Popular baby names in Iowa, 1920

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1920 were Mary for girls (1,213 babies) and Robert for boys (1,389). Robert ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 43,165 babies born in Iowa in 1920 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1920

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

Girls

Darlene: 72 babies, 14.1× the national rate
Lavonne: 32 babies, 12.8× the national rate
Lavon: 23 babies, 11× the national rate
Madonna: 17 babies, 10.1× the national rate
Gretchen: 18 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Marvel: 20 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Ferne: 25 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Myrna: 15 babies, 6× the national rate
Ardis: 16 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Lorna: 22 babies, 5.1× the national rate

Boys

Merlyn: 17 babies, 13.1× the national rate
Harlan: 42 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Lyle: 119 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Darrell: 44 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Cletus: 21 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Verne: 16 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Laverne: 45 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Milo: 26 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Merle: 91 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Eldon: 56 babies, 5.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1920

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1919	US rank
1	Mary	1,213	–	1
2	Dorothy	985	–	2
3	Helen	788	–	3
4	Margaret	671	–	4
5	Ruth	665	–	5
6	Betty	461	↑3	11
7	Mildred	409	↓1	6
8	Virginia	401	↑3	7
9	Evelyn	367	↓2	12
10	Marjorie	344	↓2	24
11	Doris	335	↑2	14
12	Maxine	327	–	81
13	Frances	312	↓3	9
14	Lois	272	–	38
15	Alice	265	↑2	15
16	Marie	240	–	13
17	Florence	222	↑1	16
18	Irene	222	↓3	17
19	Lucille	221	–	29
20	Jean	220	↑2	33
21	Elizabeth	207	↓1	8
22	Esther	189	↑5	39
23	Gladys	185	↓2	22
24	Wilma	181	↑2	78
25	Thelma	171	↑9	31
26	Anna	170	↓2	10
27	Bernice	170	↓2	40
28	Hazel	170	–	34
29	Marian	170	↑18	73
30	Edna	164	↓7	27
31	Pauline	149	↓2	36
32	Phyllis	149	↓1	72
33	Viola	147	↓1	59
34	Arlene	144	↑10	>100
35	Leona	139	↑7	89
36	Lillian	137	↑1	18
37	Grace	134	↓4	37
38	June	134	↑7	53
39	Eleanor	133	↑1	25
40	Kathryn	133	↓2	67
41	Edith	132	↓11	32
42	Martha	131	↑7	23
43	Ethel	129	↓8	30
44	Norma	129	new	69
45	Ruby	128	↓2	26
46	Vivian	127	↑4	64
47	Shirley	123	new	56
48	Charlotte	118	new	79
49	Catherine	116	new	21
50	Geraldine	116	↓2	60

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1919	US rank
1	Robert	1,389	–	3
2	John	929	–	1
3	William	749	–	2
4	Donald	690	–	16
5	Charles	561	–	5
6	James	543	↑1	4
7	Harold	526	↓1	12
8	Richard	429	↑1	10
9	George	407	↓1	6
10	Kenneth	401	↑2	23
11	Raymond	364	–	15
12	Paul	324	↓2	14
13	Edward	264	–	8
14	Joseph	246	–	7
15	Ralph	246	↑6	22
16	Jack	240	↑9	20
17	Howard	220	–	24
18	Arthur	216	↓3	18
19	Clarence	213	–	26
20	Frank	204	–	9
21	Harry	200	↓5	21
22	Earl	199	↑2	31
23	Walter	197	↓1	13
24	Warren	189	new	39
25	Wayne	182	↑1	86
26	Eugene	180	↑15	30
27	Dale	178	↑4	>100
28	Francis	176	↓5	34
29	Carl	175	↓11	27
30	Lloyd	164	↓3	58
31	Lawrence	160	↑6	36
32	Thomas	158	↑1	11
33	Gerald	157	↓3	64
34	Vernon	156	–	65
35	Russell	149	↑10	51
36	Leonard	139	↓4	38
37	Melvin	138	↑6	54
38	Albert	137	↓10	19
39	Henry	135	↑1	17
40	Glenn	134	↑6	80
41	Floyd	131	↑1	61
42	Leo	130	↓13	48
43	Elmer	126	↓7	45
44	Fred	124	new	33
45	Lester	121	↓1	69
46	Lyle	119	new	>100
47	Marvin	119	↓12	62
48	Bernard	117	↑2	46
49	Clifford	117	↓10	59
50	Roy	116	↓12	32

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