Popular baby names in Iowa, 1947

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1947 were Linda for girls (2,365 babies) and James for boys (1,428). Social Security records list 58,673 babies born in Iowa in 1947 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1947

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

Girls

Twyla: 16 babies, 10.7× the national rate
Marlys: 36 babies, 9.9× the national rate
Jolene: 41 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Madonna: 22 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Karla: 47 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Janelle: 15 babies, 5× the national rate
Lavonne: 24 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Jana: 17 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Dixie: 76 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Marla: 29 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 23 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Merlin: 20 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Darwin: 34 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Denny: 37 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Harlan: 28 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dick: 57 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Lyle: 68 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Merle: 27 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Duane: 141 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Dean: 133 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1947

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1946	US rank
1	Linda	2,365	↑1	1
2	Mary	1,397	↓1	2
3	Barbara	753	↑2	4
4	Patricia	719	↓1	3
5	Susan	704	↑3	8
6	Nancy	688	↑3	7
7	Carol	644	↓1	6
8	Sandra	614	↑2	5
9	Sharon	567	↓5	9
10	Judy	556	↓3	14
11	Karen	553	–	13
12	Donna	468	–	10
13	Connie	465	–	43
14	Judith	396	–	12
15	Janice	382	–	22
16	Diane	374	↑1	18
17	Kathleen	364	↑3	11
18	Cheryl	357	↑3	24
19	Janet	355	↓3	23
20	Pamela	334	↑2	28
21	Joyce	319	↓2	20
22	Marilyn	306	↓4	29
23	Jane	278	↑7	36
24	Shirley	271	↑1	19
25	Carolyn	261	↓2	15
26	Margaret	255	↑1	16
27	Jean	239	↓1	40
28	Beverly	237	–	31
29	Kathy	233	↑5	64
30	Betty	232	↓6	17
31	Bonnie	210	↓2	35
32	Diana	207	–	48
33	Cynthia	190	↑8	33
34	Marcia	186	↑2	81
35	Joan	180	↓2	30
36	Ruth	180	↓5	44
37	Ann	176	↑1	41
38	Vicki	172	↑4	>100
39	Kathryn	162	↓2	55
40	Phyllis	159	↑4	37
41	Peggy	153	↑2	42
42	Virginia	150	↓7	34
43	Sherry	149	↑4	67
44	Gloria	147	↓4	27
45	Sue	142	new	69
46	Elizabeth	133	↑2	25
47	Sally	130	new	70
48	Jo	128	new	51
49	Julie	127	new	>100
50	Sheryl	121	–	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1946	US rank
1	James	1,428	–	1
2	John	1,377	↑1	3
3	David	1,311	↑2	6
4	Robert	1,297	↓2	2
5	Richard	1,164	↓1	5
6	Dennis	1,036	–	17
7	Michael	1,024	↑2	7
8	Larry	860	–	10
9	Gary	851	↓2	12
10	Ronald	794	–	11
11	Thomas	769	↑1	8
12	William	767	↓1	4
13	Steven	586	↑6	24
14	Donald	547	↓1	13
15	Charles	465	↓1	9
16	Terry	419	↑1	26
17	Kenneth	415	↓2	15
18	Jerry	409	↓2	20
19	Roger	405	↓1	25
20	Stephen	363	↑1	21
21	Paul	358	↓1	18
22	Douglas	267	–	31
23	Daniel	262	↑1	22
24	Jim	230	↓1	77
25	Bruce	224	↑5	29
26	Craig	221	↑20	93
27	Mark	214	↑5	47
28	Mike	212	–	65
29	Dale	208	↓4	63
30	Steve	208	↑11	58
31	Tom	207	↑5	87
32	George	201	↓1	16
33	Joseph	198	↑1	14
34	Gerald	197	↓7	28
35	Edward	194	↓9	19
36	Jack	183	↓7	37
37	Gregory	177	new	33
38	Danny	172	↓1	39
39	Wayne	168	↓6	30
40	Alan	167	↑2	45
41	Keith	162	↓1	91
42	Patrick	158	↑1	53
43	Bill	157	↓4	76
44	Raymond	154	↓9	27
45	Duane	141	↓1	>100
46	Timothy	139	new	52
47	Dean	133	new	>100
48	Allen	125	new	73
49	Frank	124	new	23
50	Russell	123	↓3	69

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