Popular baby names in Iowa, 1952

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1952 were Mary for girls (1,217 babies) and Michael for boys (1,446). Mary ranked #2 nationally for girls. Michael ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 59,323 babies born in Iowa in 1952 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1952

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: 32 babies, 13× the national rate
Joleen: 16 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Jolene: 49 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Leann: 18 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Dixie: 54 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Janelle: 22 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Becky: 95 babies, 4× the national rate
Deanna: 50 babies, 4× the national rate
Lavonne: 15 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Marla: 47 babies, 3.7× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 39 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Harlan: 35 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Galen: 26 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Merle: 27 babies, 5× the national rate
Marlin: 24 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Eldon: 23 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Lyle: 63 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Denny: 17 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Jerald: 36 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Duane: 134 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1952

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1951	US rank
1	Mary	1,217	–	2
2	Linda	1,104	–	1
3	Susan	801	↑1	5
4	Patricia	758	↓1	3
5	Barbara	718	–	6
6	Debra	694	↑6	9
7	Nancy	667	↓1	7
8	Deborah	648	↓1	4
9	Karen	476	↓1	8
10	Kathleen	472	–	11
11	Sandra	471	↓2	10
12	Pamela	470	↑1	17
13	Carol	447	↑1	12
14	Diane	439	↓3	16
15	Cynthia	417	–	18
16	Rebecca	409	↑2	30
17	Janet	371	–	19
18	Connie	355	↓2	44
19	Donna	335	–	13
20	Kathy	304	↑2	29
21	Sharon	304	↓1	14
22	Jane	299	↓1	42
23	Christine	288	↑3	20
24	Kathryn	262	↑4	48
25	Marilyn	251	↑5	38
26	Cheryl	250	↓2	31
27	Joyce	250	–	27
28	Janice	244	↓5	23
29	Judy	243	–	26
30	Jean	240	↑4	50
31	Peggy	224	↑2	43
32	Ann	223	↑5	45
33	Margaret	218	↓1	21
34	Julie	201	↑8	85
35	Marcia	201	↑1	80
36	Vicki	199	↓5	61
37	Judith	192	↓12	25
38	Beverly	188	↓3	35
39	Joan	185	↑7	37
40	Elizabeth	176	↑3	22
41	Diana	174	–	51
42	Denise	172	new	33
43	Catherine	161	↑1	34
44	Teresa	161	↑4	52
45	Paula	160	new	47
46	Bonnie	155	↓8	41
47	Ruth	148	↑2	57
48	Carolyn	146	↓9	24
49	Rita	143	↓2	66
50	Marsha	137	new	75

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1951	US rank
1	Michael	1,446	–	4
2	David	1,431	–	5
3	James	1,256	–	1
4	John	1,191	–	3
5	Steven	1,185	↑1	11
6	Robert	1,172	↓1	2
7	Richard	963	–	7
8	Dennis	905	–	18
9	Thomas	890	–	8
10	William	776	–	6
11	Gary	774	–	10
12	Mark	734	↑1	17
13	Donald	548	↑3	13
14	Ronald	511	–	15
15	Larry	510	↓3	14
16	Daniel	486	↑1	20
17	Charles	451	↓2	9
18	Douglas	440	–	28
19	Stephen	386	↑1	21
20	Paul	380	↑4	19
21	Timothy	376	↑2	27
22	Kenneth	361	↓3	16
23	Roger	331	↓2	30
24	Terry	322	↓2	29
25	Gregory	315	↑1	24
26	Randy	312	↑4	41
27	Bruce	297	–	25
28	Craig	286	–	59
29	Jerry	285	↓4	26
30	Joseph	262	↓1	12
31	Jeffrey	261	↑5	31
32	Randall	245	↑1	63
33	Patrick	243	↓2	37
34	Alan	199	–	42
35	Dale	197	–	46
36	Scott	178	↑8	54
37	Kevin	177	↑4	43
38	Danny	172	↑2	40
39	Keith	168	↓1	49
40	Edward	164	↓8	23
41	Gerald	164	↓4	39
42	Wayne	164	↓3	38
43	Dean	158	↓1	>100
44	Brian	155	↑6	64
45	George	154	↑1	22
46	Russell	137	↓1	70
47	Rodney	136	new	84
48	Duane	134	↓5	>100
49	Raymond	134	↓2	33
50	Ricky	133	new	81

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