Popular baby names in Iowa, 1955

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1955 were Debra for girls (1,239 babies) and David for boys (1,604). Debra ranked #4 nationally for girls. David ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 59,329 babies born in Iowa in 1955 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1955

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: 48 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Leann: 29 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Kristi: 43 babies, 5× the national rate
Kristin: 33 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Janelle: 29 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Lavonne: 16 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Lynnette: 23 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Deanna: 63 babies, 4× the national rate
Kristy: 17 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Julie: 380 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 35 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Merlin: 17 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Eldon: 22 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Kirby: 20 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Galen: 21 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Merle: 21 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Loren: 43 babies, 4× the national rate
Duane: 138 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Harlan: 17 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Lyle: 45 babies, 3.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1955

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	Debra	1,239	↑1	4
2	Mary	1,153	↓1	1
3	Susan	845	↑1	5
4	Linda	787	↓1	3
5	Barbara	588	↑2	7
6	Patricia	584	↓1	6
7	Nancy	547	↓1	9
8	Deborah	535	–	2
9	Cynthia	519	–	11
10	Pamela	512	–	12
11	Karen	490	–	8
12	Diane	461	–	14
13	Sandra	429	–	13
14	Carol	384	–	15
15	Julie	380	↑5	67
16	Kathleen	373	↑2	17
17	Rebecca	365	–	27
18	Janet	343	↓3	20
19	Cheryl	305	↑5	19
20	Donna	303	↓4	10
21	Connie	290	↓2	35
22	Jane	287	↓1	50
23	Denise	283	↑5	23
24	Teresa	273	↑6	26
25	Sharon	271	↓3	16
26	Kathy	270	↓3	22
27	Ann	208	↑10	43
28	Peggy	202	↓2	51
29	Jean	200	–	60
30	Vicki	199	↓3	52
31	Margaret	193	↑5	24
32	Kathryn	188	↑3	59
33	Joyce	184	↓8	29
34	Cindy	180	↑12	79
35	Judy	177	↓2	32
36	Rhonda	177	↑5	71
37	Elizabeth	174	↑1	21
38	Janice	172	↓7	25
39	Christine	170	↑5	40
40	Paula	166	↓1	39
41	Catherine	164	↑1	28
42	Marcia	164	↑1	98
43	Diana	158	↑5	55
44	Joan	156	↓10	46
45	Marilyn	154	↓13	49
46	Brenda	152	↑3	18
47	Vickie	152	new	68
48	Bonnie	146	↓1	45
49	Lynn	146	new	62
50	Lori	145	new	89

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	David	1,604	–	2
2	Michael	1,435	–	1
3	James	1,152	↑1	3
4	Steven	1,112	↓1	10
5	Robert	1,105	–	4
6	John	1,024	–	5
7	Mark	1,011	↑1	9
8	Richard	763	↓1	7
9	Thomas	754	–	8
10	William	723	–	6
11	Dennis	695	–	23
12	Gary	596	–	12
13	Jeffrey	583	↑6	20
14	Daniel	558	↓1	17
15	Randy	531	↓1	30
16	Timothy	522	↑6	22
17	Kevin	509	–	27
18	Douglas	501	↓3	29
19	Ronald	435	↓3	18
20	Donald	398	↓2	14
21	Terry	398	↑2	28
22	Charles	372	↓2	11
23	Gregory	371	↑3	24
24	Paul	366	–	16
25	Larry	350	↓4	19
26	Joseph	327	↑6	13
27	Craig	326	↓2	50
28	Kenneth	313	↓1	15
29	Roger	298	↓1	37
30	Scott	297	↑3	38
31	Bruce	274	↓1	32
32	Randall	262	↓1	53
33	Stephen	259	↓4	21
34	Patrick	239	–	41
35	Jerry	237	↑1	33
36	Dale	221	↓1	52
37	Alan	212	–	43
38	Brian	208	↑6	40
39	Rodney	192	–	65
40	Keith	180	↑5	39
41	Ricky	173	↓3	46
42	Edward	158	↓2	25
43	Russell	156	↑6	57
44	Rick	149	↓2	>100
45	Dean	144	↓2	>100
46	Jeffery	143	new	73
47	Duane	138	new	>100
48	Wayne	134	↓2	44
49	Gerald	132	↓1	48
50	Kim	132	new	98

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