State roster

Top names in Iowa

The names most likely to appear on 1986 Iowa birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 34,084 Iowa births in 1986 across 756 distinct names.

Distinctively Iowa

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

#71Abbyoutside the national top 200
#90Coleoutside the national top 200
#57Jill#159 nationally
#73Kari#170 nationally
#82Grant#179 nationally
#99Jay#180 nationally
#79Cassie#156 nationally
#52Lucas#126 nationally
#42Kelsey#112 nationally
#71Drew#138 nationally
#75Kelli#142 nationally
#48Molly#110 nationally

Girls

#1Ashley655US #2
#2Jessica563US #1
#3Amanda546US #3
#4Sarah410US #5
#5Jennifer399US #4
#6Megan359US #11
#7Emily281US #24
#8Nicole260US #7
#9Amber258US #13
#10Stephanie257US #6
#11Amy247US #22
#12Elizabeth246US #10
#13Heather233US #9
#14Katie212US #38
#15Rachel206US #15
#16Melissa205US #12
#17Sara191US #27
#18Laura190US #20
#19Danielle183US #16
#20Samantha183US #21
#21Erin155US #30
#22Allison152US #42
#23Brittany151US #8
#24Lindsey146US #39
#25Whitney145US #32
#26Kimberly133US #18
#27Michelle133US #23
#28Rebecca128US #26
#29Andrea127US #36
#30Courtney126US #35
#31Jamie125US #34
#32Katherine125US #28
#33Angela123US #33
#34Kelly119US #29
#35Tiffany116US #17
#36Christina113US #19
#37Lindsay108US #46
#38Jenna103US #55
#39Lisa100US #40
#40Kayla97US #64
#41Alicia91US #45
#42Kelsey90US #112
#43Kathryn84US #48
#44Anna81US #51
#45Crystal81US #25
#46Chelsea79US #73
#47Holly76US #63
#48Molly74US #110
#49Mary72US #37
#50Tara72US #56
#51April71US #53
#52Kristin71US #50
#53Lauren69US #14
#54Cassandra66US #60
#55Erica66US #31
#56Brooke65US #104
#57Jill64US #159
#58Stacy64US #87
#59Kristen63US #41
#60Natalie63US #52
#61Kara62US #102
#62Hannah61US #82
#63Lacey61US #121
#64Kristina60US #62
#65Alyssa59US #85
#66Nichole59US #105
#67Brittney57US #65
#68Mallory56US #83
#69Bethany53US #91
#70Heidi52US #131
#71Abby51
#72Julie51US #58
#73Kari51US #170
#74Alison50US #96
#75Kelli50US #142
#76Rachael50US #103
#77Christine49US #47
#78Morgan45US #113
#79Cassie44US #156
#80Shannon44US #44
#81Carrie43US #109
#82Leah43US #78
#83Meghan43US #71
#84Miranda42US #137
#85Abigail40US #143
#86Krista39US #93
#87Kathleen38US #68
#88Vanessa38US #43
#89Casey35US #80
#90Jordan35US #135
#91Kendra35US #101
#92Maria34US #49
#93Melinda34US #147
#94Natasha34US #70
#95Anne33US #151
#96Catherine33US #67
#97Susan33US #118
#98Alexandra31US #72
#99Alisha31US #125
#100Brandi31US #79

Boys

#1Matthew612US #3
#2Michael535US #1
#3Joshua513US #4
#4Andrew492US #8
#5Ryan454US #11
#6Christopher424US #2
#7Nicholas424US #17
#8Adam390US #24
#9Kyle385US #23
#10Daniel343US #6
#11Tyler340US #40
#12Brandon329US #13
#13Jacob323US #31
#14Justin321US #14
#15David296US #5
#16Joseph292US #12
#17Benjamin281US #30
#18Eric263US #22
#19James243US #7
#20Brian240US #20
#21Cody239US #56
#22Zachary237US #38
#23Jason235US #18
#24Nathan231US #43
#25Dustin226US #42
#26John223US #10
#27Anthony213US #19
#28Robert208US #9
#29Jonathan205US #16
#30Timothy193US #27
#31Jeremy190US #28
#32Aaron187US #33
#33Travis180US #49
#34William173US #15
#35Scott163US #44
#36Jeffrey157US #32
#37Kevin156US #21
#38Thomas149US #26
#39Bradley146US #54
#40Mark139US #35
#41Jesse136US #48
#42Steven136US #25
#43Jordan130US #53
#44Alex129US #64
#45Brett121US #69
#46Sean118US #37
#47Derek115US #57
#48Patrick107US #39
#49Chad102US #59
#50Jared102US #58
#51Alexander100US #41
#52Lucas100US #126
#53Shane98US #67
#54Austin94US #90
#55Cory94US #68
#56Paul92US #45
#57Samuel89US #52
#58Bryan87US #47
#59Seth86US #97
#60Stephen83US #36
#61Gregory81US #46
#62Mitchell81US #105
#63Richard79US #29
#64Shawn78US #55
#65Joel74US #72
#66Charles73US #34
#67Brent72US #94
#68Luke66US #106
#69Corey65US #62
#70Blake62US #101
#71Drew60US #138
#72Peter60US #60
#73Curtis56US #100
#74Casey53US #83
#75Trevor53US #98
#76Kenneth51US #50
#77Craig50US #80
#78Nathaniel49US #78
#79Marcus48US #63
#80Donald46US #71
#81Todd45US #110
#82Grant43US #179
#83Keith42US #66
#84Evan41US #81
#85Ian41US #85
#86Caleb39US #131
#87Douglas39US #82
#88Phillip39US #70
#89Devin37US #113
#90Cole36
#91Wesley36US #96
#92Mathew35US #141
#93Tony34US #120
#94Jeremiah33US #118
#95Troy33US #123
#96Chase32US #142
#97Dylan32US #149
#98Lance32US #134
#99Jay31US #180
#100Jonathon31US #129

On the move since 1985

Rising

↑45Whitney#25
↑22Morgan#78
↑20Kelsey#42
↑18Courtney#30
↑18Hannah#62
↑18Nichole#66
↑16Curtis#73
↑15Evan#84

Falling

↓29Brandi#100
↓21Julie#72
↓20Christine#77
↓16Abigail#85
↓15Jill#57
↓15Heidi#70
↓14Kelli#75
↓14Nathaniel#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1985 rankings.