Popular baby names in Iowa, 1930

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1930 were Mary for girls (1,140 babies) and Robert for boys (1,384). Social Security records list 38,168 babies born in Iowa in 1930 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1930

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: 28 babies, 12.3× the national rate
Lavonne: 75 babies, 12× the national rate
Marlys: 37 babies, 10.5× the national rate
Darlene: 251 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Lavon: 20 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Ardith: 21 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Marvel: 15 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Velda: 15 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Gretchen: 16 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Ardis: 17 babies, 5.3× the national rate

Boys

Daryl: 27 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Dwayne: 22 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Merlyn: 21 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Merlin: 47 babies, 8× the national rate
Dean: 157 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Lavern: 30 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Lyle: 106 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Darwin: 31 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Duane: 166 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Harlan: 44 babies, 5.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1930

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929	US rank
1	Mary	1,140	–	1
2	Betty	879	–	2
3	Dorothy	564	–	3
4	Shirley	519	–	11
5	Patricia	420	↑6	7
6	Marilyn	371	↑10	22
7	Donna	360	↑3	37
8	Helen	359	↓2	4
9	Barbara	350	↑4	6
10	Beverly	348	↑5	34
11	Lois	345	↓4	17
12	Phyllis	339	↓3	28
13	Ruth	328	↓8	10
14	Norma	319	–	25
15	Doris	309	↓3	9
16	Joan	300	↑3	8
17	Margaret	282	↓9	5
18	Darlene	251	–	>100
19	Virginia	226	↑1	12
20	Marjorie	224	↓3	32
21	Jean	218	↑6	14
22	Delores	204	↑3	66
23	Joyce	197	↓1	18
24	Evelyn	187	↓3	19
25	Dolores	175	↓1	13
26	Alice	173	↓3	20
27	Bonnie	162	↑1	78
28	Frances	137	↑1	16
29	Carol	125	↑5	54
30	Mildred	119	↓4	21
31	Anna	112	↑1	23
32	Wilma	110	↓1	68
33	Arlene	109	↑7	>100
34	Rose	108	↑2	29
35	Elaine	105	↑13	69
36	June	104	new	47
37	Joann	103	new	>100
38	Geraldine	102	↓8	43
39	Nancy	101	new	24
40	Elizabeth	96	↓5	15
41	Gloria	95	↓3	30
42	Irene	95	↓1	33
43	Wanda	95	↑4	56
44	Marian	92	↓11	80
45	Joanne	91	new	81
46	Martha	89	–	27
47	Maxine	88	↓2	93
48	Rita	88	new	42
49	Charlotte	86	↓12	75
50	Lorraine	83	↓1	46

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929	US rank
1	Robert	1,384	–	1
2	Donald	1,026	–	7
3	Richard	915	–	5
4	John	834	–	3
5	James	821	–	2
6	William	641	–	4
7	Charles	526	–	6
8	Kenneth	385	–	17
9	Harold	355	–	18
10	Jack	321	↑2	14
11	George	281	–	8
12	Paul	263	↓2	12
13	Dale	239	↑3	64
14	Eugene	226	↑4	21
15	Gerald	216	↓1	30
16	Raymond	213	↓3	16
17	Marvin	204	↓2	48
18	David	197	↑3	15
19	Thomas	197	↑1	11
20	Ronald	191	↑2	37
21	Edward	190	↓4	10
22	Wayne	187	↓3	65
23	Duane	166	↑7	>100
24	Dean	157	↑3	>100
25	Joseph	157	–	9
26	Roger	155	↑2	58
27	Ralph	154	↓3	25
28	Howard	133	↓5	31
29	Norman	130	↑8	40
30	Earl	125	↓4	38
31	Walter	123	↑14	19
32	Jerry	118	new	51
33	Melvin	117	↑14	50
34	Keith	116	↑5	>100
35	Lloyd	115	↑5	69
36	Vernon	113	new	72
37	Carl	111	↓8	26
38	Russell	110	↑8	60
39	Leo	109	↑4	63
40	Harry	107	↓9	28
41	Leonard	107	↑1	45
42	Lyle	106	↑7	>100
43	Arthur	103	↓5	23
44	Clarence	101	↓9	39
45	Lawrence	101	↑3	36
46	Billy	96	new	20
47	Frank	94	↓11	13
48	Francis	92	↓7	42
49	Don	91	↓16	68
50	Leroy	89	↓6	53

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