State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1985 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 36,612 Iowa births in 1985 across 782 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#60Abbyoutside the national top 200
#77Coleoutside the national top 200
#62Kelsey#168 nationally
#42Jill#143 nationally
#72Kari#166 nationally
#78Grant#166 nationally
#69Abigail#153 nationally
#61Kelli#142 nationally
#49Lucas#122 nationally
#55Heidi#125 nationally
#50Molly#119 nationally
#100Jamie#167 nationally

Girls

#1Ashley692US #2
#2Amanda583US #4
#3Jessica531US #1
#4Jennifer478US #3
#5Megan473US #10
#6Sarah390US #5
#7Emily310US #24
#8Nicole306US #7
#9Stephanie301US #6
#10Amber291US #16
#11Elizabeth291US #9
#12Heather267US #8
#13Melissa243US #11
#14Amy238US #20
#15Rachel237US #13
#16Laura236US #14
#17Sara230US #30
#18Katie222US #39
#19Danielle200US #18
#20Erin198US #26
#21Lindsey168US #37
#22Jamie159US #27
#23Michelle154US #22
#24Rebecca153US #25
#25Andrea152US #33
#26Samantha149US #29
#27Allison135US #46
#28Jenna134US #50
#29Tiffany132US #23
#30Brittany130US #17
#31Katherine130US #32
#32Angela129US #31
#33Christina129US #12
#34Lindsay120US #40
#35Kimberly119US #19
#36Kelly116US #28
#37Lisa116US #36
#38Crystal108US #21
#39Alicia102US #45
#40Anna100US #54
#41Tara100US #51
#42Jill99US #143
#43Holly98US #56
#44Kristin96US #49
#45Kathryn93US #48
#46Mary91US #35
#47Brooke85US #102
#48Courtney83US #43
#49Chelsea81US #75
#50Molly79US #119
#51Julie78US #55
#52Kayla75US #109
#53Natalie73US #58
#54Erica72US #34
#55Heidi69US #125
#56Kristen68US #38
#57Christine66US #44
#58Kara66US #98
#59April65US #47
#60Abby64
#61Kelli64US #142
#62Kelsey64US #168
#63Cassandra63US #62
#64Stacy62US #67
#65Lauren61US #15
#66Kristina59US #57
#67Shannon59US #41
#68Lacey56US #124
#69Abigail54US #153
#70Whitney53US #73
#71Brandi50US #69
#72Kari50US #166
#73Krystal50US #53
#74Kathleen49US #68
#75Carrie48US #96
#76Brittney47US #84
#77Alyssa45US #130
#78Bethany45US #94
#79Brandy45US #70
#80Hannah45US #117
#81Leah45US #78
#82Meghan45US #63
#83Anne43US #146
#84Nichole43US #95
#85Valerie43US #71
#86Victoria42US #59
#87Alison41US #97
#88Krista41US #134
#89Melinda41US #138
#90Miranda41US #128
#91Stacey41US #89
#92Kendra40US #154
#93Jacqueline39US #60
#94Monica39US #61
#95Susan39US #106
#96Catherine38US #65
#97Dana38US #82
#98Margaret36US #90
#99Melanie35US #88
#100Morgan35US #127

Boys

#1Matthew690US #3
#2Michael619US #1
#3Joshua586US #4
#4Ryan539US #12
#5Christopher525US #2
#6Andrew507US #11
#7Nicholas442US #19
#8Adam435US #22
#9Justin404US #15
#10Daniel403US #5
#11Brandon359US #13
#12Joseph347US #10
#13David343US #6
#14Kyle334US #27
#15Tyler317US #43
#16Jason305US #14
#17Eric291US #21
#18Nathan290US #40
#19Brian286US #18
#20Benjamin278US #31
#21Jacob268US #35
#22James262US #7
#23John257US #9
#24Zachary244US #39
#25Dustin243US #41
#26Robert236US #8
#27Cody225US #52
#28Timothy225US #26
#29Aaron215US #33
#30Steven206US #24
#31Anthony205US #20
#32Jeffrey182US #29
#33Jonathan182US #17
#34Travis181US #46
#35Scott177US #44
#36Mark174US #32
#37Jeremy168US #30
#38Thomas168US #25
#39William167US #16
#40Kevin141US #23
#41Chad140US #57
#42Jesse136US #51
#43Derek130US #56
#44Bradley129US #53
#45Brett117US #70
#46Jared111US #58
#47Jordan110US #62
#48Paul110US #42
#49Lucas105US #122
#50Alexander99US #50
#51Sean96US #38
#52Alex93US #80
#53Charles92US #34
#54Gregory92US #45
#55Shawn92US #55
#56Patrick90US #37
#57Joel87US #67
#58Bryan86US #48
#59Brent85US #89
#60Cory85US #81
#61Shane83US #68
#62Richard81US #28
#63Samuel77US #54
#64Nathaniel75US #77
#65Austin72US #107
#66Mitchell71US #115
#67Drew69US #126
#68Luke69US #106
#69Seth68US #104
#70Casey67US #86
#71Blake66US #100
#72Stephen63US #36
#73Corey62US #63
#74Trevor57US #105
#75Douglas56US #76
#76Todd56US #99
#77Cole53
#78Grant51US #166
#79Peter51US #60
#80Ian49US #78
#81Kenneth49US #47
#82Troy48US #123
#83Craig46US #79
#84Caleb45US #136
#85Erik44US #87
#86Jeremiah44US #111
#87Marcus44US #61
#88Ross44US #147
#89Curtis43US #98
#90Keith41US #64
#91Phillip41US #69
#92Jonathon36US #139
#93Derrick35US #83
#94Jeffery35US #96
#95Mathew35US #148
#96Randy35US #102
#97Wesley35US #94
#98Devin34US #121
#99Evan34US #91
#100Jamie34US #167

On the move since 1984

Rising

↑34Brittany#30
↑31Alex#52
↑25Kathleen#74
↑21Alexander#50
↑21Trevor#74
↑18Bethany#78
↑16Anna#40
↑16Chelsea#49

Falling

↓23Leah#81
↓22Dana#97
↓20Carrie#75
↓19Stacy#64
↓17Stacey#91
↓16Luke#68
↓14Cassandra#63
↓14Shannon#67

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1984 rankings.