State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1979 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,863 Iowa births in 1979 across 824 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#96Abbyoutside the national top 200
#99Clintoutside the national top 200
#83Shawna#177 nationally
#58Kari#151 nationally
#84Mitchell#174 nationally
#56Molly#139 nationally
#52Kelli#129 nationally
#65Jodi#140 nationally
#85Trisha#159 nationally
#94Brianne#168 nationally
#64Tyler#131 nationally
#82Cody#147 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer948US #1
#2Amanda576US #3
#3Jessica486US #4
#4Amy479US #5
#5Melissa462US #2
#6Sarah455US #6
#7Angela421US #8
#8Heather393US #7
#9Nicole335US #9
#10Michelle305US #10
#11Lisa274US #13
#12Kelly269US #16
#13Sara258US #30
#14Amber244US #22
#15Elizabeth239US #11
#16Jill234US #52
#17Erin229US #21
#18Stephanie218US #15
#19Emily216US #34
#20Megan211US #31
#21Andrea205US #26
#22Rebecca196US #17
#23Kimberly193US #12
#24Jamie192US #19
#25Christina188US #14
#26Laura165US #20
#27Rachel164US #27
#28Carrie152US #41
#29Katie149US #63
#30Holly146US #48
#31Julie146US #29
#32Shannon144US #25
#33Tara138US #38
#34Crystal137US #18
#35Stacy137US #43
#36Katherine136US #36
#37Mindy134US #81
#38April124US #23
#39Kathryn124US #50
#40Heidi121US #83
#41Tiffany117US #28
#42Mary112US #24
#43Lindsay108US #88
#44Christine98US #35
#45Brooke96US #85
#46Alicia93US #47
#47Stacey92US #60
#48Dawn90US #57
#49Kristin86US #73
#50Brandy80US #39
#51Allison79US #70
#52Kelli79US #129
#53Lori78US #69
#54Brandi77US #61
#55Melinda77US #82
#56Molly77US #139
#57Danielle76US #33
#58Kari73US #151
#59Tracy73US #49
#60Anna72US #59
#61Susan72US #51
#62Erica71US #32
#63Tina71US #58
#64Anne70US #115
#65Jodi69US #140
#66Leah68US #98
#67Kara67US #125
#68Jenny66US #120
#69Kristina66US #74
#70Nichole66US #103
#71Wendy65US #64
#72Courtney63US #71
#73Lindsey63US #113
#74Karen61US #46
#75Tammy61US #79
#76Tanya60US #93
#77Brenda59US #112
#78Dana59US #54
#79Beth57US #118
#80Melanie57US #53
#81Natalie57US #68
#82Samantha56US #66
#83Shawna56US #177
#84Mandy55US #116
#85Trisha55US #159
#86Teresa53US #87
#87Misty52US #42
#88Catherine51US #78
#89Tonya51US #86
#90Valerie50US #89
#91Kristen49US #62
#92Kristy49US #56
#93Leslie49US #65
#94Brianne48US #168
#95Jaime48US #97
#96Abby47
#97Kathleen46US #84
#98Kristi45US #109
#99Maria44US #37
#100Ann43US #126

Boys

#1Matthew829US #6
#2Jason799US #3
#3Michael758US #1
#4Joshua741US #9
#5Ryan605US #14
#6Christopher596US #2
#7Nicholas579US #15
#8Brian454US #10
#9Justin435US #22
#10Andrew426US #20
#11Adam417US #23
#12Jeremy413US #16
#13David403US #4
#14Joseph401US #11
#15Daniel392US #12
#16Chad389US #38
#17John388US #7
#18James381US #5
#19Nathan359US #37
#20Eric358US #17
#21Robert338US #8
#22Travis321US #36
#23Benjamin314US #33
#24Scott307US #29
#25Timothy300US #18
#26Aaron291US #32
#27Jeffrey263US #24
#28Mark235US #30
#29Kevin220US #19
#30William210US #13
#31Steven208US #27
#32Thomas198US #26
#33Jacob194US #45
#34Anthony189US #21
#35Brandon187US #35
#36Bradley170US #47
#37Dustin161US #62
#38Jonathan147US #31
#39Kyle147US #56
#40Cory144US #82
#41Shawn130US #43
#42Richard126US #25
#43Jesse125US #50
#44Zachary124US #74
#45Paul121US #34
#46Charles111US #28
#47Patrick110US #39
#48Shane109US #67
#49Todd109US #60
#50Jared104US #65
#51Brent102US #84
#52Bryan102US #46
#53Joel99US #71
#54Jeremiah96US #81
#55Douglas94US #58
#56Corey92US #63
#57Luke92US #110
#58Troy91US #99
#59Lucas87US #108
#60Gregory84US #42
#61Brett82US #98
#62Seth79US #101
#63Derek78US #72
#64Tyler78US #131
#65Casey74US #93
#66Kenneth74US #41
#67Peter72US #53
#68Stephen72US #40
#69Curtis71US #91
#70Brad68US #115
#71Jamie68US #88
#72Erik66US #66
#73Shaun66US #64
#74Keith65US #52
#75Samuel63US #55
#76Donald62US #51
#77Sean60US #49
#78Wesley60US #89
#79Craig58US #77
#80Nathaniel58US #95
#81Gary56US #59
#82Cody52US #147
#83Lance52US #142
#84Mitchell51US #174
#85Dennis50US #75
#86Jon50US #118
#87Jay48US #126
#88Randy48US #86
#89Tony48US #104
#90Jeffery47US #87
#91Kristopher47US #114
#92Clinton45US #146
#93Russell45US #92
#94Philip44US #83
#95Terry42US #96
#96Trevor42US #153
#97Larry41US #69
#98Phillip41US #68
#99Clint40
#100Edward40US #48

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑38Lindsay#43
↑27Brooke#45
↑27Kelli#52
↑23Tiffany#41
↑23Lindsey#73
↑22Mindy#37
↑22Leah#66
↑20Anne#64

Falling

↓38Misty#87
↓35Ann#100
↓29Wendy#71
↓27Melanie#80
↓25Kristy#92
↓18Nichole#70
↓18Tonya#89
↓18Kristi#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1978 rankings.