Popular baby names in Iowa, 1953

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1953 were Mary for girls (1,219 babies) and David for boys (1,442). David ranked #5 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 58,143 babies born in Iowa in 1953 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1953

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: 30 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Jolene: 52 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Joleen: 15 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Deann: 16 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Kristie: 20 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Kristi: 28 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Lavonne: 23 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Dixie: 67 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Kristy: 20 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Leann: 17 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Boys

Merlin: 24 babies, 10× the national rate
Darwin: 32 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Harlan: 24 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Lyle: 71 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Marlin: 21 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Eldon: 19 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Merle: 22 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Galen: 18 babies, 4× the national rate
Loren: 40 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Monte: 31 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1953

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Mary	1,219	–	1
2	Linda	962	–	2
3	Debra	868	↑3	7
4	Susan	862	↓1	5
5	Patricia	699	↓1	4
6	Nancy	697	↑1	8
7	Barbara	685	↓2	6
8	Deborah	600	–	3
9	Pamela	530	↑3	10
10	Cynthia	516	↑5	12
11	Karen	484	↓2	9
12	Diane	467	↑2	17
13	Sandra	458	↓2	11
14	Kathleen	417	↓4	14
15	Carol	390	↓2	16
16	Janet	357	↑1	19
17	Rebecca	342	↓1	24
18	Connie	339	–	47
19	Jane	300	↑3	43
20	Sharon	299	↑1	15
21	Donna	287	↓2	13
22	Kathy	272	↓2	23
23	Julie	269	↑11	74
24	Peggy	240	↑7	44
25	Janice	237	↑3	22
26	Margaret	234	↑7	20
27	Judy	231	↑2	27
28	Jean	223	↑2	52
29	Kathryn	223	↓5	48
30	Marilyn	222	↓5	36
31	Cheryl	218	↓5	28
32	Joyce	202	↓5	26
33	Christine	196	↓10	32
34	Teresa	194	↑10	42
35	Ann	193	↓3	46
36	Denise	192	↑6	31
37	Joan	189	↑2	37
38	Judith	181	↓1	30
39	Marcia	179	↓4	84
40	Elizabeth	175	–	21
41	Catherine	174	↑2	35
42	Vicki	174	↓6	61
43	Beverly	167	↓5	34
44	Diana	157	↓3	55
45	Bonnie	156	↑1	45
46	Paula	145	↓1	40
47	Carolyn	141	↑1	25
48	Ruth	141	↓1	62
49	Cindy	139	new	99
50	Shirley	139	new	29

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	David	1,442	↑1	5
2	Michael	1,434	↓1	3
3	James	1,173	–	2
4	Robert	1,143	↑2	1
5	Steven	1,140	–	11
6	John	1,067	↓2	4
7	Richard	934	–	7
8	Thomas	875	↑1	8
9	Mark	829	↑3	12
10	Dennis	809	↓2	19
11	William	728	↓1	6
12	Gary	685	↓1	10
13	Ronald	524	↑1	15
14	Daniel	484	↑2	20
15	Douglas	471	↑3	27
16	Donald	460	↓3	14
17	Charles	418	–	9
18	Randy	415	↑8	35
19	Paul	414	↑1	16
20	Larry	404	↓5	18
21	Roger	387	↑2	31
22	Kenneth	365	–	17
23	Timothy	355	↓2	26
24	Jeffrey	336	↑7	25
25	Stephen	329	↓6	21
26	Gregory	314	↓1	24
27	Craig	312	↑1	60
28	Terry	312	↓4	30
29	Bruce	280	↓2	28
30	Joseph	271	–	13
31	Jerry	268	↓2	29
32	Kevin	260	↑5	36
33	Randall	235	↓1	64
34	Dale	223	↑1	48
35	Patrick	211	↓2	39
36	Rodney	204	↑11	58
37	Edward	176	↑3	23
38	Scott	176	↓2	46
39	Alan	171	↓5	43
40	Ricky	168	↑10	51
41	Keith	156	↓2	47
42	Wayne	153	–	40
43	Rick	140	new	>100
44	Gerald	135	↓3	42
45	Danny	132	↓7	41
46	Dean	129	↓3	>100
47	Duane	126	↑1	>100
48	George	126	↓3	22
49	Russell	126	↓3	71
50	Raymond	122	↓1	34

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