Popular baby names in Iowa, 1936

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1936 were Mary for girls (1,073 babies) and Robert for boys (1,185). Social Security records list 38,005 babies born in Iowa in 1936 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1936

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: 70 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Marlys: 55 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Madonna: 20 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Lavon: 18 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Ladonna: 16 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Darlene: 235 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Colleen: 66 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Sharon: 246 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Bonita: 15 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Dixie: 70 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Boys

Arlo: 16 babies, 13.3× the national rate
Daryl: 27 babies, 7× the national rate
Merlin: 34 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Harlan: 47 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Darwin: 33 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Galen: 15 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Merrill: 24 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Loren: 54 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Dwayne: 21 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Laverne: 27 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1936

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	Mary	1,073	↑1	1
2	Shirley	890	↓1	2
3	Patricia	569	–	5
4	Marilyn	523	–	13
5	Barbara	519	↑1	3
6	Betty	427	↓1	4
7	Donna	400	–	22
8	Beverly	366	–	17
9	Carol	341	↑3	10
10	Joyce	326	↑1	12
11	Nancy	324	↑4	8
12	Janice	310	↑8	31
13	Janet	294	↑3	21
14	Joan	285	↓5	7
15	Margaret	265	↓1	9
16	Dorothy	255	↓6	6
17	Ruth	253	–	16
18	Lois	249	–	26
19	Phyllis	248	↓6	25
20	Sharon	246	↑9	60
21	Darlene	235	–	83
22	Marlene	221	↑2	39
23	Sandra	210	↑12	38
24	Helen	198	↓1	11
25	Jean	196	↑7	20
26	Norma	190	↓7	29
27	Carolyn	180	↓1	23
28	Joann	179	↓3	55
29	Virginia	177	↓1	14
30	Doris	168	↓8	15
31	Marjorie	157	↓1	49
32	Kay	142	new	98
33	Bonnie	139	↓6	65
34	Delores	136	↓3	58
35	Joanne	135	↓1	48
36	Alice	129	↓3	27
37	Frances	110	↑2	19
38	Elaine	107	↑11	50
39	Judith	106	new	43
40	Karen	101	new	>100
41	Charlotte	99	↑6	61
42	Evelyn	99	↓4	34
43	Jane	99	↓1	42
44	Sally	97	↓7	59
45	Elizabeth	91	↓5	18
46	Jeanette	89	new	94
47	Martha	89	↓3	24
48	Arlene	87	↓5	54
49	Dolores	84	↓13	30
50	Ann	83	↓9	28

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935	US rank
1	Robert	1,185	–	1
2	Richard	952	–	5
3	James	890	–	2
4	John	810	↑1	3
5	Donald	786	↓1	7
6	William	566	–	4
7	Larry	518	↑2	25
8	Ronald	510	–	12
9	David	388	↑1	10
10	Jerry	375	↑1	18
11	Charles	365	↓4	6
12	Gary	348	↑6	38
13	Kenneth	337	↓1	14
14	Roger	269	↑2	35
15	Jack	265	–	20
16	Gerald	248	↑1	19
17	Thomas	248	↓3	8
18	Paul	231	↓5	15
19	Harold	223	–	21
20	George	212	↑1	9
21	Dale	205	↓1	59
22	Marvin	185	–	49
23	Edward	173	↑1	13
24	Wayne	173	↓1	45
25	Raymond	157	↑2	17
26	Duane	151	↓1	>100
27	Dennis	132	↑6	74
28	Don	130	–	51
29	Jim	129	–	85
30	Joseph	127	↑4	11
31	Dean	125	↓1	>100
32	Norman	124	↓1	43
33	Eugene	118	↓7	29
34	Keith	109	↑5	>100
35	Bob	107	↓3	77
36	Leroy	106	↑4	57
37	Ralph	106	new	31
38	Bill	105	↓1	61
39	Frank	104	↓3	16
40	Melvin	104	↑7	53
41	Carl	103	↓3	27
42	Gene	103	–	66
43	Fred	99	↑1	36
44	Lawrence	97	↓9	37
45	Russell	97	↑3	69
46	Howard	96	new	40
47	Stanley	92	new	58
48	Darrell	88	↓5	>100
49	Lyle	85	new	>100
50	Daniel	84	new	41

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