Popular baby names in Iowa, 1929

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1929 were Mary for girls (1,025 babies) and Robert for boys (1,409). Social Security records list 37,421 babies born in Iowa in 1929 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1929

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

Girls

Madonna: 30 babies, 12× the national rate
Darlene: 247 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Marlys: 30 babies, 10.6× the national rate
Lavonne: 52 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Marvel: 23 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Ardith: 15 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Ardis: 17 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Verla: 17 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Leota: 17 babies, 5× the national rate
Lorna: 21 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Boys

Marlyn: 15 babies, 12.6× the national rate
Daryl: 26 babies, 12.1× the national rate
Merlyn: 18 babies, 11× the national rate
Dwayne: 19 babies, 10.4× the national rate
Laverne: 51 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Merlin: 45 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Harlan: 42 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Cletus: 19 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Dean: 137 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Merle: 78 babies, 6.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1929

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928	US rank
1	Mary	1,025	–	1
2	Betty	940	–	2
3	Dorothy	617	–	3
4	Shirley	492	–	9
5	Ruth	405	↑1	8
6	Helen	369	↓1	4
7	Lois	356	↑1	17
8	Margaret	350	↑2	5
9	Phyllis	346	↑2	24
10	Donna	343	↑2	47
11	Patricia	328	↓2	10
12	Doris	311	↓5	6
13	Barbara	307	–	7
14	Norma	300	–	25
15	Beverly	299	↑1	39
16	Marilyn	296	↑3	33
17	Marjorie	254	↓2	30
18	Darlene	247	–	>100
19	Joan	246	↑11	13
20	Virginia	219	↓3	11
21	Evelyn	215	–	19
22	Joyce	209	–	23
23	Alice	188	–	21
24	Dolores	185	↑2	14
25	Delores	176	↑9	74
26	Mildred	175	↓1	18
27	Jean	171	↓7	12
28	Bonnie	150	–	86
29	Frances	126	↓5	16
30	Geraldine	118	↑1	43
31	Wilma	116	↑5	66
32	Anna	115	↑1	20
33	Marian	114	↑2	75
34	Carol	111	↑10	63
35	Elizabeth	106	↓3	15
36	Rose	106	↑2	26
37	Charlotte	103	new	73
38	Gloria	101	new	28
39	Marie	101	new	22
40	Arlene	99	↓13	>100
41	Irene	99	new	29
42	Lucille	98	new	57
43	Ramona	98	new	>100
44	Gladys	97	↓5	44
45	Maxine	97	↓16	85
46	Martha	90	↓4	27
47	Wanda	90	↓10	61
48	Elaine	88	↓7	67
49	Lorraine	87	new	42
50	Audrey	84	↓1	58

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928	US rank
1	Robert	1,409	–	1
2	Donald	1,018	–	7
3	Richard	872	↑1	6
4	John	776	↓1	3
5	James	740	–	2
6	William	681	–	4
7	Charles	478	–	5
8	Kenneth	392	–	18
9	Harold	340	–	16
10	Paul	290	–	13
11	George	289	–	8
12	Jack	289	–	14
13	Raymond	248	↑1	15
14	Gerald	230	↑5	33
15	Marvin	212	–	46
16	Dale	196	↓3	73
17	Edward	193	–	10
18	Eugene	192	–	20
19	Wayne	185	↓3	69
20	Thomas	175	–	11
21	David	170	–	17
22	Ronald	160	↑3	45
23	Howard	146	↑6	31
24	Ralph	142	–	26
25	Joseph	140	↓2	9
26	Earl	138	↑1	36
27	Dean	137	↓5	>100
28	Roger	137	↑4	64
29	Carl	128	↓1	28
30	Duane	128	–	>100
31	Harry	127	↑7	27
32	Herbert	123	↑9	25
33	Don	119	new	78
34	Bernard	118	↑13	52
35	Clarence	115	↑13	37
36	Frank	113	↑6	12
37	Norman	113	↓1	40
38	Arthur	112	↓4	22
39	Keith	112	↑5	>100
40	Lloyd	112	↑6	62
41	Francis	105	↓15	39
42	Leonard	105	↓5	42
43	Leo	104	new	60
44	Leroy	103	new	51
45	Walter	103	↓14	19
46	Russell	99	↓3	56
47	Melvin	98	↓14	49
48	Lawrence	97	↓8	38
49	Lyle	97	new	>100
50	Bill	89	new	63

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