65
#95Carla59US #160
#96Anita58US #99
#97Cindy58US #185
#98Jennifer58US #118
#99Vicky58
#100Charlene57US #103

Boys

#1David1,412US #5
#2James1,324US #1
#3Michael1,317US #4
#4John1,236US #3
#5Robert1,216US #2
#6Richard953US #7
#7Steven909US #16
#8Dennis893US #17
#9Thomas827US #8
#10Gary798US #10
#11William762US #6
#12Larry714US #11
#13Ronald646US #12
#14Donald523US #14
#15Mark506US #23
#16Charles472US #9
#17Daniel443US #21
#18Douglas437US #28
#19Stephen428US #19
#20Kenneth411US #15
#21Roger393US #27
#22Jerry351US #24
#23Terry339US #30
#24Paul337US #18
#25Gregory317US #25
#26Timothy278US #32
#27Craig271US #69
#28Bruce268US #26
#29Patrick238US #38
#30Joseph234US #13
#31Dale222US #49
#32Randall194US #70
#33Edward188US #22
#34Wayne176US #35
#35Gerald175US #34
#36Danny173US #39
#37Alan169US #41
#38Randy167US #80
#39Keith160US #78
#40Dean148US #120
#41George148US #20
#42Duane139US #137
#43Rodney138US #88
#44Jeffrey136US #43
#45Raymond132US #31
#46Jack131US #48
#47Lawrence128US #33
#48Allen118US #71
#49Russell116US #67
#50Harold110US #45
#51Kevin104US #73
#52Stanley98US #60
#53Steve98US #83
#54Scott97US #82
#55Brian96US #79
#56Philip96US #53
#57Eugene95US #58
#58Marvin95US #93
#59Frank89US #29
#60Carl87US #44
#61Tom87US #145
#62Jon85US #138
#63Ricky82US #128
#64Micheal80US #104
#65Mike76US #113
#66Lynn75US #154
#67Darrell70US #116
#68Gene69US #122
#69Rick68US #168
#70Jim67US #139
#71Anthony65US #36
#72Martin65US #85
#73Ronnie64US #76
#74Bill63US #131
#75Lee61US #91
#76Ralph61US #52
#77Dan60US #129
#78Curtis59US #97
#79Gordon59US #108
#80Kent58US #180
#81Arthur56US #46
#82Melvin56US #87
#83Peter55US #37
#84Roy55US #51
#85Eric54US #98
#86Lyle54
#87Phillip54US #64
#88Daryl53
#89Don53US #107
#90Norman53US #90
#91Howard52US #63
#92Leonard52US #77
#93Christopher51US #72
#94Frederick51US #75
#95Kirk51US #199
#96Jay50US #115
#97Glen49US #125
#98Leslie49US #126
#99Theodore49US #99
#100Francis48US #86

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑39Debra#41
↑26Ricky#63
↑20Wanda#72
↑19Teresa#57
↑17Vickie#69
↑17Curtis#78
↑16Kevin#51
↑15Gene#68

Falling

↓31Francis#100
↓23Kay#93
↓23Phillip#87
↓22Jim#70
↓18Dorothy#82
↓18Steve#53
↓18Mike#65
↓17Sheila#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.