1940–1949 · 474,402 recorded births
Mary was the most common name given in Iowa across the 1940s, with 12,222 births in the decade. The state recorded 474,402 births in total over those years.
Names given far more often here than nationally in these years. The multiplier is conservative — it is the low end of the plausible range, so a name carried by a handful of births does not outrank one carried by hundreds.
| Name | Births | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| Loras | 76 | 46× |
| Janaan | 6 | 12× |
| Marlys | 418 | 10× |
| Joleen | 78 | 8× |
| Nile | 38 | 7× |
| Jolene | 266 | 6× |
| Merlyn | 102 | 6× |
| Arlo | 53 | 6× |
| Rank | Name | Births |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mary | 12,222 |
| #2 | James | 11,880 |
| #3 | Linda | 11,784 |
| #4 | Robert | 11,665 |
| #5 | John | 10,568 |
| #6 | Richard | 9,643 |
| #7 | David | 9,519 |
| #8 | Larry | 8,724 |
| #9 | Gary | 7,765 |
| #10 | Ronald | 7,071 |
| #11 | Dennis | 7,058 |
| #12 | Michael | 6,640 |
| #13 | Sharon | 6,398 |
| #14 | William | 6,378 |
| #15 | Barbara | 6,131 |
| #16 | Karen | 6,023 |
| #17 | Patricia | 5,916 |
| #18 | Sandra | 5,543 |
| #19 | Carol | 5,520 |
| #20 | Donald | 5,454 |
| #21 | Thomas | 5,441 |
| #22 | Judy | 5,223 |
| #23 | Nancy | 5,081 |
| #24 | Judith | 4,536 |
| #25 | Susan | 4,366 |
Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. State records begin in 1910. Names given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org