Popular baby names in Iowa, 1954

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1954 were Mary for girls (1,275 babies) and David for boys (1,528). David ranked #5 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 58,565 babies born in Iowa in 1954 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1954

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: 31 babies, 17.5× the national rate
Jolene: 58 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Madonna: 24 babies, 8× the national rate
Marlys: 16 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Kristi: 37 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Luann: 121 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Lavonne: 18 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dixie: 52 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Leann: 21 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Karla: 66 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 42 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Merle: 21 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Gale: 16 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Randal: 51 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Monty: 20 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Galen: 17 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Lyle: 49 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Duane: 120 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Loren: 34 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Kyle: 20 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1954

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1953	US rank
1	Mary	1,275	–	1
2	Debra	1,070	↑1	6
3	Linda	808	↓1	2
4	Susan	787	–	5
5	Patricia	635	–	4
6	Nancy	608	–	9
7	Barbara	602	–	7
8	Deborah	586	–	3
9	Cynthia	579	↑1	10
10	Pamela	543	↓1	12
11	Karen	474	–	8
12	Diane	452	–	17
13	Sandra	428	–	13
14	Carol	382	↑1	15
15	Janet	344	↑1	19
16	Donna	343	↑5	11
17	Rebecca	330	–	26
18	Kathleen	329	↓4	14
19	Connie	324	↓1	39
20	Julie	308	↑3	70
21	Jane	285	↓2	49
22	Sharon	285	↓2	16
23	Kathy	278	↓1	23
24	Cheryl	235	↑7	22
25	Joyce	225	↑7	28
26	Peggy	225	↓2	48
27	Vicki	222	↑15	50
28	Denise	217	↑8	24
29	Jean	207	↓1	56
30	Teresa	207	↑4	34
31	Janice	200	↓6	25
32	Marilyn	196	↓2	35
33	Judy	187	↓6	29
34	Joan	186	↑3	40
35	Kathryn	183	↓6	51
36	Margaret	182	↓10	21
37	Ann	179	↓2	44
38	Elizabeth	173	↑2	20
39	Paula	173	↑7	38
40	Judith	169	↓2	30
41	Rhonda	162	new	71
42	Catherine	157	↓1	32
43	Marcia	154	↓4	90
44	Christine	150	↓11	43
45	Beverly	148	↓2	31
46	Cindy	140	↑3	91
47	Bonnie	133	↓2	52
48	Diana	133	↓4	57
49	Brenda	129	new	18
50	Laura	121	new	45

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1953	US rank
1	David	1,528	–	5
2	Michael	1,479	–	1
3	Steven	1,240	↑2	11
4	James	1,157	↓1	3
5	Robert	1,147	↓1	2
6	John	1,103	–	4
7	Richard	917	–	7
8	Mark	895	↑1	12
9	Thomas	801	↓1	8
10	William	731	↑1	6
11	Dennis	687	↓1	21
12	Gary	687	–	9
13	Daniel	559	↑1	18
14	Randy	505	↑4	33
15	Douglas	479	–	29
16	Ronald	474	↓3	15
17	Kevin	461	↑15	28
18	Donald	458	↓2	14
19	Jeffrey	450	↑5	23
20	Charles	449	↓3	10
21	Larry	408	↓1	19
22	Timothy	396	↑1	26
23	Terry	384	↑5	27
24	Paul	368	↓5	16
25	Craig	323	↑2	51
26	Gregory	319	–	25
27	Kenneth	319	↓5	17
28	Roger	303	↓7	34
29	Stephen	292	↓4	20
30	Bruce	289	↓1	30
31	Randall	283	↑2	55
32	Joseph	278	↓2	13
33	Scott	242	↑5	40
34	Patrick	240	↑1	38
35	Dale	229	↓1	50
36	Jerry	200	↓5	31
37	Alan	193	↑2	43
38	Ricky	182	↑2	46
39	Rodney	178	↓3	66
40	Edward	173	↓3	22
41	Danny	158	↑4	42
42	Rick	155	↑1	>100
43	Dean	152	↑3	>100
44	Brian	146	new	48
45	Keith	145	↓4	45
46	Wayne	143	↓4	41
47	George	134	↑1	24
48	Gerald	132	↓4	44
49	Russell	127	–	69
50	Jon	124	new	>100

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