Popular baby names in Iowa, 1972

The most popular baby names in Iowa in 1972 were Jennifer for girls (1,068 babies) and Jason for boys (849). Jason ranked #7 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 36,584 babies born in Iowa in 1972 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Iowa in 1972

Names given at least 15 times in Iowa that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Darci: 15 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Darcy: 33 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Mindy: 45 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Janelle: 28 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Renae: 15 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Sara: 126 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Jody: 66 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Jodi: 123 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Bobbi: 27 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Molly: 44 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Kory: 20 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Curt: 20 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Chad: 669 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Bret: 29 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Cory: 82 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Monte: 15 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Darin: 44 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Kent: 31 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Trent: 28 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Troy: 243 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Iowa, 1972

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1971	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,068	–	1
2	Amy	564	–	5
3	Michelle	492	–	2
4	Angela	441	–	6
5	Lisa	359	–	3
6	Melissa	332	–	7
7	Kimberly	328	–	4
8	Julie	310	–	12
9	Heather	293	↑1	9
10	Nicole	259	↑23	10
11	Stephanie	257	↑8	8
12	Dawn	231	↓3	20
13	Tammy	188	↓2	11
14	Lori	182	↓2	28
15	Brenda	172	↑2	44
16	Tracy	171	–	19
17	Jill	166	↑7	62
18	Wendy	157	↑4	29
19	Mary	156	↓6	13
20	Laura	155	↓2	17
21	Sarah	155	↑16	49
22	Stacy	155	↑3	33
23	Rebecca	153	–	14
24	Tina	152	↓10	18
25	Christine	150	↓5	16
26	Kelly	142	↓5	23
27	Shannon	138	–	22
28	Susan	133	↓13	24
29	Sara	126	↑5	>100
30	Teresa	124	↓2	39
31	Jodi	123	↓5	97
32	Heidi	121	↑9	64
33	Christina	118	↓4	26
34	Carrie	117	↑2	53
35	Michele	113	↓3	36
36	Andrea	110	↓1	30
37	Denise	106	↑11	35
38	Karen	96	↓8	21
39	Stacey	96	↑4	41
40	Elizabeth	95	↓9	15
41	Kristin	93	↓1	67
42	Tonya	89	new	37
43	Robin	87	new	55
44	Tara	87	new	38
45	Dana	85	↑4	52
46	Rachel	85	new	40
47	Ann	84	↓9	91
48	Melanie	81	new	42
49	Cynthia	79	↓10	25
50	Jessica	78	new	46

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1971	US rank
1	Jason	849	↑1	7
2	Michael	828	↓1	1
3	Chad	669	↑2	25
4	Brian	659	↑3	8
5	Christopher	620	↑1	2
6	David	535	↓2	4
7	Matthew	510	↑3	10
8	Scott	493	↓5	11
9	James	471	–	3
10	Jeffrey	426	↑2	17
11	John	419	↓3	5
12	Robert	415	↓1	6
13	Eric	316	↑5	16
14	Daniel	302	↑5	15
15	Mark	300	↓2	18
16	Steven	274	↓2	19
17	Ryan	273	↑14	39
18	Todd	265	↓2	31
19	William	260	↑1	9
20	Timothy	256	↓5	21
21	Kevin	252	↓4	13
22	Troy	243	–	49
23	Thomas	218	↓2	20
24	Joseph	196	↑4	12
25	Aaron	193	↑2	40
26	Shawn	187	–	28
27	Jeremy	182	↓2	42
28	Bradley	179	↑1	61
29	Richard	177	↓5	14
30	Travis	169	↑7	57
31	Shane	154	↑3	55
32	Douglas	149	↓9	43
33	Paul	149	↓3	24
34	Anthony	146	↓2	22
35	Andrew	143	↓2	30
36	Patrick	127	↓1	35
37	Gregory	118	↓1	26
38	Charles	110	↑3	23
39	Jamie	109	new	72
40	Justin	109	new	60
41	Craig	108	↓2	46
42	Donald	108	↑1	36
43	Brent	104	↓1	77
44	Sean	101	↑1	33
45	Kenneth	100	↓5	27
46	Gary	90	↑2	41
47	Nathan	90	new	79
48	Joel	89	new	78
49	Ronald	88	↓5	32
50	Terry	88	↓12	62

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