Popular baby names in Iowa, 1926

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1926 were Betty for girls (1,054 babies) and Robert for boys (1,575). Betty ranked #3 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 39,818 babies born in Iowa in 1926 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1926

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: 83 babies, 15.4× the national rate
Darlene: 206 babies, 14× the national rate
Marlys: 23 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Madonna: 18 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Lavon: 20 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Myrna: 21 babies, 8× the national rate
Gretchen: 17 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Lorna: 26 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Verla: 17 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Deloris: 46 babies, 5× the national rate

Boys

Merlyn: 15 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Daryl: 18 babies, 8× the national rate
Merlin: 51 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Darwin: 26 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Darrell: 68 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Merle: 86 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Cletus: 22 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Laverne: 43 babies, 6× the national rate
Lyle: 111 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Harlan: 43 babies, 5.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1926

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925	US rank
1	Betty	1,054	↑1	3
2	Mary	1,051	↓1	1
3	Dorothy	762	–	2
4	Helen	535	–	4
5	Ruth	432	–	6
6	Margaret	423	–	5
7	Lois	403	↑1	19
8	Shirley	392	↑3	14
9	Doris	377	↓2	7
10	Phyllis	323	↑2	33
11	Virginia	305	↓1	8
12	Marjorie	299	↓3	22
13	Barbara	268	↑6	16
14	Norma	258	–	29
15	Patricia	250	↑2	23
16	Evelyn	246	↓3	13
17	Jean	241	↓1	12
18	Mildred	213	↓3	9
19	Frances	208	↓1	10
20	Darlene	206	↑3	>100
21	Donna	197	↑4	90
22	Alice	192	↓2	17
23	Maxine	185	↓2	85
24	Beverly	177	↑15	74
25	Arlene	168	↓3	>100
26	Marilyn	164	↑2	65
27	Wilma	155	↓3	67
28	Marie	141	↑6	18
29	Joyce	140	↑17	44
30	Joan	137	new	51
31	Elizabeth	131	↓4	11
32	Irene	131	–	21
33	Marian	130	↓3	70
34	Lorraine	126	↑6	53
35	Rose	126	new	25
36	Bonnie	125	↓3	>100
37	Lucille	124	↓11	43
38	Geraldine	121	↑10	54
39	Anna	120	↓8	15
40	June	119	↓4	40
41	Audrey	115	new	60
42	Elaine	115	↑5	68
43	Florence	108	↓8	26
44	Gladys	108	↓6	35
45	Martha	105	new	24
46	Eleanor	103	↓9	32
47	Dolores	102	↓5	49
48	Gloria	102	↑1	20
49	Bernice	101	↓20	45
50	Pauline	100	↓7	39

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925	US rank
1	Robert	1,575	–	1
2	Donald	922	↑1	9
3	John	883	↓1	2
4	William	786	–	4
5	Richard	745	–	7
6	James	672	–	3
7	Charles	442	–	5
8	Harold	395	–	14
9	Kenneth	387	–	18
10	George	352	–	6
11	Paul	310	–	13
12	Raymond	280	↑1	15
13	Jack	278	↓1	16
14	Dale	221	↑2	84
15	Edward	215	↓1	10
16	Eugene	214	↓1	23
17	Wayne	202	–	68
18	Gerald	197	↑5	41
19	Ralph	195	↑6	24
20	Thomas	195	↓1	11
21	Joseph	194	↓3	8
22	Marvin	186	↓1	50
23	Howard	175	↓3	27
24	Earl	153	↑5	32
25	Carl	147	↓1	26
26	Arthur	146	↑2	20
27	Melvin	139	↑5	47
28	Russell	138	↑2	52
29	Walter	138	↓7	17
30	Clarence	135	↓4	29
31	Francis	127	–	35
32	Lawrence	126	↑6	36
33	Frank	124	↓6	12
34	Vernon	124	↑12	66
35	Dean	122	↑5	>100
36	David	121	↓3	22
37	Lloyd	117	↓1	60
38	Norman	117	↑1	39
39	Harry	116	↑2	25
40	Leonard	116	↓3	38
41	Lyle	111	new	>100
42	Henry	109	↑1	19
43	Glenn	107	new	75
44	Leo	104	↓9	54
45	Virgil	101	new	>100
46	Bernard	99	↑1	49
47	Keith	99	↓5	>100
48	Leroy	99	new	51
49	Elmer	98	new	61
50	Fred	98	new	31

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