Popular baby names in Iowa, 1944

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1944 were Mary for girls (1,173 babies) and Robert for boys (1,105). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 41,765 babies born in Iowa in 1944 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1944

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

Girls

Marlys: 35 babies, 10.2× the national rate
Sheryl: 112 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Jolene: 24 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Karol: 17 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Lavonne: 21 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Darla: 23 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Dixie: 67 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Karla: 15 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Lynette: 15 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Colleen: 38 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 26 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Harlan: 31 babies, 7× the national rate
Merlin: 22 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Lyle: 70 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Dick: 66 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Dean: 125 babies, 5× the national rate
Galen: 17 babies, 5× the national rate
Loren: 47 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Duane: 115 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Eldon: 28 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1944

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	Mary	1,173	–	1
2	Linda	876	–	3
3	Sharon	622	–	8
4	Sandra	598	↑3	6
5	Judy	587	↑1	12
6	Barbara	575	↑2	2
7	Karen	567	↓3	16
8	Carol	555	↓3	5
9	Judith	536	–	9
10	Nancy	475	↑1	7
11	Patricia	471	↓1	4
12	Donna	369	–	17
13	Janet	358	–	21
14	Susan	314	↑5	13
15	Janice	302	–	28
16	Marilyn	294	↑1	27
17	Carolyn	271	↓3	11
18	Joyce	258	–	18
19	Shirley	248	↑1	15
20	Betty	245	↓4	10
21	Connie	234	–	51
22	Diane	231	↑1	24
23	Cheryl	228	↑26	36
24	Kathleen	210	↑4	20
25	Ruth	206	–	32
26	Margaret	203	–	14
27	Jean	198	↑2	37
28	Jane	189	↑3	41
29	Joan	182	↓5	22
30	Beverly	180	↓8	35
31	Bonnie	157	↓4	34
32	Virginia	155	↑2	26
33	Phyllis	138	↓3	40
34	Lois	133	↓1	47
35	Pamela	126	↑4	44
36	Dorothy	122	↓4	19
37	Kathryn	120	↑9	68
38	Gloria	114	↑9	25
39	Sheryl	112	new	>100
40	Ann	110	↓3	39
41	Helen	105	↑2	31
42	Sally	103	↑3	59
43	Kay	96	↓7	88
44	Elizabeth	95	↓9	23
45	Carole	92	↓5	43
46	Marcia	92	new	89
47	Sherry	91	new	100
48	Elaine	89	↓10	46
49	Joann	89	↓1	65
50	Rita	87	↓8	54

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	Robert	1,105	–	2
2	James	1,100	–	1
3	Richard	900	↑1	5
4	John	875	↓1	3
5	David	831	↑1	6
6	Larry	789	↓1	12
7	Gary	734	–	15
8	Ronald	618	–	10
9	Dennis	595	–	20
10	William	557	–	4
11	Donald	528	–	11
12	Michael	516	–	9
13	Thomas	440	↑1	8
14	Charles	413	↑3	7
15	Kenneth	411	–	16
16	Jerry	392	↓3	19
17	Roger	379	↓1	23
18	Paul	269	–	17
19	Terry	213	↑1	43
20	Dale	196	↑4	61
21	Jim	193	↑8	68
22	Gerald	191	↓3	24
23	George	175	↓2	14
24	Douglas	174	↓1	34
25	Wayne	172	↓3	37
26	Edward	162	–	18
27	Steven	155	↑8	52
28	Jack	142	↑4	30
29	Joseph	141	↓2	13
30	Daniel	135	↑4	25
31	Harold	132	–	27
32	Stephen	131	↑4	28
33	Raymond	129	↓5	22
34	Dean	125	↑8	>100
35	Bill	118	↓2	66
36	Keith	117	↓11	>100
37	Marvin	116	↓7	75
38	Duane	115	↑7	>100
39	Tom	114	↑2	87
40	Don	103	↓3	72
41	Danny	99	new	76
42	Bruce	97	↑5	51
43	Fred	94	↑3	47
44	Mike	92	↓6	80
45	Eugene	91	new	48
46	Gene	91	new	95
47	Stanley	89	↑1	57
48	Bob	88	new	>100
49	Alan	86	new	55
50	Darrell	85	new	>100

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