Popular baby names in Iowa, 1946

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1946 were Mary for girls (1,297 babies) and James for boys (1,351). Social Security records list 51,379 babies born in Iowa in 1946 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1946

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: 44 babies, 11.6× the national rate
Jolene: 38 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Janelle: 15 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Lavonne: 33 babies, 7× the national rate
Madonna: 15 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Karla: 31 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Sheryl: 113 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Dixie: 64 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Connie: 400 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Colleen: 62 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 38 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Merlin: 25 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Clair: 15 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Harlan: 32 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Laverne: 16 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Daryl: 54 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lyle: 75 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Gail: 18 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Eldon: 27 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Merle: 31 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1946

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945	US rank
1	Mary	1,297	–	1
2	Linda	1,124	–	2
3	Patricia	670	↑4	3
4	Sharon	668	–	9
5	Barbara	658	–	4
6	Carol	642	↓3	5
7	Judy	599	↓1	11
8	Susan	589	↑5	8
9	Nancy	555	↑1	7
10	Sandra	545	↓1	6
11	Karen	514	↓3	15
12	Donna	432	–	13
13	Connie	400	↑2	45
14	Judith	393	↓3	10
15	Janice	383	↑1	22
16	Janet	330	↓2	21
17	Diane	322	↑2	19
18	Marilyn	307	↓1	29
19	Joyce	278	↑2	20
20	Kathleen	273	↑4	16
21	Cheryl	272	↑5	27
22	Pamela	269	↑6	34
23	Carolyn	267	↓5	12
24	Betty	257	↓4	14
25	Shirley	250	↓2	18
26	Jean	238	↑4	37
27	Margaret	220	↓2	17
28	Beverly	214	↓1	30
29	Bonnie	195	↑3	33
30	Jane	194	↓8	35
31	Ruth	190	↓2	38
32	Diana	186	↑1	42
33	Joan	178	↓2	28
34	Kathy	165	↑8	79
35	Virginia	159	–	31
36	Marcia	156	↑4	89
37	Kathryn	143	↑1	63
38	Ann	137	↓1	40
39	Lois	133	↓3	55
40	Gloria	128	↓1	26
41	Cynthia	126	new	46
42	Vicki	126	new	>100
43	Peggy	125	↑3	43
44	Phyllis	125	↓10	41
45	Dorothy	124	↓4	23
46	Elaine	124	↓1	47
47	Sherry	122	new	73
48	Elizabeth	119	new	25
49	Rita	115	new	56
50	Sheryl	113	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945	US rank
1	James	1,351	–	1
2	Robert	1,240	–	2
3	John	1,222	–	3
4	Richard	1,160	–	5
5	David	1,064	–	6
6	Dennis	965	↑2	17
7	Gary	858	↓1	12
8	Larry	847	↓1	11
9	Michael	843	–	7
10	Ronald	722	↑1	10
11	William	658	↑1	4
12	Thomas	633	↑1	8
13	Donald	518	↓3	13
14	Charles	424	–	9
15	Kenneth	419	↑1	15
16	Jerry	394	↑1	20
17	Terry	388	↑2	26
18	Roger	368	↓3	23
19	Steven	342	↑5	28
20	Paul	336	↓2	18
21	Stephen	304	↑2	24
22	Douglas	242	–	34
23	Jim	223	↑5	73
24	Daniel	202	↑5	21
25	Dale	198	↓4	62
26	Edward	193	↓1	19
27	Gerald	193	↓7	27
28	Mike	177	↑12	64
29	Jack	173	↑3	35
30	Bruce	172	↑8	32
31	George	172	↓5	16
32	Mark	170	↑13	58
33	Wayne	167	↓6	29
34	Joseph	157	↓3	14
35	Raymond	156	↓1	25
36	Tom	156	↓6	87
37	Danny	155	↑2	46
38	Harold	148	↓5	33
39	Bill	147	↓3	72
40	Keith	145	↑4	96
41	Steve	140	↑2	69
42	Alan	132	↓1	49
43	Patrick	126	↑3	59
44	Duane	124	↓7	>100
45	Marvin	124	↓3	88
46	Craig	112	new	>100
47	Russell	112	–	66
48	Bob	109	new	>100
49	Eugene	109	new	57
50	Don	108	new	79

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