Popular baby names in Iowa, 1941

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1941 were Mary for girls (1,091 babies) and Robert for boys (1,097). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 41,906 babies born in Iowa in 1941 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1941

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: 37 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Marlys: 47 babies, 9.9× the national rate
Jolene: 30 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Lavonne: 48 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Karon: 17 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Madonna: 18 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Ardith: 15 babies, 6× the national rate
Colleen: 42 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Karen: 722 babies, 4× the national rate
Cheryl: 30 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 36 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Harlan: 41 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Daryl: 33 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Lyle: 93 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Merle: 44 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Eldon: 37 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Craig: 45 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Keith: 136 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Dwayne: 17 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Darwin: 23 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1941

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940	US rank
1	Mary	1,091	–	1
2	Sharon	761	↑1	15
3	Karen	722	↓1	19
4	Judith	597	–	6
5	Patricia	588	–	3
6	Judy	578	↑3	16
7	Barbara	552	↑1	2
8	Sandra	540	↓2	9
9	Linda	520	↑3	5
10	Carol	445	↓3	4
11	Nancy	419	–	8
12	Janice	417	↓2	22
13	Janet	407	↑3	18
14	Donna	369	↓1	20
15	Carolyn	352	↑4	11
16	Shirley	322	↓1	10
17	Betty	320	↑1	7
18	Joyce	310	↓1	13
19	Marilyn	290	↓5	30
20	Beverly	266	–	29
21	Margaret	242	–	12
22	Joan	223	–	17
23	Ruth	192	↑3	28
24	Connie	191	↑14	79
25	Bonnie	189	↑4	33
26	Jean	181	↓2	32
27	Susan	180	↑3	27
28	Dorothy	171	↓5	14
29	Lois	156	↓2	43
30	Kay	155	↓2	70
31	Phyllis	153	↓6	35
32	Kathleen	142	↑4	36
33	Jane	141	↑1	46
34	Helen	132	↓2	24
35	Virginia	130	↓4	23
36	Diane	124	↑11	40
37	Kathryn	121	new	87
38	Darlene	120	↑1	76
39	Marlene	120	↓6	83
40	Norma	118	↑1	47
41	Elaine	114	↑2	44
42	Joann	109	↓7	58
43	Martha	108	new	25
44	Gloria	106	↑6	26
45	Elizabeth	100	↓1	21
46	Doris	98	↓6	38
47	Marjorie	96	↓2	71
48	Sally	95	–	61
49	Delores	94	new	80
50	Ann	90	↓4	37

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940	US rank
1	Robert	1,097	–	2
2	Larry	1,034	↑1	11
3	James	1,017	↓1	1
4	Richard	898	–	5
5	John	880	–	3
6	Ronald	803	↑2	9
7	Gary	778	↓1	19
8	David	724	↓1	7
9	William	596	↑1	4
10	Donald	581	↓1	10
11	Jerry	551	–	14
12	Charles	453	–	6
13	Dennis	430	–	23
14	Roger	403	↑2	25
15	Kenneth	368	↓1	15
16	Thomas	358	↓1	8
17	Michael	333	–	16
18	Paul	246	↑1	18
19	Gerald	235	↓1	20
20	George	185	–	13
21	Edward	170	↑5	17
22	Dale	165	–	59
23	Harold	164	↓2	24
24	Jack	159	–	32
25	Wayne	157	↓2	37
26	Jim	152	↑3	80
27	Terry	147	↑1	64
28	Keith	136	↑8	>100
29	Raymond	135	↓4	22
30	Joseph	134	↓3	12
31	Marvin	128	↓1	63
32	Bill	120	↓1	68
33	Stephen	113	new	41
34	Don	108	↑4	66
35	Duane	107	↓3	>100
36	Carl	105	↑14	29
37	Frank	103	↑7	21
38	Tom	103	↑5	88
39	Daniel	96	new	31
40	Leroy	96	↓3	67
41	Darrell	95	↓1	>100
42	Lyle	93	new	>100
43	Russell	93	↑4	75
44	Bruce	89	new	51
45	Dean	88	↓11	>100
46	Ronnie	88	–	79
47	Lawrence	86	↓14	34
48	Ralph	86	↓6	38
49	Douglas	83	↓8	53
50	Eugene	83	↓15	42

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