State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1951 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 61,011 Iowa births in 1951 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.

#73Beckyoutside the national top 200
#73Lyleoutside the national top 200
#74Daryl#196 nationally
#81Lorenoutside the national top 200
#66Kent#182 nationally
#98Joleneoutside the national top 200
#100Dixieoutside the national top 200
#75Kim#172 nationally
#43Duane#130 nationally
#83Rex#170 nationally
#70Lynn#155 nationally
#77Sheryl#161 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,361US #2
#2Linda1,355US #1
#3Patricia896US #3
#4Susan887US #6
#5Barbara751US #5
#6Nancy682US #7
#7Deborah623US #4
#8Karen543US #8
#9Sandra499US #9
#10Kathleen481US #10
#11Diane472US #15
#12Debra464US #18
#13Pamela461US #16
#14Carol458US #11
#15Cynthia433US #20
#16Connie414US #44
#17Janet402US #19
#18Rebecca371US #32
#19Donna362US #12
#20Sharon357US #13
#21Jane317US #43
#22Kathy304US #35
#23Janice294US #21
#24Cheryl289US #30
#25Judith269US #25
#26Christine253US #24
#27Joyce253US #28
#28Kathryn251US #45
#29Judy247US #26
#30Marilyn244US #41
#31Vicki243US #58
#32Margaret230US #17
#33Peggy230US #40
#34Jean229US #49
#35Beverly211US #33
#36Marcia211US #74
#37Ann200US #46
#38Bonnie196US #37
#39Carolyn183US #22
#40Shirley183US #27
#41Diana178US #50
#42Julie178US #99
#43Elizabeth171US #23
#44Catherine169US #34
#45Betty161US #29
#46Joan158US #39
#47Rita153US #61
#48Teresa144US #63
#49Ruth143US #53
#50Constance142US #86
#51Paula133US #51
#52Vickie129US #87
#53Brenda124US #14
#54Katherine119US #55
#55Marsha119US #76
#56Martha119US #38
#57Cathy118US #71
#58Sherry115US #70
#59Virginia115US #47
#60Lois112US #85
#61Lynn108US #72
#62Kay107US #120
#63Gloria106US #31
#64Jo105US #67
#65Sally104US #77
#66Elaine103US #66
#67Marlene103US #118
#68Sue103US #106
#69Dianne100US #90
#70Jeanne100US #98
#71Denise99US #48
#72Sheila99US #69
#73Becky98
#74Rhonda96US #111
#75Gail95US #36
#76Laura95US #60
#77Sheryl95US #161
#78Colleen93US #114
#79Phyllis91US #57
#80Jacqueline89US #56
#81Cindy87US #154
#82Rose87US #65
#83Suzanne87US #83
#84Ellen85US #68
#85Victoria85US #81
#86Roberta82US #92
#87Theresa80US #64
#88Joann79US #104
#89Dorothy78US #42
#90Carla73US #147
#91Anne70US #82
#92Glenda70US #89
#93Rosemary66US #109
#94Wanda64US #52
#95Joanne63US #73
#96Norma62US #107
#97Alice61US #62
#98Jolene60
#99Marjorie60US #128
#100Dixie59

Boys

#1Michael1,516US #4
#2David1,483US #5
#3James1,330US #1
#4John1,257US #3
#5Robert1,214US #2
#6Steven1,157US #13
#7Richard1,031US #7
#8Dennis953US #17
#9Thomas905US #8
#10William864US #6
#11Gary814US #10
#12Larry634US #11
#13Mark618US #20
#14Ronald599US #12
#15Charles516US #9
#16Donald506US #15
#17Daniel467US #21
#18Douglas450US #27
#19Kenneth430US #16
#20Stephen420US #19
#21Roger386US #29
#22Terry366US #30
#23Timothy363US #28
#24Paul320US #18
#25Jerry316US #24
#26Gregory315US #25
#27Bruce301US #26
#28Craig297US #63
#29Joseph272US #14
#30Randy256US #56
#31Patrick227US #39
#32Edward220US #23
#33Randall218US #66
#34Alan210US #40
#35Dale206US #49
#36Jeffrey197US #35
#37Gerald196US #36
#38Keith185US #59
#39Wayne169US #37
#40Danny168US #41
#41Kevin158US #53
#42Dean151US #105
#43Duane145US #130
#44Scott141US #68
#45Russell136US #73
#46George135US #22
#47Raymond122US #32
#48Harold120US #46
#49Jack116US #48
#50Brian115US #75
#51Allen112US #72
#52Stanley112US #54
#53Rodney110US #84
#54Micheal106US #97
#55Philip103US #55
#56Lawrence102US #33
#57Ricky100US #102
#58Eugene98US #65
#59Marvin97US #96
#60Carl91US #43
#61Rick89US #143
#62Martin85US #81
#63Darrell83US #109
#64Jon83US #138
#65Frank78US #31
#66Kent77US #182
#67Steve74US #86
#68Dan71US #136
#69Gene68US #126
#70Lynn68US #155
#71Howard67US #74
#72Barry64US #71
#73Lyle64
#74Daryl63US #196
#75Kim63US #172
#76Phillip63US #79
#77Bradley62US #146
#78Leonard60US #80
#79Allan59US #137
#80Edwin58US #119
#81Loren58
#82Peter58US #38
#83Rex58US #170
#84Walter58US #42
#85Curtis57US #91
#86Glen57US #127
#87Gordon57US #108
#88Ralph57US #51
#89Mike55US #128
#90Anthony54US #34
#91Jay54US #116
#92Harry53US #70
#93Warren52US #118
#94Bill51US #157
#95Eric51US #93
#96Arthur50US #44
#97Christopher50US #61
#98Fred50US #87
#99Norman50US #90
#100Leslie49US #124

On the move since 1950

Rising

↑31Kay#62
↑29Debra#12
↑20Howard#71
↑18Lynn#61
↑17Vickie#52
↑17Rhonda#74
↑16Cindy#81
↑15Gail#75

Falling

↓27Sheryl#77
↓25Jacqueline#80
↓24Mike#89
↓22Wanda#94
↓21Suzanne#83
↓20Bill#94
↓19Anthony#90
↓15Arthur#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1950 rankings.