Popular baby names in Iowa, 1959

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1959 were Mary for girls (834 babies) and David for boys (1,424). David ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 59,640 babies born in Iowa in 1959 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1959

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: 17 babies, 12.9× the national rate
Jolene: 64 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Kristy: 48 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Janelle: 32 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Deb: 15 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Leann: 31 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Roxann: 19 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Karla: 97 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Kristi: 54 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Joni: 79 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Darwin: 36 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Kendall: 23 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Loren: 34 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Lyle: 39 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Rusty: 27 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Dirk: 18 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Kent: 116 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Bradley: 185 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Kirk: 109 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Randal: 62 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1959

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	Mary	834	–	1
2	Julie	743	–	26
3	Susan	665	↑1	2
4	Linda	601	↑1	3
5	Debra	583	↓2	7
6	Lori	544	↑1	27
7	Karen	491	↓1	4
8	Cynthia	441	–	8
9	Cindy	414	↑6	25
10	Diane	412	↑2	19
11	Kathy	411	↓1	15
12	Nancy	408	↑1	14
13	Barbara	403	↓4	11
14	Pamela	400	↓3	12
15	Lisa	376	↑10	10
16	Brenda	368	↑8	16
17	Kimberly	350	↑2	33
18	Patricia	344	↓4	6
19	Teresa	342	↓2	24
20	Carol	332	↓4	22
21	Debbie	321	↓1	20
22	Sandra	304	↓4	13
23	Deborah	290	–	9
24	Donna	289	↑3	5
25	Janet	272	↑3	28
26	Kim	264	↑9	35
27	Denise	261	↓6	29
28	Cheryl	250	↓6	18
29	Rebecca	250	↑1	38
30	Kathleen	248	↓1	23
31	Connie	239	↑3	48
32	Tammy	226	↑12	31
33	Jane	225	↓1	67
34	Ann	224	↓1	44
35	Laura	223	↑4	30
36	Sharon	217	↓5	17
37	Rhonda	209	↓1	45
38	Dawn	199	new	54
39	Kelly	196	new	74
40	Peggy	187	↓14	57
41	Becky	184	↓1	>100
42	Michelle	184	new	47
43	Elizabeth	182	↓5	21
44	Jean	178	↓7	77
45	Laurie	173	new	56
46	Christine	169	↓4	43
47	Beth	156	new	80
48	Cathy	155	↓3	39
49	Robin	153	new	32
50	Judy	150	↓7	41

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	David	1,424	–	2
2	Michael	1,192	–	1
3	Mark	1,184	–	6
4	James	888	–	3
5	John	885	–	4
6	Kevin	885	↑2	14
7	Steven	848	–	10
8	Robert	753	↓2	5
9	Jeffrey	683	↑3	16
10	Timothy	633	–	12
11	Richard	617	–	8
12	Thomas	595	↓3	9
13	Scott	592	↑5	24
14	Randy	533	↑1	31
15	Daniel	532	↓2	18
16	William	501	↓2	7
17	Douglas	491	–	30
18	Brian	484	↑1	22
19	Dennis	437	↓3	29
20	Gary	414	–	20
21	Ronald	348	↑1	21
22	Larry	345	↑2	25
23	Craig	338	↑4	44
24	Donald	321	↓3	19
25	Terry	318	↓2	33
26	Paul	315	–	17
27	Gregory	295	↓2	23
28	Joseph	288	↑2	13
29	Bruce	281	–	38
30	Charles	271	↓2	11
31	Jeff	270	↑13	52
32	Kenneth	263	–	15
33	Mike	239	↑6	37
34	Ricky	220	↓3	34
35	Steve	218	↑11	41
36	Jerry	216	↓3	36
37	Patrick	216	↓2	43
38	Tim	215	↑9	60
39	Roger	213	↓5	47
40	Dale	206	↓3	49
41	Randall	202	↓3	59
42	Rodney	200	↓1	67
43	Alan	190	↓3	50
44	Bradley	185	↑5	>100
45	Russell	170	new	56
46	Danny	161	↓1	48
47	Rick	157	↓11	89
48	Jeffery	156	new	55
49	Keith	154	↓6	39
50	Tom	152	new	82

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