Popular baby names in Iowa, 1956

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1956 were Debra for girls (1,171 babies) and David for boys (1,493). Debra ranked #2 nationally for girls. David ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 58,983 babies born in Iowa in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1956

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: 22 babies, 12.9× the national rate
Gaylene: 15 babies, 9× the national rate
Jolene: 56 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Kristie: 23 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Leann: 33 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Kristin: 30 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Luann: 75 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Janelle: 22 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Kristy: 22 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Lavonne: 15 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Boys

Gale: 16 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Marlin: 23 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Lyle: 53 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Merle: 19 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Darwin: 23 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Galen: 17 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Loren: 32 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Duane: 125 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Randal: 64 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Scot: 19 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Debra	1,171	–	2
2	Mary	1,083	–	1
3	Susan	815	–	5
4	Linda	660	–	3
5	Cynthia	578	↑4	8
6	Nancy	538	↑1	11
7	Karen	534	↑4	7
8	Patricia	532	↓2	6
9	Barbara	487	↓4	9
10	Diane	466	↑2	15
11	Pamela	462	↓1	12
12	Deborah	450	↓4	4
13	Julie	435	↑2	48
14	Carol	414	–	16
15	Sandra	377	↓2	14
16	Cheryl	349	↑3	18
17	Rebecca	332	–	27
18	Kathleen	312	↓2	17
19	Kathy	307	↑7	20
20	Janet	291	↓2	21
21	Denise	286	↑2	23
22	Sharon	279	↑3	13
23	Jane	277	↓1	50
24	Donna	274	↓4	10
25	Cindy	266	↑9	37
26	Connie	266	↓5	43
27	Teresa	260	↓3	24
28	Lori	225	↑22	66
29	Jean	210	–	65
30	Kim	209	new	38
31	Ann	207	↓4	46
32	Rhonda	204	↑4	62
33	Kimberly	193	new	74
34	Vicki	185	↓4	57
35	Kathryn	179	↓3	60
36	Peggy	178	↓8	63
37	Brenda	170	↑9	19
38	Christine	169	↑1	42
39	Joyce	168	↓6	30
40	Catherine	164	↑1	28
41	Janice	161	↓3	26
42	Elizabeth	159	↓5	22
43	Joan	158	↑1	52
44	Paula	157	↓4	47
45	Theresa	156	new	32
46	Lynn	155	↑3	58
47	Margaret	153	↓16	25
48	Debbie	152	new	39
49	Laura	146	new	34
50	Diana	142	↓7	56

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	David	1,493	–	4
2	Michael	1,344	–	1
3	Mark	1,091	↑4	8
4	Steven	1,072	–	10
5	John	1,052	↑1	5
6	James	1,031	↓3	2
7	Robert	1,003	↓2	3
8	Richard	790	–	7
9	Thomas	750	–	9
10	William	649	–	6
11	Kevin	646	↑6	22
12	Randy	599	↑3	28
13	Jeffrey	550	–	20
14	Dennis	548	↓3	26
15	Timothy	541	↑1	19
16	Gary	540	↓4	13
17	Douglas	534	↑1	29
18	Daniel	519	↓4	18
19	Ronald	463	–	15
20	Donald	431	–	14
21	Gregory	370	↑2	24
22	Paul	363	↑2	17
23	Larry	359	↑2	21
24	Scott	348	↑6	34
25	Charles	344	↓3	11
26	Terry	334	↓5	31
27	Brian	328	↑11	32
28	Craig	327	↓1	51
29	Joseph	316	↓3	12
30	Kenneth	312	↓2	16
31	Bruce	294	–	33
32	Randall	279	–	54
33	Roger	256	↓4	41
34	Stephen	256	↓1	23
35	Patrick	229	↓1	40
36	Alan	222	↑1	44
37	Dale	208	↓1	50
38	Jerry	200	↓3	35
39	Rodney	198	–	65
40	Edward	187	↑2	25
41	Keith	172	↓1	36
42	Ricky	157	↓1	43
43	Jeffery	156	↑3	57
44	Rick	152	–	100
45	Russell	152	↓2	52
46	Dean	144	↓1	99
47	Danny	139	new	46
48	Bradley	126	new	>100
49	Duane	125	↓2	>100
50	Wayne	116	↓2	45

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