State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1961 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,568 Iowa births in 1961 across 849 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#84Karla#195 nationally
#90Jodi#197 nationally
#99Jody#200 nationally
#60Shelly#145 nationally
#94Sara#177 nationally
#66Kent#147 nationally
#91Doug#172 nationally
#93Tami#174 nationally
#79Deanna#156 nationally
#57Kelly#125 nationally
#73Kirk#140 nationally
#72Brent#137 nationally

Girls

#1Lori786US #14
#2Mary781US #1
#3Julie713US #23
#4Lisa680US #2
#5Susan595US #3
#6Linda510US #4
#7Brenda466US #11
#8Debra451US #13
#9Karen394US #5
#10Kimberly384US #22
#11Pamela355US #15
#12Teresa350US #18
#13Barbara346US #12
#14Sandra333US #9
#15Cindy329US #33
#16Nancy329US #16
#17Diane323US #26
#18Cynthia304US #8
#19Denise297US #30
#20Patricia291US #6
#21Laura289US #21
#22Kathy287US #25
#23Carol274US #24
#24Deborah258US #10
#25Janet255US #32
#26Rhonda255US #46
#27Michelle250US #34
#28Tammy244US #28
#29Debbie239US #31
#30Kelly239US #45
#31Cheryl228US #20
#32Donna228US #7
#33Connie225US #50
#34Dawn223US #49
#35Ann222US #54
#36Elizabeth219US #19
#37Kim219US #36
#38Robin215US #27
#39Laurie202US #43
#40Sharon195US #17
#41Jane190US #72
#42Christine186US #39
#43Rebecca181US #44
#44Kathleen170US #29
#45Beth165US #65
#46Jill158US #74
#47Jean156US #92
#48Theresa154US #35
#49Peggy149US #88
#50Sheila144US #59
#51Terri143US #51
#52Tracy136US #64
#53Jennifer135US #47
#54Angela134US #38
#55Joan134US #89
#56Judy133US #58
#57Diana129US #56
#58Amy120US #69
#59Penny120US #101
#60Shelly120US #145
#61Carla119US #77
#62Kathryn119US #93
#63Cathy118US #55
#64Becky116US #115
#65Janice116US #52
#66Catherine115US #48
#67Jacqueline115US #37
#68Wendy115US #61
#69Tina114US #41
#70Sherry112US #53
#71Lynn110US #71
#72Renee110US #79
#73Paula107US #60
#74Vicki105US #76
#75Sue104US #130
#76Carolyn102US #42
#77Sheryl101US #140
#78Joyce99US #62
#79Deanna96US #156
#80Tamara96US #125
#81Margaret95US #40
#82Michele94US #63
#83Ruth94US #96
#84Karla93US #195
#85Sherri90US #121
#86Suzanne88US #68
#87Bonnie87US #75
#88Annette82US #73
#89Valerie80US #67
#90Jodi79US #197
#91Marcia79US #155
#92Jackie77US #112
#93Tami76US #174
#94Sara73US #177
#95Sarah73US #113
#96Beverly71US #66
#97Sally71US #133
#98Anne70US #90
#99Jody69US #200
#100Julia69US #116

Boys

#1David1,426US #2
#2Michael1,231US #1
#3Mark1,124US #6
#4John1,027US #3
#5James887US #4
#6Jeffrey812US #11
#7Steven782US #10
#8Robert778US #5
#9Kevin721US #14
#10Scott692US #19
#11Brian581US #20
#12Thomas530US #9
#13Timothy504US #15
#14Daniel479US #17
#15William474US #7
#16Richard465US #8
#17Douglas462US #28
#18Randy406US #33
#19Todd387US #46
#20Gary373US #21
#21Paul343US #18
#22Dennis338US #34
#23Ronald320US #24
#24Terry305US #32
#25Gregory304US #23
#26Donald294US #22
#27Joseph292US #12
#28Craig285US #43
#29Larry270US #30
#30Jeff263US #49
#31Charles257US #13
#32Kenneth242US #16
#33Mike239US #36
#34Bradley222US #87
#35Patrick215US #39
#36Jerry213US #37
#37Randall212US #63
#38Bruce203US #40
#39Christopher193US #26
#40Roger190US #47
#41Steve185US #45
#42Ricky174US #44
#43Dale171US #58
#44Alan169US #51
#45Tim168US #65
#46Rodney167US #72
#47Keith161US #35
#48Dean155US #84
#49Eric155US #38
#50Jeffery152US #50
#51Russell152US #55
#52Jon147US #93
#53Jay144US #81
#54Rick144US #108
#55Tom140US #88
#56Matthew137US #59
#57Kelly134US #125
#58Chris130US #57
#59Jim129US #78
#60Anthony127US #25
#61Stephen126US #27
#62Danny121US #54
#63Dan118US #115
#64Bryan117US #82
#65Curtis115US #75
#66Kent115US #147
#67Tony111US #53
#68Edward106US #29
#69Martin106US #73
#70Andrew105US #52
#71Joe105US #60
#72Brent104US #137
#73Kirk102US #140
#74Troy100US #100
#75Duane97US #132
#76Greg97US #77
#77Kurt93US #129
#78George88US #31
#79Raymond84US #48
#80Gerald82US #62
#81Joel80US #110
#82Phillip80US #69
#83Brad79US #142
#84Wayne79US #61
#85Tracy78US #119
#86Micheal77US #103
#87Bill76US #104
#88Peter72US #42
#89Barry71US #66
#90Dave70US #130
#91Doug67US #172
#92Marvin65US #120
#93Allen63US #96
#94Brett63US #159
#95Mitchell62US #118
#96Philip59US #79
#97Carl58US #56
#98Frank58US #41
#99Shawn58US #143
#100Bob57US #141

On the move since 1960

Rising

↑27Jacqueline#67
↑26Angela#54
↑23Penny#59
↑19Jennifer#53
↑17Michelle#27
↑17Amy#58
↑17Wendy#68
↑17Joe#71

Falling

↓25Anne#98
↓21Vicki#74
↓17Becky#64
↓17Annette#88
↓16Sheryl#77
↓16Margaret#81
↓14Joel#81
↓13Sherry#70

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1960 rankings.