Popular baby names in Iowa, 1935

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1935 were Shirley for girls (1,098 babies) and Robert for boys (1,109). Shirley ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 37,027 babies born in Iowa in 1935 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1935

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

Girls

Marvel: 19 babies, 12.3× the national rate
Marlys: 59 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Cheryl: 15 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Verla: 18 babies, 7× the national rate
Lavonne: 58 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Darlene: 203 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Sherry: 31 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Bonita: 18 babies, 4× the national rate
Sharon: 161 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Colleen: 44 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Merlyn: 28 babies, 14.6× the national rate
Daryl: 27 babies, 11.1× the national rate
Marlyn: 16 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Merlin: 38 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Lavern: 25 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Darwin: 39 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Laverne: 29 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Harlan: 37 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Craig: 16 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Duane: 163 babies, 4.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1935

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1934	US rank
1	Shirley	1,098	↑1	2
2	Mary	1,024	↓1	1
3	Patricia	520	↑4	5
4	Marilyn	516	↓1	14
5	Betty	506	–	4
6	Barbara	484	–	3
7	Donna	470	↓3	23
8	Beverly	360	–	20
9	Joan	304	↑1	7
10	Dorothy	288	↓1	6
11	Joyce	285	–	12
12	Carol	263	↑3	11
13	Phyllis	258	–	27
14	Margaret	257	↑2	8
15	Nancy	256	↑7	9
16	Janet	250	↓2	22
17	Ruth	247	↑2	15
18	Lois	239	↓6	21
19	Norma	218	↓2	29
20	Janice	217	↑4	47
21	Darlene	203	↓3	91
22	Doris	201	↓1	13
23	Helen	193	↓3	10
24	Marlene	178	↑6	39
25	Joann	176	↑1	53
26	Carolyn	166	↑6	28
27	Bonnie	164	–	62
28	Virginia	163	↑1	16
29	Sharon	161	new	96
30	Marjorie	160	↓7	46
31	Delores	157	↓3	57
32	Jean	149	↓7	18
33	Alice	130	–	25
34	Joanne	125	–	44
35	Sandra	122	new	50
36	Dolores	119	↓1	26
37	Sally	115	–	58
38	Evelyn	112	↓7	31
39	Frances	111	↓3	19
40	Elizabeth	108	↓2	17
41	Ann	99	new	30
42	Jane	96	↑2	43
43	Arlene	88	↓1	59
44	Martha	85	↓3	24
45	Rita	84	new	63
46	Roberta	84	new	77
47	Charlotte	83	↓7	65
48	Rose	82	↓3	37
49	Elaine	80	↓1	51
50	Rosemary	79	new	97

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1934	US rank
1	Robert	1,109	–	1
2	Richard	1,021	–	5
3	James	899	↑1	2
4	Donald	802	↓1	7
5	John	784	–	3
6	William	554	–	4
7	Charles	463	–	6
8	Ronald	446	–	12
9	Larry	390	↑6	33
10	David	329	↑2	11
11	Jerry	327	↓1	22
12	Kenneth	327	↓3	15
13	Paul	315	↑3	14
14	Thomas	256	↓1	9
15	Jack	255	↓4	18
16	Roger	250	↑2	36
17	Gerald	238	–	21
18	Gary	236	↑8	44
19	Harold	223	↓5	20
20	Dale	222	↑2	61
21	George	188	↓2	8
22	Marvin	176	↑2	45
23	Wayne	173	↓3	49
24	Edward	167	↑5	13
25	Duane	163	↓2	>100
26	Eugene	162	↑1	26
27	Raymond	146	↓6	17
28	Don	141	↓3	51
29	Jim	126	↑4	90
30	Dean	125	–	>100
31	Norman	122	↓3	38
32	Bob	113	↑5	81
33	Dennis	110	↑13	72
34	Joseph	110	↓2	10
35	Lawrence	106	↑14	35
36	Frank	102	↓1	16
37	Bill	101	↓6	60
38	Carl	100	↓2	28
39	Keith	100	↓1	>100
40	Leroy	99	↑5	50
41	Walter	97	↓2	23
42	Gene	95	↓1	66
43	Darrell	91	↑5	>100
44	Fred	89	new	34
45	Harry	86	new	37
46	Lloyd	86	new	84
47	Melvin	86	↓13	57
48	Russell	85	new	68
49	Bernard	84	new	67
50	Francis	83	new	53

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