State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1981 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 41,234 Iowa births in 1981 across 812 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#61Abbyoutside the national top 200
#96Grantoutside the national top 200
#100Clintoutside the national top 200
#73Jodi#173 nationally
#71Trisha#164 nationally
#90Levi#182 nationally
#57Kari#145 nationally
#55Molly#135 nationally
#79Blake#159 nationally
#95Caleb#175 nationally
#79Abigail#156 nationally
#91Morgan#162 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer812US #1
#2Jessica678US #2
#3Amanda609US #3
#4Sarah550US #4
#5Melissa436US #5
#6Amy419US #6
#7Sara338US #26
#8Nicole322US #7
#9Angela298US #15
#10Emily296US #29
#11Amber292US #20
#12Heather292US #10
#13Stephanie290US #8
#14Elizabeth285US #9
#15Michelle275US #11
#16Megan239US #33
#17Rebecca225US #12
#18Erin223US #19
#19Lisa217US #18
#20Andrea211US #24
#21Tiffany200US #14
#22Rachel197US #22
#23Kimberly196US #13
#24Laura192US #21
#25Katie190US #44
#26Jamie176US #28
#27Jill173US #78
#28Kristin173US #31
#29Brooke168US #52
#30Kelly163US #23
#31Crystal152US #16
#32Julie152US #37
#33Christina145US #17
#34Katherine144US #39
#35April141US #25
#36Lindsay139US #47
#37Mary118US #27
#38Tara114US #45
#39Holly113US #63
#40Ashley112US #34
#41Heidi111US #84
#42Carrie109US #55
#43Shannon107US #32
#44Lindsey106US #58
#45Danielle101US #30
#46Anna96US #54
#47Kathryn95US #48
#48Stacy93US #65
#49Alicia89US #46
#50Erica86US #36
#51Samantha86US #51
#52Brandi85US #50
#53Dawn84US #79
#54Allison83US #57
#55Molly83US #135
#56Brandy80US #41
#57Kari80US #145
#58Courtney79US #43
#59Kristen78US #38
#60Leah75US #81
#61Abby73
#62Anne70US #105
#63Kristina70US #72
#64Kara69US #121
#65Nichole67US #109
#66Natalie65US #60
#67Christine64US #42
#68Tanya64US #92
#69Stacey63US #83
#70Misty61US #61
#71Trisha61US #164
#72Ann59US #133
#73Jodi59US #173
#74Teresa59US #97
#75Beth57US #125
#76Melanie57US #66
#77Wendy57US #90
#78Kelli56US #126
#79Abigail53US #156
#80Lori52US #91
#81Maria52US #40
#82Kristi51US #129
#83Melinda51US #108
#84Tracy50US #77
#85Dana49US #70
#86Mandy47US #136
#87Bridget46US #150
#88Bethany45US #114
#89Brenda45US #112
#90Karen45US #64
#91Morgan45US #162
#92Susan45US #71
#93Kathleen44US #82
#94Leslie41US #56
#95Tonya41US #110
#96Jenny40US #123
#97Valerie40US #89
#98Tasha39US #141
#99Tina39US #80
#100Krista38US #153

Boys

#1Matthew824US #3
#2Michael793US #1
#3Joshua763US #6
#4Ryan617US #13
#5Jason594US #4
#6Justin576US #12
#7Christopher519US #2
#8Adam497US #20
#9Nicholas467US #21
#10Andrew454US #18
#11David431US #5
#12Joseph415US #11
#13Daniel386US #10
#14John371US #8
#15Brian369US #14
#16Eric364US #17
#17Nathan356US #36
#18Brandon341US #19
#19Benjamin325US #32
#20Aaron322US #30
#21James312US #7
#22Jeremy302US #22
#23Robert284US #9
#24Travis284US #40
#25Dustin266US #42
#26Timothy264US #24
#27Scott263US #34
#28Jacob262US #43
#29Chad255US #47
#30Jeffrey247US #29
#31Anthony229US #23
#32Jonathan219US #16
#33Thomas212US #26
#34William203US #15
#35Jesse198US #37
#36Bradley197US #50
#37Mark193US #33
#38Steven173US #28
#39Kevin171US #25
#40Kyle142US #52
#41Jared128US #57
#42Zachary125US #63
#43Charles124US #31
#44Cory123US #90
#45Brett120US #79
#46Patrick119US #38
#47Lucas118US #89
#48Paul116US #35
#49Richard113US #27
#50Tyler110US #96
#51Derek106US #53
#52Shawn106US #49
#53Luke103US #100
#54Bryan96US #48
#55Joel94US #65
#56Gregory88US #46
#57Brent87US #88
#58Jeremiah87US #77
#59Todd87US #74
#60Shane86US #81
#61Sean84US #44
#62Seth80US #95
#63Douglas73US #64
#64Troy73US #114
#65Casey71US #85
#66Craig71US #72
#67Peter69US #55
#68Keith68US #58
#69Cody66US #119
#70Mitchell66US #140
#71Corey65US #69
#72Nathaniel63US #80
#73Curtis61US #94
#74Jamie61US #118
#75Kenneth61US #41
#76Clinton58US #124
#77Samuel57US #54
#78Stephen56US #39
#79Blake49US #159
#80Jeffery49US #93
#81Ronald49US #59
#82Erik48US #76
#83Brad46US #143
#84Gary45US #62
#85Phillip43US #66
#86Jon42US #132
#87Philip42US #84
#88Ian41US #101
#89Jordan40US #102
#90Levi40US #182
#91Tony40US #111
#92Donald39US #56
#93Jay39US #153
#94Wesley39US #99
#95Caleb38US #175
#96Grant38
#97Trevor38US #155
#98Alexander37US #70
#99Randy37US #91
#100Clint36

On the move since 1980

Rising

↑38Ashley#40
↑36Samantha#51
↑23Abby#61
↑20Natalie#66
↑20Tanya#68
↑17Kara#64
↑16Kristi#82
↑15Samuel#77

Falling

↓28Kelli#78
↓22Tracy#84
↓22Kathleen#93
↓21Beth#75
↓21Jenny#96
↓15Susan#92
↓15Shane#60
↓15Jay#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1980 rankings.