State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1953 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,142 Iowa births in 1953 across 798 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#71Lyleoutside the national top 200
#78Becky#189 nationally
#86Kirk#197 nationally
#90Dixieoutside the national top 200
#80Daryl#187 nationally
#99Luannoutside the national top 200
#76Lynn#170 nationally
#75Kent#166 nationally
#98Rex#188 nationally
#60Sheryl#148 nationally
#47Duane#132 nationally
#91Vicky#170 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,219US #1
#2Linda962US #2
#3Debra868US #7
#4Susan862US #5
#5Patricia699US #4
#6Nancy697US #8
#7Barbara685US #6
#8Deborah600US #3
#9Pamela530US #10
#10Cynthia516US #12
#11Karen484US #9
#12Diane467US #17
#13Sandra458US #11
#14Kathleen417US #14
#15Carol390US #16
#16Janet357US #19
#17Rebecca342US #24
#18Connie339US #47
#19Jane300US #43
#20Sharon299US #15
#21Donna287US #13
#22Kathy272US #23
#23Julie269US #74
#24Peggy240US #44
#25Janice237US #22
#26Margaret234US #20
#27Judy231US #27
#28Jean223US #52
#29Kathryn223US #48
#30Marilyn222US #36
#31Cheryl218US #28
#32Joyce202US #26
#33Christine196US #32
#34Teresa194US #42
#35Ann193US #46
#36Denise192US #31
#37Joan189US #37
#38Judith181US #30
#39Marcia179US #84
#40Elizabeth175US #21
#41Catherine174US #35
#42Vicki174US #61
#43Beverly167US #34
#44Diana157US #55
#45Bonnie156US #45
#46Paula145US #40
#47Carolyn141US #25
#48Ruth141US #62
#49Cindy139US #99
#50Shirley139US #29
#51Rhonda137US #85
#52Cathy135US #56
#53Sally132US #81
#54Rita126US #64
#55Brenda125US #18
#56Vickie124US #79
#57Betty115US #33
#58Theresa114US #50
#59Constance111US #95
#60Sheryl110US #148
#61Martha109US #41
#62Sheila106US #60
#63Sue106US #106
#64Jacqueline99US #58
#65Katherine99US #63
#66Gloria97US #38
#67Jo96US #54
#68Laura96US #51
#69Gail94US #39
#70Sherry93US #70
#71Lois92US #91
#72Lynn92US #67
#73Rose88US #59
#74Carla86US #129
#75Joann86US #121
#76Suzanne84US #78
#77Colleen83US #115
#78Becky82US #189
#79Elaine78US #77
#80Beth75US #142
#81Anne74US #80
#82Ellen74US #76
#83Virginia74US #53
#84Jill72US #114
#85Marsha69US #83
#86Roberta69US #90
#87Victoria69US #82
#88Dianne68US #109
#89Marlene68US #128
#90Dixie67
#91Vicky67US #170
#92Wanda67US #57
#93Jan65US #140
#94Jeanne65US #97
#95Debbie64US #119
#96Laurie62US #103
#97Phyllis62US #69
#98Terri62US #130
#99Luann60
#100Helen59US #65

Boys

#1David1,442US #5
#2Michael1,434US #3
#3James1,173US #2
#4Robert1,143US #1
#5Steven1,140US #11
#6John1,067US #4
#7Richard934US #7
#8Thomas875US #8
#9Mark829US #12
#10Dennis809US #19
#11William728US #6
#12Gary685US #10
#13Ronald524US #15
#14Daniel484US #20
#15Douglas471US #27
#16Donald460US #14
#17Charles418US #9
#18Randy415US #35
#19Paul414US #16
#20Larry404US #18
#21Roger387US #31
#22Kenneth365US #17
#23Timothy355US #26
#24Jeffrey336US #25
#25Stephen329US #21
#26Gregory314US #24
#27Craig312US #60
#28Terry312US #30
#29Bruce280US #28
#30Joseph271US #13
#31Jerry268US #29
#32Kevin260US #36
#33Randall235US #64
#34Dale223US #48
#35Patrick211US #39
#36Rodney204US #58
#37Edward176US #23
#38Scott176US #46
#39Alan171US #43
#40Ricky168US #51
#41Keith156US #47
#42Wayne153US #40
#43Rick140US #101
#44Gerald135US #42
#45Danny132US #41
#46Dean129US #105
#47Duane126US #132
#48George126US #22
#49Russell126US #71
#50Raymond122US #34
#51Brian111US #53
#52Curtis106US #86
#53Jon105US #120
#54Micheal104US #88
#55Jack102US #57
#56Philip99US #61
#57Stanley99US #62
#58Allen97US #81
#59Lawrence96US #37
#60Bradley93US #118
#61Kim86US #127
#62Peter86US #38
#63Martin83US #82
#64Darrell81US #103
#65Marvin81US #94
#66Eugene80US #75
#67Carl79US #44
#68Harold78US #56
#69Steve73US #84
#70Jeffery72US #109
#71Lyle71
#72Anthony70US #32
#73Dan70US #139
#74Joel70US #134
#75Kent70US #166
#76Lynn69US #170
#77Frank68US #33
#78Christopher66US #63
#79Ronnie62US #79
#80Daryl60US #187
#81Jay54US #99
#82Norman54US #98
#83Dwight53US #122
#84Phillip53US #76
#85Allan52US #153
#86Kirk52US #197
#87Lee52US #93
#88Leslie52US #135
#89Roy52US #55
#90Fred51US #92
#91Gene51US #143
#92Glen51US #129
#93Walter50US #45
#94Gordon49US #116
#95Jim49US #173
#96Barry48US #73
#97Arthur47US #50
#98Rex46US #188
#99Neil44US #146
#100Rickey44US #113

On the move since 1952

Rising

↑26Cindy#49
↑24Philip#56
↑20Beth#80
↑16Laura#68
↑15Brenda#55
↑15Joann#75
↑14Peter#62
↑13Sue#63

Falling

↓35Marsha#85
↓25Virginia#83
↓22Marlene#89
↓22Jeanne#94
↓17Colleen#77
↓15Sherry#70
↓15Lois#71
↓15Leslie#88

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1952 rankings.