State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1955 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,329 Iowa births in 1955 across 813 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#77Lynn#196 nationally
#89Randaloutside the national top 200
#94Luannoutside the national top 200
#96Lyleoutside the national top 200
#76Becky#174 nationally
#76Kirk#172 nationally
#100Brent#193 nationally
#74Roxanne#165 nationally
#47Duane#135 nationally
#69Kent#156 nationally
#95Daryl#178 nationally
#87Jim#167 nationally

Girls

#1Debra1,239US #4
#2Mary1,153US #1
#3Susan845US #5
#4Linda787US #3
#5Barbara588US #7
#6Patricia584US #6
#7Nancy547US #9
#8Deborah535US #2
#9Cynthia519US #11
#10Pamela512US #12
#11Karen490US #8
#12Diane461US #14
#13Sandra429US #13
#14Carol384US #15
#15Julie380US #67
#16Kathleen373US #17
#17Rebecca365US #27
#18Janet343US #20
#19Cheryl305US #19
#20Donna303US #10
#21Connie290US #35
#22Jane287US #50
#23Denise283US #23
#24Teresa273US #26
#25Sharon271US #16
#26Kathy270US #22
#27Ann208US #43
#28Peggy202US #51
#29Jean200US #60
#30Vicki199US #52
#31Margaret193US #24
#32Kathryn188US #59
#33Joyce184US #29
#34Cindy180US #79
#35Judy177US #32
#36Rhonda177US #71
#37Elizabeth174US #21
#38Janice172US #25
#39Christine170US #40
#40Paula166US #39
#41Catherine164US #28
#42Marcia164US #98
#43Diana158US #55
#44Joan156US #46
#45Marilyn154US #49
#46Brenda152US #18
#47Vickie152US #68
#48Bonnie146US #45
#49Lynn146US #62
#50Lori145US #89
#51Beverly143US #34
#52Sheryl138US #125
#53Theresa131US #38
#54Lisa130US #48
#55Betty125US #36
#56Judith123US #31
#57Kim122US #75
#58Debbie117US #63
#59Terri117US #85
#60Cathy116US #44
#61Laura116US #41
#62Sherry116US #56
#63Carolyn112US #30
#64Ruth111US #70
#65Shirley108US #37
#66Katherine104US #65
#67Sally102US #95
#68Robin100US #33
#69Sheila100US #57
#70Kimberly96US #111
#71Jill95US #102
#72Sue93US #116
#73Rita92US #72
#74Roxanne92US #165
#75Gail91US #42
#76Becky89US #174
#77Colleen89US #110
#78Laurie88US #91
#79Constance87US #118
#80Dawn87US #103
#81Victoria86US #82
#82Carla85US #135
#83Gloria83US #47
#84Martha83US #53
#85Rose82US #54
#86Valerie82US #80
#87Beth81US #133
#88Elaine79US #77
#89Jacqueline79US #73
#90Jo79US #58
#91Michelle76US #97
#92Marsha74US #106
#93Michele74US #93
#94Luann73
#95Jennifer72US #104
#96Wanda71US #61
#97Ellen70US #81
#98Anne68US #84
#99Jeanne68US #115
#100Virginia68US #66

Boys

#1David1,604US #2
#2Michael1,434US #1
#3James1,152US #3
#4Steven1,112US #10
#5Robert1,105US #4
#6John1,024US #5
#7Mark1,011US #9
#8Richard763US #7
#9Thomas754US #8
#10William723US #6
#11Dennis695US #23
#12Gary596US #12
#13Jeffrey583US #20
#14Daniel558US #17
#15Randy531US #30
#16Timothy522US #22
#17Kevin509US #27
#18Douglas501US #29
#19Ronald435US #18
#20Donald398US #14
#21Terry398US #28
#22Charles372US #11
#23Gregory371US #24
#24Paul366US #16
#25Larry350US #19
#26Joseph327US #13
#27Craig326US #50
#28Kenneth313US #15
#29Roger298US #37
#30Scott297US #38
#31Bruce274US #32
#32Randall262US #53
#33Stephen259US #21
#34Patrick239US #41
#35Jerry237US #33
#36Dale221US #52
#37Alan212US #43
#38Brian208US #40
#39Rodney193US #65
#40Keith180US #39
#41Ricky173US #46
#42Edward158US #25
#43Russell156US #57
#44Rick149US #109
#45Dean144US #111
#46Jeffery143US #73
#47Duane138US #135
#48Wayne134US #44
#49Gerald132US #48
#50Kim132US #98
#51Danny131US #45
#52Jack128US #60
#53George119US #26
#54Bradley113US #107
#55Jon107US #115
#56Micheal97US #87
#57Raymond95US #36
#58Anthony94US #31
#59Curtis94US #79
#60Allen93US #84
#61Steve91US #72
#62Philip89US #62
#63Peter83US #35
#64Stanley83US #64
#65Martin82US #77
#66Christopher80US #49
#67Carl78US #47
#68Dan78US #136
#69Kent78US #156
#70Jay72US #103
#71Joel70US #121
#72Lawrence70US #42
#73Darrell69US #91
#74Harold69US #63
#75Marvin68US #94
#76Kirk63US #172
#77Lynn63US #196
#78Brad62US #153
#79Eugene61US #81
#80Roy59US #58
#81Frank57US #34
#82Barry56US #70
#83Chris54US #139
#84Leslie54US #138
#85Lee52US #96
#86Phillip51US #74
#87Jim50US #167
#88Ralph50US #67
#89Randal49
#90Howard48US #83
#91Matthew48US #105
#92Andrew47US #66
#93Gene47US #152
#94Joe47US #68
#95Daryl45US #178
#96Lyle45
#97Walter45US #51
#98Mike44US #123
#99Norman44US #102
#100Brent43US #193

On the move since 1954

Rising

↑32Debbie#58
↑26Lisa#54
↑23Jeffery#46
↑20Dawn#80
↑16Leslie#84
↑15Betty#55
↑14Frank#81
↑13Laurie#78

Falling

↓43Luann#94
↓18Phillip#86
↓16Judith#56
↓16Sue#72
↓16Martha#84
↓16Rose#85
↓16Michelle#91
↓13Marilyn#45

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1954 rankings.