Popular baby names in Iowa, 1951

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1951 were Mary for girls (1,361 babies) and Michael for boys (1,516). Mary ranked #2 nationally for girls. Michael ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 61,011 babies born in Iowa in 1951 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1951

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

Girls

Jolene: 60 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Marlys: 29 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Leann: 17 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Madonna: 15 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Becky: 98 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Dixie: 59 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Lavonne: 24 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Janelle: 19 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Karla: 56 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Ladonna: 23 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 16 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Merlin: 20 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Harlan: 34 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Gail: 17 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Loren: 58 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Darwin: 28 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Lyle: 64 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Eldon: 21 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Marlin: 19 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Galen: 26 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1951

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	Mary	1,361	↑1	2
2	Linda	1,355	↓1	1
3	Patricia	896	↑1	3
4	Susan	887	↓1	6
5	Barbara	751	–	5
6	Nancy	682	–	7
7	Deborah	623	↑5	4
8	Karen	543	–	8
9	Sandra	499	↓2	9
10	Kathleen	481	↑3	10
11	Diane	472	↑3	15
12	Debra	464	↑29	18
13	Pamela	461	↓2	16
14	Carol	458	↓5	11
15	Cynthia	433	↑3	20
16	Connie	414	↓6	44
17	Janet	402	–	19
18	Rebecca	371	↑2	32
19	Donna	362	↓4	12
20	Sharon	357	↓4	13
21	Jane	317	↑3	43
22	Kathy	304	↑5	35
23	Janice	294	↓4	21
24	Cheryl	289	↓1	30
25	Judith	269	↓4	25
26	Christine	253	↑14	24
27	Joyce	253	↓1	28
28	Kathryn	251	–	45
29	Judy	247	↓7	26
30	Marilyn	244	↑1	41
31	Vicki	243	↓1	58
32	Margaret	230	↓7	17
33	Peggy	230	↓1	40
34	Jean	229	↓5	49
35	Beverly	211	↓2	33
36	Marcia	211	–	74
37	Ann	200	↑1	46
38	Bonnie	196	↓1	37
39	Carolyn	183	↓4	22
40	Shirley	183	↓6	27
41	Diana	178	↓2	50
42	Julie	178	–	99
43	Elizabeth	171	–	23
44	Catherine	169	↑3	34
45	Betty	161	–	29
46	Joan	158	↑2	39
47	Rita	153	new	61
48	Teresa	144	new	63
49	Ruth	143	↓3	53
50	Constance	142	new	86

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	Michael	1,516	↑2	4
2	David	1,483	↓1	5
3	James	1,330	↓1	1
4	John	1,257	–	3
5	Robert	1,214	–	2
6	Steven	1,157	↑1	13
7	Richard	1,031	↓1	7
8	Dennis	953	–	17
9	Thomas	905	–	8
10	William	864	↑1	6
11	Gary	814	↓1	10
12	Larry	634	–	11
13	Mark	618	↑2	20
14	Ronald	600	↓1	12
15	Charles	516	↑1	9
16	Donald	506	↓2	15
17	Daniel	467	–	21
18	Douglas	450	–	27
19	Kenneth	430	↑1	16
20	Stephen	420	↓1	19
21	Roger	386	–	29
22	Terry	366	↑1	30
23	Timothy	363	↑3	28
24	Paul	320	–	18
25	Jerry	316	↓3	24
26	Gregory	315	↓1	25
27	Bruce	301	↑1	26
28	Craig	297	↓1	63
29	Joseph	272	↑1	14
30	Randy	256	↑8	56
31	Patrick	227	↓2	39
32	Edward	220	↑1	23
33	Randall	218	↓1	66
34	Alan	210	↑3	40
35	Dale	206	↓4	49
36	Jeffrey	197	↑8	35
37	Gerald	196	↓2	36
38	Keith	185	↑1	59
39	Wayne	169	↓5	37
40	Danny	168	↓4	41
41	Kevin	158	new	53
42	Dean	151	↓2	>100
43	Duane	145	↓1	>100
44	Scott	141	new	68
45	Russell	136	↑4	73
46	George	135	↓5	22
47	Raymond	122	↓2	32
48	Harold	120	↑2	46
49	Jack	116	↓3	48
50	Brian	115	new	75

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