Popular baby names in Iowa, 1934

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1934 were Mary for girls (1,092 babies) and Robert for boys (1,083). Social Security records list 37,043 babies born in Iowa in 1934 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1934

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: 24 babies, 10× the national rate
Marlys: 59 babies, 9.9× the national rate
Lavonne: 67 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Ardith: 15 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Darlene: 234 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Colleen: 56 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Donna: 526 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lorna: 20 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Gretchen: 17 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Marilyn: 532 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Boys

Merlyn: 21 babies, 10× the national rate
Marlyn: 15 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Daryl: 24 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Lavern: 33 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Harlan: 43 babies, 6× the national rate
Laverne: 35 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Merle: 61 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Merlin: 28 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lyle: 92 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Darwin: 29 babies, 5.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1934

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1933	US rank
1	Mary	1,092	–	1
2	Shirley	661	↑5	4
3	Marilyn	532	↑1	17
4	Donna	526	↓1	23
5	Betty	523	↓3	2
6	Barbara	501	–	3
7	Patricia	501	↓2	6
8	Beverly	405	–	22
9	Dorothy	361	–	5
10	Joan	352	–	7
11	Joyce	273	↑5	12
12	Lois	270	–	20
13	Phyllis	266	↓2	28
14	Janet	264	↑5	21
15	Carol	262	↑5	14
16	Margaret	261	↓2	8
17	Norma	258	↓4	24
18	Darlene	234	–	90
19	Ruth	232	↓4	13
20	Helen	231	↓3	9
21	Doris	225	–	11
22	Nancy	212	↑4	10
23	Marjorie	194	↑2	41
24	Janice	193	↑8	68
25	Jean	180	↓1	16
26	Joann	179	↓4	50
27	Bonnie	178	↑1	58
28	Delores	176	↓5	51
29	Virginia	175	↓2	15
30	Marlene	165	↓1	57
31	Evelyn	154	–	29
32	Carolyn	151	↑4	33
33	Alice	147	↓3	25
34	Joanne	142	↓1	45
35	Dolores	113	↓1	26
36	Frances	112	↑1	19
37	Sally	108	↑11	62
38	Elizabeth	107	–	18
39	Gloria	95	↑1	30
40	Charlotte	93	↑6	72
41	Martha	90	↑3	27
42	Arlene	89	↓7	53
43	Geraldine	89	new	43
44	Jane	87	↓3	48
45	Rose	87	–	37
46	Anna	81	↓7	31
47	Eleanor	80	new	44
48	Elaine	79	↓1	54
49	June	79	new	46
50	Kathleen	78	new	74

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1933	US rank
1	Robert	1,083	–	1
2	Richard	1,010	–	5
3	Donald	892	–	6
4	James	851	–	2
5	John	784	–	3
6	William	525	–	4
7	Charles	427	–	7
8	Ronald	410	↑1	11
9	Kenneth	368	↓1	15
10	Jerry	314	↑3	25
11	Jack	305	↓1	17
12	David	293	↑4	12
13	Thomas	260	↑5	9
14	Harold	256	↓2	18
15	Larry	252	↑9	43
16	Paul	250	↓5	14
17	Gerald	237	↓3	22
18	Roger	236	↓1	39
19	George	222	↓4	8
20	Wayne	205	↑5	48
21	Raymond	197	↓1	19
22	Dale	193	↓1	62
23	Duane	177	↓1	>100
24	Marvin	176	↓5	44
25	Don	160	↑1	50
26	Gary	154	↑5	60
27	Eugene	152	–	24
28	Norman	146	↑1	38
29	Edward	145	↓6	13
30	Dean	133	↑4	>100
31	Bill	124	↓1	59
32	Joseph	122	↓4	10
33	Jim	116	new	90
34	Melvin	110	↑5	55
35	Frank	109	↑8	16
36	Carl	107	↓4	28
37	Bob	106	↑1	75
38	Keith	105	↓5	>100
39	Walter	104	↑6	21
40	Earl	100	new	41
41	Gene	99	↓5	67
42	Howard	94	↓5	37
43	Ralph	94	↓3	31
44	Leo	93	new	86
45	Leroy	93	↓3	54
46	Dennis	92	new	95
47	Lyle	92	new	>100
48	Darrell	91	↓1	>100
49	Lawrence	91	↓5	34
50	Arthur	86	↓2	29

← Iowa 1933 Iowa: all years · US 1934 Iowa 1935 →