Popular baby names in Iowa, 1937

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1937 were Mary for girls (1,099 babies) and Robert for boys (1,164). Social Security records list 37,592 babies born in Iowa in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1937

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

Girls

Sheryl: 24 babies, 18.2× the national rate
Cheryl: 22 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Ardis: 20 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Marlys: 49 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Lavonne: 59 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Dixie: 101 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Colleen: 59 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Karen: 144 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Ila: 20 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Darlene: 192 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Boys

Merlyn: 21 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Daryl: 33 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Merlin: 32 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Lavern: 24 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Harlan: 38 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Laverne: 33 babies, 6× the national rate
Dwayne: 22 babies, 6× the national rate
Darwin: 32 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Eldon: 48 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lyle: 83 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	1,099	–	1
2	Shirley	615	–	4
3	Patricia	533	–	3
4	Barbara	527	↑1	2
5	Janice	430	↑7	25
6	Donna	420	↑1	21
7	Betty	412	↓1	5
8	Marilyn	406	↓4	13
9	Beverly	405	↓1	14
10	Carol	372	↓1	6
11	Janet	334	↑2	18
12	Sandra	308	↑11	26
13	Nancy	306	↓2	7
14	Joyce	296	↓4	11
15	Dorothy	269	↑1	8
16	Sharon	255	↑4	41
17	Margaret	243	↓2	10
18	Joan	237	↓4	9
19	Phyllis	230	–	27
20	Marlene	217	↑2	40
21	Lois	199	↓3	29
22	Carolyn	194	↑5	20
23	Darlene	192	↓2	72
24	Ruth	178	↓7	15
25	Norma	176	↑1	33
26	Virginia	170	↑3	16
27	Joann	163	↑1	58
28	Judith	161	↑11	34
29	Helen	160	↓5	12
30	Jean	159	↓5	23
31	Doris	152	↓1	22
32	Kay	145	–	79
33	Karen	144	↑7	>100
34	Bonnie	136	↓1	64
35	Marjorie	132	↓4	57
36	Alice	124	–	28
37	Delores	122	↓3	68
38	Judy	116	new	91
39	Joanne	110	↓4	51
40	Elaine	109	↓2	45
41	Sally	107	↑3	59
42	Dixie	101	new	>100
43	Elizabeth	97	↑2	17
44	Frances	96	↓7	19
45	Jane	95	↓2	42
46	Kathryn	94	new	>100
47	Rose	93	new	38
48	Gloria	90	new	32
49	Martha	89	↓2	24
50	Evelyn	84	↓8	36

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Robert	1,164	–	1
2	Richard	926	–	5
3	James	902	–	2
4	John	782	–	3
5	Donald	747	–	7
6	Larry	730	↑1	16
7	Ronald	569	↑1	11
8	William	513	↓2	4
9	David	484	–	8
10	Gary	445	↑2	29
11	Charles	435	–	6
12	Jerry	392	↓2	17
13	Kenneth	310	–	14
14	Paul	286	↑4	15
15	Roger	281	↓1	36
16	Thomas	260	↑1	9
17	Gerald	258	↓1	20
18	Jack	247	↓3	23
19	Harold	207	–	21
20	George	202	–	10
21	Dale	192	–	59
22	Wayne	173	↑2	44
23	Edward	172	–	13
24	Raymond	170	↑1	19
25	Marvin	166	↓3	49
26	Dennis	151	↑1	63
27	Duane	144	↓1	>100
28	Eugene	140	↑5	33
29	Joseph	129	↑1	12
30	Don	123	↓2	51
31	Frank	106	↑8	18
32	Jim	106	↓3	82
33	Norman	106	↓1	43
34	Dean	104	↓3	>100
35	Keith	103	↓1	>100
36	Michael	103	new	27
37	Carl	101	↑4	28
38	Gene	100	↑4	61
39	Russell	96	↑6	67
40	Leroy	92	↓4	56
41	Dick	90	new	>100
42	Bill	89	↓4	64
43	Terry	89	new	>100
44	Darrell	87	↑4	>100
45	Fred	87	↓2	35
46	Lawrence	87	↓2	38
47	Ralph	87	↓10	34
48	Melvin	85	↓8	50
49	Francis	84	new	55
50	Bob	83	↓15	81

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