Popular baby names in Iowa, 1950

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1950 were Linda for girls (1,476 babies) and David for boys (1,412). David ranked #5 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 57,782 babies born in Iowa in 1950 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1950

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

Girls

Joleen: 19 babies, 14.3× the national rate
Marlys: 26 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Jolene: 42 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Madonna: 17 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Lavonne: 24 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Dixie: 50 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Becky: 79 babies, 4× the national rate
Sheryl: 128 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Dee: 19 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Connie: 454 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Boys

Merlin: 31 babies, 10.5× the national rate
Darwin: 42 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Merle: 40 babies, 6× the national rate
Galen: 25 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Duane: 139 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Loren: 44 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Lyle: 54 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Harlan: 18 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Dean: 148 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Ron: 22 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Linda	1,476	–	1
2	Mary	1,313	–	2
3	Susan	829	–	5
4	Patricia	744	–	3
5	Barbara	710	–	4
6	Nancy	645	–	6
7	Sandra	554	–	8
8	Karen	515	–	12
9	Carol	511	–	9
10	Connie	454	↑3	44
11	Pamela	448	↑3	17
12	Deborah	443	↑4	7
13	Kathleen	443	↓3	10
14	Diane	437	↑1	16
15	Donna	384	↓3	13
16	Sharon	384	↓5	11
17	Janet	356	–	18
18	Cynthia	349	↑1	23
19	Janice	339	↑2	22
20	Rebecca	299	↑7	36
21	Judith	295	↓1	21
22	Judy	286	↓4	25
23	Cheryl	281	↓1	29
24	Jane	271	↑2	39
25	Margaret	270	–	15
26	Joyce	266	↓2	27
27	Kathy	262	↓4	38
28	Kathryn	252	↑5	46
29	Jean	238	↑3	48
30	Vicki	232	–	61
31	Marilyn	226	↓3	37
32	Peggy	223	↑2	41
33	Beverly	218	↓2	31
34	Shirley	204	↓5	19
35	Carolyn	202	–	20
36	Marcia	202	–	77
37	Bonnie	185	↑1	33
38	Ann	182	↑3	45
39	Diana	181	↓2	47
40	Christine	173	↑2	28
41	Debra	163	new	59
42	Julie	162	↑5	>100
43	Elizabeth	159	↑2	24
44	Marsha	158	new	68
45	Betty	157	↓5	26
46	Ruth	154	↓7	49
47	Catherine	143	↑2	34
48	Joan	143	↓5	40
49	Sherry	130	new	62
50	Sheryl	128	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	David	1,412	↑1	5
2	James	1,324	↓1	1
3	Michael	1,317	↑1	4
4	John	1,236	↑1	3
5	Robert	1,216	↓2	2
6	Richard	953	–	7
7	Steven	909	↑1	16
8	Dennis	893	↓1	17
9	Thomas	827	–	8
10	Gary	798	↑1	10
11	William	762	↓1	6
12	Larry	714	–	11
13	Ronald	646	–	12
14	Donald	523	–	14
15	Mark	506	↑6	23
16	Charles	472	↓1	9
17	Daniel	443	↑6	21
18	Douglas	437	↑1	28
19	Stephen	428	↓3	19
20	Kenneth	411	–	15
21	Roger	393	↓3	27
22	Jerry	351	↑2	24
23	Terry	339	↓6	30
24	Paul	337	↓2	18
25	Gregory	317	↑3	25
26	Timothy	278	↑3	32
27	Craig	271	↓1	69
28	Bruce	268	↓3	26
29	Patrick	238	↑3	38
30	Joseph	234	↓3	13
31	Dale	222	–	49
32	Randall	194	↑9	70
33	Edward	188	↑1	22
34	Wayne	176	↑3	35
35	Gerald	175	↓5	34
36	Danny	173	↑4	39
37	Alan	169	↓4	41
38	Randy	167	↑1	80
39	Keith	160	↓1	78
40	Dean	148	↑2	>100
41	George	148	↓5	20
42	Duane	139	↑1	>100
43	Rodney	138	new	88
44	Jeffrey	136	new	43
45	Raymond	132	↑4	31
46	Jack	131	↓2	48
47	Lawrence	128	new	33
48	Allen	118	↑2	71
49	Russell	116	new	67
50	Harold	110	new	45

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