Popular baby names in Iowa, 1942

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,193 babies) and Robert for boys (1,147). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 44,007 babies born in Iowa in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1942

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: 64 babies, 12.6× the national rate
Marlys: 51 babies, 12.4× the national rate
Karolyn: 16 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Madonna: 16 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Karon: 20 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Ardith: 15 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Lavonne: 33 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Karla: 18 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Dixie: 64 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Cheryl: 35 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Merlin: 25 babies, 7× the national rate
Harlan: 38 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Galen: 21 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Dewayne: 16 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Laverne: 21 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Daryl: 31 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Merle: 40 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Dick: 77 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Dean: 110 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Duane: 131 babies, 4.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,193	–	1
2	Sharon	788	–	11
3	Karen	754	–	16
4	Linda	705	↑5	4
5	Judy	584	↑1	15
6	Barbara	582	↑1	2
7	Sandra	565	↑1	6
8	Judith	550	↓4	7
9	Patricia	544	↓4	3
10	Carol	522	–	5
11	Nancy	425	–	8
12	Janet	407	↑1	19
13	Donna	391	↑1	20
14	Janice	365	↓2	25
15	Carolyn	359	–	10
16	Shirley	328	–	12
17	Joyce	324	↑1	13
18	Marilyn	308	↑1	27
19	Betty	289	↓2	9
20	Beverly	252	–	32
21	Susan	225	↑6	21
22	Margaret	221	↓1	14
23	Joan	219	↓1	18
24	Connie	217	–	70
25	Bonnie	209	–	34
26	Jean	195	–	36
27	Kathleen	192	↑5	24
28	Lois	192	↑1	44
29	Ruth	174	↓6	33
30	Dorothy	172	↓2	17
31	Diane	163	↑5	28
32	Phyllis	156	↓1	37
33	Jane	147	–	46
34	Virginia	147	↑1	23
35	Kay	137	↓5	75
36	Carole	132	new	35
37	Helen	129	↓3	26
38	Norma	114	↑2	52
39	Ann	109	↑11	38
40	Alice	104	new	39
41	Joann	103	↑1	58
42	Darlene	102	↓4	78
43	Doris	101	↑3	41
44	Marlene	100	↓5	84
45	Gloria	97	↓1	31
46	Frances	94	new	30
47	Kathryn	92	↓10	82
48	Rita	92	new	55
49	Elaine	91	↓8	45
50	Martha	91	↓7	29

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Robert	1,147	–	2
2	James	1,137	↑1	1
3	Larry	1,009	↓1	12
4	John	990	↑1	3
5	Richard	921	↓1	5
6	Gary	830	↑1	18
7	David	815	↑1	6
8	Ronald	794	↓2	9
9	William	616	–	4
10	Donald	571	–	10
11	Dennis	554	↑2	20
12	Jerry	471	↓1	16
13	Charles	444	↓1	7
14	Thomas	442	↑2	8
15	Kenneth	411	–	15
16	Roger	385	↓2	25
17	Michael	364	–	13
18	Paul	264	–	19
19	Gerald	254	–	22
20	Douglas	205	↑29	23
21	Terry	182	↑6	52
22	Jack	176	↑2	34
23	George	173	↓3	14
24	Edward	170	↓3	17
25	Dale	161	↓3	63
26	Wayne	161	↓1	41
27	Jim	155	↓1	74
28	Stephen	150	↑5	32
29	Harold	148	↓6	27
30	Raymond	148	↓1	24
31	Marvin	144	–	66
32	Bill	132	–	65
33	Duane	131	↑2	>100
34	Joseph	125	↓4	11
35	Daniel	123	↑4	28
36	Steven	120	new	75
37	Keith	112	↓9	>100
38	Carl	110	↓2	36
39	Dean	110	↑6	>100
40	Tom	110	↓2	89
41	Lawrence	107	↑6	30
42	Don	97	↓8	72
43	Norman	97	new	53
44	Ronnie	96	↑2	78
45	Bruce	95	↓1	50
46	Eugene	95	↑4	45
47	Darrell	93	↓6	>100
48	Gene	92	new	82
49	Allen	88	new	71
50	Harry	87	new	48

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