Popular baby names in Iowa, 1945

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1945 were Mary for girls (1,079 babies) and James for boys (995). Social Security records list 40,394 babies born in Iowa in 1945 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1945

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: 45 babies, 12.8× the national rate
Jolene: 26 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Sheri: 15 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Lavonne: 26 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Sheryl: 85 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Dixie: 55 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Connie: 321 babies, 4× the national rate
Karla: 19 babies, 4× the national rate
Patty: 54 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Lorna: 20 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 20 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Lyle: 72 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Daryl: 35 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Darwin: 21 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Merle: 32 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Merlin: 16 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Dean: 117 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Eldon: 26 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Duane: 112 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Loren: 44 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1945

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1944	US rank
1	Mary	1,079	–	1
2	Linda	937	–	2
3	Carol	576	↑5	5
4	Sharon	535	↓1	8
5	Barbara	528	↑1	3
6	Judy	528	↓1	13
7	Patricia	490	↑4	4
8	Karen	486	↓1	16
9	Sandra	457	↓5	6
10	Nancy	421	–	7
11	Judith	384	↓2	9
12	Donna	346	–	17
13	Susan	340	↑1	10
14	Janet	326	↓1	20
15	Connie	321	↑6	47
16	Janice	316	↓1	24
17	Marilyn	268	↓1	27
18	Carolyn	256	↓1	12
19	Diane	250	↑3	22
20	Betty	232	–	11
21	Joyce	228	↓3	18
22	Jane	225	↑6	36
23	Shirley	220	↓4	14
24	Kathleen	218	–	19
25	Margaret	205	↑1	15
26	Cheryl	204	↓3	32
27	Beverly	183	↑3	37
28	Pamela	181	↑7	42
29	Ruth	180	↓4	33
30	Jean	176	↓3	38
31	Joan	162	↓2	25
32	Bonnie	158	↓1	35
33	Diana	141	new	43
34	Phyllis	140	↓1	40
35	Virginia	135	↓3	28
36	Lois	133	↓2	48
37	Ann	120	↑3	39
38	Kathryn	117	↓1	65
39	Gloria	114	↓1	23
40	Marcia	114	↑6	88
41	Dorothy	113	↓5	21
42	Kathy	102	new	>100
43	Dianne	100	new	72
44	Sally	93	↓2	64
45	Elaine	92	↑3	44
46	Peggy	92	new	45
47	Kay	91	↓4	91
48	Martha	89	new	30
49	Marlene	87	new	>100
50	Helen	85	↓9	31

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1944	US rank
1	James	995	↑1	1
2	Robert	986	↓1	2
3	John	942	↑1	3
4	Richard	881	↓1	5
5	David	773	–	6
6	Gary	711	↑1	13
7	Larry	705	↓1	11
8	Dennis	615	↑1	19
9	Michael	586	↑3	9
10	Donald	530	↑1	12
11	Ronald	521	↓3	10
12	William	518	↓2	4
13	Thomas	428	–	8
14	Charles	385	–	7
15	Roger	359	↑2	22
16	Kenneth	357	↓1	16
17	Jerry	331	↓1	20
18	Paul	275	–	17
19	Terry	254	–	33
20	Gerald	206	↑2	25
21	Dale	188	↓1	61
22	Douglas	188	↑2	29
23	Stephen	182	↑9	26
24	Steven	181	↑3	43
25	Edward	155	↑1	18
26	George	150	↓3	15
27	Wayne	150	↓2	35
28	Jim	149	↓7	68
29	Daniel	147	↑1	24
30	Tom	146	↑9	89
31	Joseph	134	↓2	14
32	Jack	128	↓4	32
33	Harold	126	↓2	28
34	Raymond	120	↓1	23
35	Dean	117	↓1	>100
36	Bill	114	↓1	66
37	Duane	112	↑1	>100
38	Bruce	109	↑4	48
39	Danny	109	↑2	56
40	Mike	108	↑4	69
41	Alan	106	↑8	52
42	Marvin	105	↓5	80
43	Steve	99	new	79
44	Keith	98	↓8	>100
45	Mark	96	new	72
46	Patrick	94	new	63
47	Russell	88	new	64
48	Fred	87	↓5	51
49	Lawrence	87	new	30
50	Jon	85	new	>100

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