State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1952 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,322 Iowa births in 1952 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.

#75Lyleoutside the national top 200
#74Becky#193 nationally
#87Daryl#193 nationally
#64Kent#164 nationally
#74Lynn#167 nationally
#48Duane#131 nationally
#69Sheryl#151 nationally
#99Tom#181 nationally
#95Vicky#174 nationally
#59Jon#135 nationally
#98Rex#174 nationally
#67Bradley#141 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,217US #2
#2Linda1,104US #1
#3Susan801US #5
#4Patricia758US #3
#5Barbara718US #6
#6Debra694US #9
#7Nancy667US #7
#8Deborah648US #4
#9Karen476US #8
#10Kathleen472US #11
#11Sandra471US #10
#12Pamela470US #17
#13Carol447US #12
#14Diane439US #16
#15Cynthia417US #18
#16Rebecca409US #30
#17Janet371US #19
#18Connie355US #44
#19Donna335US #13
#20Kathy304US #29
#21Sharon304US #14
#22Jane299US #42
#23Christine288US #20
#24Kathryn262US #48
#25Marilyn251US #38
#26Cheryl250US #31
#27Joyce250US #27
#28Janice244US #23
#29Judy243US #26
#30Jean240US #50
#31Peggy224US #43
#32Ann223US #45
#33Margaret218US #21
#34Julie201US #85
#35Marcia201US #80
#36Vicki199US #61
#37Judith192US #25
#38Beverly188US #35
#39Joan185US #37
#40Elizabeth176US #22
#41Diana174US #51
#42Denise172US #33
#43Catherine161US #34
#44Teresa161US #52
#45Paula160US #47
#46Bonnie155US #41
#47Ruth148US #57
#48Carolyn146US #24
#49Rita143US #66
#50Marsha137US #75
#51Vickie137US #76
#52Shirley135US #28
#53Betty131US #32
#54Rhonda125US #95
#55Sherry125US #68
#56Lois124US #86
#57Sally119US #81
#58Virginia118US #49
#59Martha117US #40
#60Colleen115US #108
#61Cathy114US #56
#62Theresa114US #60
#63Constance113US #92
#64Katherine113US #59
#65Gloria108US #36
#66Jo108US #55
#67Marlene107US #117
#68Lynn106US #71
#69Sheryl106US #151
#70Brenda104US #15
#71Jacqueline98US #58
#72Jeanne98US #98
#73Sheila98US #64
#74Becky95US #193
#75Cindy93US #140
#76Sue92US #113
#77Gail90US #39
#78Elaine88US #73
#79Roberta86US #88
#80Rose82US #62
#81Anne81US #79
#82Carla80US #138
#83Ellen80US #70
#84Laura76US #53
#85Phyllis76US #65
#86Kay75US #133
#87Victoria74US #74
#88Suzanne73US #84
#89Helen72US #63
#90Joann72US #116
#91Dianne70US #96
#92Dorothy70US #46
#93Jill69US #118
#94Wanda68US #54
#95Vicky67US #174
#96Jennifer65US #107
#97Joanne65US #78
#98Kristine64US #165
#99Anita60US #91
#100Beth60US #146

Boys

#1Michael1,446US #4
#2David1,431US #5
#3James1,256US #1
#4John1,191US #3
#5Steven1,185US #11
#6Robert1,172US #2
#7Richard963US #7
#8Dennis905US #18
#9Thomas890US #8
#10William776US #6
#11Gary774US #10
#12Mark734US #17
#13Donald548US #13
#14Ronald511US #15
#15Larry510US #14
#16Daniel486US #20
#17Charles451US #9
#18Douglas440US #28
#19Stephen386US #21
#20Paul380US #19
#21Timothy376US #27
#22Kenneth361US #16
#23Roger331US #30
#24Terry322US #29
#25Gregory315US #24
#26Randy312US #41
#27Bruce297US #25
#28Craig286US #59
#29Jerry285US #26
#30Joseph262US #12
#31Jeffrey261US #31
#32Randall245US #63
#33Patrick243US #37
#34Alan199US #42
#35Dale197US #46
#36Scott178US #54
#37Kevin177US #43
#38Danny172US #40
#39Keith168US #49
#40Edward164US #23
#41Gerald164US #39
#42Wayne164US #38
#43Dean158US #103
#44Brian155US #64
#45George154US #22
#46Russell137US #70
#47Rodney136US #84
#48Duane134US #131
#49Raymond134US #33
#50Ricky133US #81
#51Jack130US #52
#52Lawrence120US #35
#53Stanley119US #58
#54Rick116US #119
#55Allen106US #78
#56Harold102US #51
#57Micheal99US #94
#58Martin98US #80
#59Jon97US #135
#60Carl92US #45
#61Marvin90US #95
#62Curtis84US #86
#63Eugene81US #71
#64Kent81US #164
#65Kim81US #126
#66Steve73US #85
#67Bradley72US #141
#68Dan72US #129
#69Christopher71US #57
#70Darrell69US #109
#71Frank69US #32
#72Jay68US #106
#73Leslie67US #125
#74Lynn65US #167
#75Lyle63
#76Peter62US #36
#77Phillip62US #74
#78Allan61US #146
#79Anthony61US #34
#80Philip61US #60
#81Joel58US #132
#82Ralph58US #56
#83Barry57US #69
#84Lee57US #92
#85Theodore56US #100
#86Walter56US #44
#87Daryl55US #193
#88Dwight55US #123
#89Howard55US #73
#90Don53US #120
#91Leonard53US #83
#92Frederick52US #76
#93Glen52US #121
#94Glenn52US #61
#95Gene51US #138
#96Mike51US #136
#97Fred50US #90
#98Rex50US #174
#99Tom49US #181
#100Roy48US #55

On the move since 1951

Rising

↑29Denise#42
↑28Christopher#69
↑27Leslie#73
↑25Theresa#62
↑23Curtis#62
↑20Rhonda#54
↑19Jay#72
↑18Colleen#60

Falling

↓26Gene#95
↓25Philip#80
↓24Kay#86
↓22Dianne#91
↓18Howard#89
↓17Brenda#70
↓15Rex#98
↓13Constance#63

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1951 rankings.