State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,980 Iowa births in 1956 across 826 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#80Randaloutside the national top 200
#87Jonioutside the national top 200
#89Luannoutside the national top 200
#89Lynnoutside the national top 200
#91Lyleoutside the national top 200
#83Kelly#190 nationally
#94Brent#191 nationally
#97Rex#193 nationally
#72Kirk#162 nationally
#61Kent#149 nationally
#62Becky#144 nationally
#49Duane#127 nationally

Girls

#1Debra1,171US #2
#2Mary1,083US #1
#3Susan815US #5
#4Linda660US #3
#5Cynthia578US #8
#6Nancy538US #11
#7Karen534US #7
#8Patricia532US #6
#9Barbara487US #9
#10Diane466US #15
#11Pamela462US #12
#12Deborah450US #4
#13Julie435US #48
#14Carol414US #16
#15Sandra377US #14
#16Cheryl349US #18
#17Rebecca332US #27
#18Kathleen312US #17
#19Kathy307US #20
#20Janet291US #21
#21Denise286US #23
#22Sharon279US #13
#23Jane277US #50
#24Donna274US #10
#25Cindy266US #37
#26Connie266US #43
#27Teresa260US #24
#28Lori225US #66
#29Jean210US #65
#30Kim209US #38
#31Ann207US #46
#32Rhonda204US #62
#33Kimberly193US #74
#34Vicki185US #57
#35Kathryn179US #60
#36Peggy178US #63
#37Brenda170US #19
#38Christine169US #42
#39Joyce168US #30
#40Catherine164US #28
#41Janice161US #26
#42Elizabeth158US #22
#43Joan158US #52
#44Paula157US #47
#45Theresa156US #32
#46Lynn155US #58
#47Margaret153US #25
#48Debbie152US #39
#49Laura146US #34
#50Diana142US #56
#51Judy141US #35
#52Terri140US #81
#53Sheryl137US #114
#54Sherry134US #54
#55Robin132US #29
#56Lisa129US #31
#57Cathy127US #36
#58Bonnie124US #51
#59Judith124US #45
#60Dawn120US #92
#61Marilyn120US #70
#62Becky119US #144
#63Vickie118US #68
#64Michelle117US #88
#65Laurie115US #76
#66Beverly113US #40
#67Sheila110US #55
#68Katherine109US #67
#69Ruth108US #77
#70Marcia107US #110
#71Sue106US #118
#72Carolyn105US #33
#73Rita98US #79
#74Jan96US #136
#75Jill95US #101
#76Sally94US #105
#77Carla91US #130
#78Betty90US #44
#79Tina89US #87
#80Beth87US #117
#81Renee86US #106
#82Shirley85US #41
#83Martha84US #59
#84Wendy84US #95
#85Valerie82US #80
#86Gail81US #49
#87Joni79
#88Colleen77US #113
#89Luann75
#90Michele75US #100
#91Jacqueline73US #78
#92Jeanne73US #112
#93Suzanne73US #94
#94Victoria72US #85
#95Rose70US #64
#96Kay69US #154
#97Virginia69US #75
#98Ellen68US #84
#99Marsha68US #129
#100Lois67US #135

Boys

#1David1,492US #4
#2Michael1,345US #1
#3Mark1,091US #8
#4Steven1,072US #10
#5John1,052US #5
#6James1,031US #2
#7Robert1,003US #3
#8Richard790US #7
#9Thomas750US #9
#10William648US #6
#11Kevin646US #22
#12Randy599US #28
#13Jeffrey550US #20
#14Dennis548US #26
#15Timothy541US #19
#16Gary540US #13
#17Douglas534US #29
#18Daniel519US #18
#19Ronald462US #15
#20Donald431US #14
#21Gregory370US #24
#22Paul363US #17
#23Larry359US #21
#24Scott348US #34
#25Charles344US #11
#26Terry334US #31
#27Brian328US #32
#28Craig327US #51
#29Joseph316US #12
#30Kenneth312US #16
#31Bruce294US #33
#32Randall279US #54
#33Roger256US #41
#34Stephen256US #23
#35Patrick229US #40
#36Alan222US #44
#37Dale208US #50
#38Jerry200US #35
#39Rodney197US #65
#40Edward187US #25
#41Keith172US #36
#42Ricky157US #43
#43Jeffery156US #57
#44Rick152US #100
#45Russell152US #52
#46Dean144US #99
#47Danny139US #46
#48Bradley126US #103
#49Duane125US #127
#50Wayne116US #45
#51Gerald115US #49
#52Martin115US #73
#53Jay108US #92
#54Joel104US #106
#55Anthony101US #30
#56Jack100US #66
#57Jon100US #116
#58Micheal98US #83
#59Curtis95US #80
#60Lawrence93US #42
#61Kent92US #149
#62Kim91US #118
#63Raymond91US #39
#64Stanley90US #70
#65Allen88US #87
#66George86US #27
#67Dan85US #133
#68Matthew84US #90
#69Christopher83US #47
#70Philip83US #64
#71Steve82US #59
#72Kirk75US #162
#73Phillip75US #76
#74Darrell73US #88
#75Brad71US #142
#76Carl71US #48
#77Peter70US #37
#78Chris64US #128
#79Frank64US #38
#80Randal64
#81Marvin60US #105
#82Eric59US #79
#83Kelly59US #190
#84Bryan58US #132
#85Harold58US #72
#86Lee56US #104
#87Mike55US #97
#88Norman55US #107
#89Lynn54
#90Tony54US #85
#91Lyle53
#92Todd52US #156
#93Barry51US #69
#94Brent51US #191
#95Leonard51US #89
#96Roy50US #62
#97Rex49US #193
#98Eugene48US #86
#99Tim48US #174
#100Joe47US #63

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑37Kimberly#33
↑27Kim#30
↑27Michelle#64
↑23Matthew#68
↑22Lori#28
↑20Dawn#60
↑17Jay#53
↑17Joel#54

Falling

↓28Marcia#70
↓23Betty#78
↓19Eugene#98
↓17Shirley#82
↓16Margaret#47
↓16Judy#51
↓16Marilyn#61
↓16Vickie#63

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.