State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1957 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 59,562 Iowa births in 1957 across 845 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#77Karlaoutside the national top 200
#82Roxanne#198 nationally
#88Luannoutside the national top 200
#92Jonioutside the national top 200
#94Randal#192 nationally
#58Kent#150 nationally
#48Duane#136 nationally
#86Brent#174 nationally
#70Kirk#154 nationally
#80Kay#163 nationally
#88Kelly#167 nationally
#100Daryl#179 nationally

Girls

#1Mary966US #1
#2Debra957US #4
#3Cynthia767US #7
#4Susan758US #2
#5Linda616US #3
#6Julie580US #28
#7Karen521US #5
#8Cindy512US #19
#9Nancy454US #11
#10Diane451US #17
#11Barbara443US #9
#12Patricia443US #8
#13Pamela427US #12
#14Carol386US #18
#15Deborah364US #6
#16Lori340US #45
#17Brenda329US #13
#18Sandra324US #15
#19Kathy314US #20
#20Cheryl309US #16
#21Denise288US #25
#22Rebecca287US #34
#23Sharon284US #14
#24Teresa284US #24
#25Kimberly272US #42
#26Kathleen265US #21
#27Donna259US #10
#28Jane255US #56
#29Janet252US #23
#30Kim232US #35
#31Connie228US #47
#32Debbie219US #27
#33Lisa215US #26
#34Rhonda211US #52
#35Ann208US #44
#36Vicki201US #51
#37Laura184US #31
#38Jean183US #67
#39Joan181US #60
#40Elizabeth180US #22
#41Peggy173US #62
#42Christine163US #41
#43Joyce162US #40
#44Janice160US #32
#45Sheryl157US #112
#46Judy156US #38
#47Diana154US #43
#48Cathy150US #39
#49Theresa146US #36
#50Robin144US #30
#51Carolyn142US #33
#52Margaret141US #29
#53Catherine136US #37
#54Paula136US #49
#55Kathryn135US #65
#56Becky131US #127
#57Lynn126US #61
#58Sherry123US #55
#59Dawn122US #93
#60Jill122US #100
#61Sue117US #104
#62Terri116US #68
#63Marcia115US #126
#64Vickie111US #70
#65Marilyn107US #82
#66Michelle104US #79
#67Ruth99US #84
#68Laurie98US #73
#69Beverly95US #48
#70Beth94US #108
#71Sheila94US #58
#72Bonnie92US #64
#73Judith92US #53
#74Katherine92US #72
#75Tammy91US #107
#76Carla90US #128
#77Karla88
#78Rita88US #78
#79Annette86US #97
#80Kay85US #163
#81Valerie84US #76
#82Roxanne83US #198
#83Jeanne82US #117
#84Jennifer82US #87
#85Penny80US #138
#86Victoria78US #88
#87Betty77US #50
#88Luann77
#89Vicky77US #142
#90Colleen76US #118
#91Shirley76US #46
#92Joni74
#93Julia73US #122
#94Gail72US #54
#95Rose72US #69
#96Sherri72US #171
#97Anne70US #86
#98Martha70US #63
#99Sally70US #115
#100Renee69US #111

Boys

#1David1,466US #3
#2Michael1,451US #1
#3James1,108US #2
#4Mark1,092US #7
#5Steven972US #10
#6Robert956US #4
#7John942US #5
#8Thomas735US #9
#9Richard720US #8
#10Kevin707US #20
#11William641US #6
#12Jeffrey625US #21
#13Randy590US #31
#14Daniel540US #16
#15Dennis539US #28
#16Douglas536US #30
#17Gary532US #13
#18Timothy505US #19
#19Scott458US #32
#20Ronald429US #17
#21Brian422US #26
#22Larry392US #22
#23Donald376US #15
#24Paul369US #18
#25Terry351US #33
#26Gregory336US #23
#27Charles332US #11
#28Kenneth325US #14
#29Craig294US #55
#30Bruce278US #34
#31Joseph278US #12
#32Roger245US #42
#33Patrick233US #41
#34Randall229US #59
#35Jerry225US #35
#36Alan212US #48
#37Dale210US #50
#38Stephen208US #24
#39Rodney194US #70
#40Ricky192US #40
#41Keith187US #36
#42Rick186US #87
#43Jeffery174US #52
#44Russell173US #54
#45Danny145US #45
#46Dean145US #93
#47Edward140US #25
#48Duane128US #136
#49Martin124US #69
#50Bradley123US #107
#51Gerald120US #51
#52Steve119US #44
#53Jay118US #88
#54Jon117US #110
#55Mike116US #53
#56Wayne111US #47
#57Micheal110US #85
#58Kent104US #150
#59Matthew103US #83
#60Raymond101US #39
#61Curtis100US #80
#62George95US #29
#63Anthony94US #27
#64Dan90US #121
#65Jeff90US #96
#66Joel90US #104
#67Jack89US #67
#68Eric86US #60
#69Tom85US #116
#70Kirk84US #154
#71Philip84US #68
#72Tim75US #119
#73Jim74US #106
#74Carl72US #49
#75Chris72US #120
#76Peter71US #37
#77Allen70US #91
#78Bryan70US #115
#79Brad69US #153
#80Todd68US #143
#81Darrell67US #90
#82Frank66US #38
#83Christopher65US #43
#84Kim64US #162
#85Phillip64US #79
#86Brent63US #174
#87Kurt63US #141
#88Kelly62US #167
#89Eugene61US #92
#90Lawrence61US #46
#91Joe60US #57
#92Greg57US #127
#93Marvin55US #112
#94Randal54US #192
#95Barry53US #72
#96Bill52US #123
#97Andrew51US #56
#98Stanley51US #81
#99Harold50US #74
#100Daryl48US #179

On the move since 1956

Rising

↑32Mike#55
↑27Tim#72
↑23Lisa#33
↑21Carolyn#51
↑20Brenda#17
↑19Steve#52
↑17Cindy#8
↑16Debbie#32

Falling

↓34Stanley#98
↓30Lawrence#90
↓23Sally#99
↓22Kim#84
↓20Kathryn#55
↓19Renee#100
↓15Martha#98
↓14Bonnie#72

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1956 rankings.