Popular baby names in Iowa, 1949

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1949 were Linda for girls (1,854 babies) and James for boys (1,335). Social Security records list 56,912 babies born in Iowa in 1949 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1949

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: 29 babies, 10.2× the national rate
Jolene: 38 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Lavonne: 27 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Madonna: 15 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Karla: 40 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Dixie: 63 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Ronda: 18 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Becky: 71 babies, 4× the national rate
Dee: 19 babies, 4× the national rate
Marla: 28 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 41 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Merlin: 19 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Lavern: 15 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Harlan: 31 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Lyle: 75 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Marlin: 23 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Loren: 50 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Dick: 26 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Duane: 140 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Eldon: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1949

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948	US rank
1	Linda	1,854	–	1
2	Mary	1,290	–	2
3	Susan	831	–	5
4	Patricia	714	↑1	3
5	Barbara	707	↓1	4
6	Nancy	646	–	7
7	Sandra	562	↑1	6
8	Karen	509	↑2	11
9	Carol	481	↓2	8
10	Kathleen	469	↑2	9
11	Sharon	445	↓2	10
12	Donna	411	↑2	12
13	Connie	410	↑2	43
14	Pamela	404	↓1	21
15	Diane	383	↑2	19
16	Deborah	362	↑20	15
17	Janet	359	↓1	23
18	Judy	344	↓7	20
19	Cynthia	305	↑8	27
20	Judith	293	↑1	16
21	Janice	285	↓2	24
22	Cheryl	283	↓4	28
23	Kathy	278	–	42
24	Joyce	277	↓4	26
25	Margaret	276	↓1	14
26	Jane	271	↓4	41
27	Rebecca	269	↑15	40
28	Marilyn	260	↓3	33
29	Shirley	243	–	18
30	Vicki	239	↑3	70
31	Beverly	223	↑3	31
32	Jean	223	↓6	45
33	Kathryn	219	↑8	52
34	Peggy	212	↑3	38
35	Carolyn	209	↓7	17
36	Marcia	200	↓4	78
37	Diana	190	↓6	48
38	Bonnie	186	–	35
39	Ruth	185	↑1	47
40	Betty	173	↓10	22
41	Ann	166	↓6	44
42	Christine	164	↑3	30
43	Joan	147	↓4	36
44	Gloria	146	↑3	29
45	Elizabeth	142	↓2	25
46	Virginia	134	↓2	39
47	Julie	129	new	>100
48	Rita	128	↑1	54
49	Catherine	121	new	37
50	Constance	118	new	83

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948	US rank
1	James	1,335	–	1
2	David	1,286	↑2	6
3	Robert	1,256	↓1	2
4	Michael	1,224	↑1	5
5	John	1,220	↓2	3
6	Richard	991	↑1	7
7	Dennis	936	↓1	16
8	Steven	845	↑1	20
9	Thomas	820	↑3	8
10	William	765	↑1	4
11	Gary	713	↓1	12
12	Larry	677	↓4	10
13	Ronald	675	–	11
14	Donald	547	–	13
15	Charles	482	–	9
16	Stephen	467	↑3	19
17	Terry	413	–	28
18	Roger	406	–	25
19	Douglas	395	↑3	29
20	Kenneth	384	↓4	15
21	Mark	369	↑2	24
22	Paul	363	↓1	17
23	Daniel	361	↑1	22
24	Jerry	316	↓4	23
25	Bruce	295	↑2	26
26	Craig	262	↓1	77
27	Joseph	243	↓1	14
28	Gregory	225	↑7	31
29	Timothy	220	↓1	34
30	Gerald	212	↑6	33
31	Dale	210	↑1	54
32	Patrick	204	↑8	39
33	Alan	191	↓2	45
34	Edward	181	↑3	21
35	Steve	171	↓5	68
36	George	170	↑6	18
37	Wayne	170	↑4	35
38	Keith	160	↑5	85
39	Randy	158	↑10	92
40	Danny	155	↓7	40
41	Randall	153	new	79
42	Dean	142	↑3	>100
43	Duane	140	↑1	>100
44	Jack	140	↓6	47
45	Tom	134	↓6	>100
46	Marvin	132	new	89
47	Mike	130	↓13	88
48	Jim	128	↓19	>100
49	Raymond	128	↓3	30
50	Allen	124	new	71

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