Popular baby names in Iowa, 1917

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1917 were Mary for girls (1,077 babies) and Robert for boys (961). Robert ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 39,128 babies born in Iowa in 1917 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1917

Names given at least 15 times in Iowa that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Lavonne: 36 babies, 15× the national rate
Darlene: 37 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Lavon: 16 babies, 10.6× the national rate
Myrna: 16 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Gayle: 17 babies, 7× the national rate
Ferne: 24 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Arlene: 126 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Velda: 15 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Maxine: 263 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Ilene: 15 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Boys

Verne: 22 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Gale: 17 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Lavern: 21 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Harlan: 35 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Duane: 27 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Milo: 25 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Laverne: 35 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Lyle: 101 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Dale: 144 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Darrell: 28 babies, 5.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1917

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	Mary	1,077	–	1
2	Dorothy	854	–	3
3	Helen	801	–	2
4	Ruth	585	–	5
5	Margaret	569	–	4
6	Mildred	447	–	6
7	Evelyn	380	–	11
8	Virginia	311	↑3	10
9	Marjorie	306	↑1	36
10	Frances	296	↓2	9
11	Doris	265	↑10	25
12	Marie	264	–	12
13	Maxine	263	↑7	93
14	Lucille	248	↓1	29
15	Irene	246	↑4	17
16	Alice	245	↓7	13
17	Florence	232	↓3	14
18	Lois	226	↓2	43
19	Esther	217	↓4	38
20	Gladys	209	↓3	23
21	Elizabeth	208	↓3	8
22	Edna	191	↑1	20
23	Bernice	182	↑2	42
24	Wilma	175	↓2	82
25	Anna	173	↑3	7
26	Grace	171	↑1	30
27	Betty	166	↑22	34
28	Hazel	166	↓4	31
29	Thelma	161	↑6	32
30	Eleanor	156	↑8	26
31	Lillian	151	↓1	15
32	Pauline	147	↓6	33
33	Martha	144	–	22
34	Ruby	142	↓3	27
35	Louise	139	↓3	19
36	Viola	134	↑7	59
37	Marian	133	↑5	74
38	Leona	131	↑3	80
39	Vera	130	↑1	66
40	Edith	129	↓1	28
41	Arlene	126	new	>100
42	Ethel	125	↓5	24
43	Gertrude	123	↓14	37
44	Kathryn	117	↓10	60
45	Jean	116	new	40
46	June	116	↑2	73
47	Velma	115	↓2	99
48	Agnes	110	new	48
49	Josephine	108	new	21
50	Catherine	104	↓3	18

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916	US rank
1	Robert	961	–	4
2	John	872	–	1
3	William	600	–	2
4	Donald	527	–	20
5	James	504	↑3	3
6	Charles	444	↑1	7
7	Harold	443	↓2	12
8	George	394	↓2	6
9	Richard	340	↑1	14
10	Raymond	318	↑3	16
11	Paul	301	↓2	13
12	Kenneth	284	↓1	27
13	Edward	249	↓1	8
14	Ralph	222	↑1	21
15	Howard	214	↑7	26
16	Joseph	208	↓2	5
17	Harry	201	↑8	19
18	Carl	197	↓1	24
19	Frank	197	↑1	9
20	Clarence	196	↓1	25
21	Arthur	193	↓5	17
22	Walter	187	↓4	11
23	Jack	186	↑3	22
24	Earl	175	↓3	32
25	Lloyd	168	↑10	53
26	Thomas	167	↑10	10
27	Lawrence	163	↓3	36
28	Leonard	163	–	41
29	Elmer	157	↑2	45
30	Francis	153	↓3	30
31	Henry	151	↓8	15
32	Gerald	149	↓3	69
33	Melvin	146	↑7	57
34	Dale	144	↓1	>100
35	Leo	140	↑2	47
36	Marvin	140	↑3	68
37	Roy	140	↓5	33
38	Wayne	138	↓8	96
39	Glenn	135	↑6	86
40	Albert	132	↓6	18
41	Lester	128	↑1	61
42	Russell	126	↓4	52
43	Eugene	125	↑7	39
44	Herbert	112	↑4	40
45	Fred	110	↑1	29
46	Clifford	108	↑1	59
47	Floyd	104	↓3	62
48	Vernon	102	↓7	71
49	Lyle	101	new	>100
50	Bernard	98	new	49

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