Popular baby names in Iowa, 1948

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1948 were Linda for girls (2,145 babies) and James for boys (1,298). Social Security records list 55,561 babies born in Iowa in 1948 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1948

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: 37 babies, 12.2× the national rate
Lavonne: 27 babies, 6× the national rate
Janelle: 23 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Jolene: 22 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Dixie: 62 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Karla: 32 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Jana: 18 babies, 4× the national rate
Coleen: 16 babies, 4× the national rate
Sheri: 22 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Kristin: 18 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Harlan: 36 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Darwin: 31 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Lyle: 86 babies, 6× the national rate
Duane: 144 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Dean: 138 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Eldon: 25 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Dick: 37 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Merle: 26 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Dwayne: 21 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Loren: 40 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1948

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947	US rank
1	Linda	2,145	–	1
2	Mary	1,354	–	2
3	Susan	757	↑2	5
4	Barbara	706	↓1	3
5	Patricia	647	↓1	4
6	Nancy	593	–	7
7	Carol	552	–	8
8	Sandra	543	–	6
9	Sharon	537	–	9
10	Karen	492	↑1	12
11	Judy	407	↓1	16
12	Kathleen	402	↑5	10
13	Pamela	390	↑7	22
14	Donna	386	↓2	11
15	Connie	384	↓2	43
16	Janet	368	↑3	24
17	Diane	338	↓1	19
18	Cheryl	310	–	25
19	Janice	310	↓4	23
20	Joyce	281	↑1	21
21	Judith	277	↓7	15
22	Jane	254	↑1	39
23	Kathy	253	↑6	55
24	Margaret	251	↑2	13
25	Marilyn	250	↓3	33
26	Jean	241	↑1	47
27	Cynthia	240	↑6	27
28	Carolyn	239	↓3	14
29	Shirley	212	↓5	20
30	Betty	205	–	18
31	Diana	204	↑1	48
32	Marcia	204	↑2	79
33	Vicki	198	↑5	81
34	Beverly	193	↓6	31
35	Ann	186	↑2	44
36	Deborah	186	new	30
37	Peggy	179	↑4	38
38	Bonnie	177	↓7	34
39	Joan	168	↓4	37
40	Ruth	162	↓4	45
41	Kathryn	161	↓2	54
42	Rebecca	146	new	50
43	Elizabeth	144	↑3	26
44	Virginia	134	↓2	36
45	Christine	132	new	35
46	Sherry	132	↓3	61
47	Gloria	123	↓3	28
48	Sally	122	↓1	72
49	Rita	121	new	59
50	Lois	118	new	70

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947	US rank
1	James	1,298	–	1
2	Robert	1,281	↑2	2
3	John	1,212	↓1	3
4	David	1,187	↓1	5
5	Michael	1,009	↑2	6
6	Dennis	929	–	17
7	Richard	928	↓2	7
8	Larry	864	–	11
9	Steven	808	↑4	23
10	Gary	775	↓1	12
11	William	768	↑1	4
12	Thomas	737	↓1	8
13	Ronald	735	↓3	10
14	Donald	532	–	14
15	Charles	463	–	9
16	Kenneth	430	↑1	15
17	Terry	409	↓1	26
18	Roger	398	↑1	24
19	Stephen	397	↑1	20
20	Jerry	365	↓2	21
21	Paul	329	–	18
22	Douglas	288	–	33
23	Mark	282	↑4	29
24	Daniel	274	↓1	22
25	Craig	220	↑1	82
26	Joseph	217	↑7	13
27	Bruce	206	↓2	28
28	Timothy	199	↑18	38
29	Jim	198	↓5	86
30	Steve	198	–	60
31	Alan	197	↑9	46
32	Dale	192	↓3	56
33	Danny	190	↑5	39
34	Mike	190	↓6	68
35	Gregory	187	↑2	32
36	Gerald	185	↓2	30
37	Edward	175	↓2	19
38	Jack	171	↓2	43
39	Tom	167	↓8	94
40	Patrick	164	↑2	48
41	Wayne	163	↓2	34
42	George	157	↓10	16
43	Keith	155	↓2	89
44	Duane	144	↑1	>100
45	Dean	138	↑2	>100
46	Raymond	133	↓2	27
47	Bill	131	↓4	84
48	Harold	120	new	36
49	Randy	118	new	99
50	Philip	111	new	54

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