Iowa Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)
Boys
Iowa's male baby naming trends reveal significant shifts over time. In 2025, Oliver was the top name, recorded for 198 births. This marks a clear departure from the 1950s, when David dominated. Benjamin has seen the fastest rise over the last 30 years, climbing +4 rank positions. Conversely, Matthew experienced the biggest decline, dropping -15 rank positions, illustrating evolving generational preferences in the state.
Girls
Iowa's female baby naming trends reveal significant shifts. In 2025, Charlotte led with 158 births. This marks a departure from the 1950s, when Mary was the dominant name. Over the last 30 years, Madison has seen the fastest rise, climbing 13 rank positions. Samantha, however, experienced the biggest decline, dropping 10 rank positions. These figures illustrate evolving preferences across generations.
#1 Boy (2025)
Oliver
#1 Girl (2025)
Charlotte
Fastest Rising
Benjamin
↑ +4
Biggest Decline
Matthew
↓ −15
Longest #1 Run
Robert
3 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
6,700
births tracked
Fastest Rising
Madison
↑ +13
Biggest Decline
Samantha
↓ −10
Longest #1 Run
Mary
5 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
5,490
births tracked
How the Most Popular Names Changed Over Time
Popularity by decade — lower ranks indicate greater popularity (#1 is the most popular name).
| Decade | Liam | Oliver | Tyler | Theodore | Robert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1920s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1930s | — | — | — | — | Rank #1 |
| 1940s | — | — | — | — | Rank #2 |
| 1950s | — | — | — | — | Rank #5 |
| 1960s | — | — | — | — | Rank #7 |
| 1970s | — | — | — | — | Rank #12 |
| 1980s | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990s | — | — | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 2000s | — | — | Rank #5 | — | — |
| 2010s | Rank #1 | Rank #5 | — | — | — |
| 2020s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | Rank #4 | — |
Baby Names by Decade
Most popular · Runner-up per decade
Biggest Name Shifts
Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity
Benjamin
+4 rank positions · since 1990sMatthew
-15 rank positions · since 1980sMadison
+13 rank positions · since 1990sSamantha
-10 rank positions · since 1990sHow Iowa Compares to the Nation
Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall
More Popular in Iowa
- Tate#49 here · #193 nationally↑ +144
- Baker#92 here · #217 nationally↑ +125
- Beckett#23 here · #141 nationally↑ +118
- Knox#78 here · #195 nationally↑ +117
- Rhett#80 here · #188 nationally↑ +108
Less Popular in Iowa
- Julian#85 here · #25 nationally↓ −60
- Matthew#90 here · #32 nationally↓ −58
- Caleb#100 here · #59 nationally↓ −41
- David#74 here · #35 nationally↓ −39
- Thiago#86 here · #50 nationally↓ −36
More Popular in Iowa
- Brynlee#56 here · #240 nationally↑ +184
- Collins#71 here · #243 nationally↑ +172
- Presley#85 here · #223 nationally↑ +138
- Vera#86 here · #204 nationally↑ +118
- Lennon#99 here · #213 nationally↑ +114
Less Popular in Iowa
- Emily#97 here · #34 nationally↓ −63
- Gianna#83 here · #33 nationally↓ −50
- Naomi#94 here · #47 nationally↓ −47
- Camila#61 here · #19 nationally↓ −42
- Mila#84 here · #43 nationally↓ −41
Top 100 Baby Names in Iowa
Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births
Top 10
- #1Oliver198#3
- #2Liam185#1
- #3Henry176#5
- #4Theodore176#4
- #5Cooper133#27
- #6Hudson124#17
- #7James118#6
- #8Noah118#2
- #9Bennett113#40
- #10Owen106#31
Names #11–100
- #11 Elijah
- #12 Jack
- #13 Beau
- #14 William
- #15 Waylon
- #16 Leo
- #17 Miles
- #18 Mateo
- #19 Weston
- #20 Asher
- #21 Grayson
- #22 Levi
- #23 Beckett
- #24 Brooks
- #25 Lucas
- #26 Rowan
- #27 Benjamin
- #28 Jackson
- #29 Lincoln
- #30 Luca
- #31 Wesley
- #32 Ezra
- #33 Maverick
- #34 Samuel
- #35 Walker
- #36 Gabriel
- #37 Luke
- #38 Wyatt
- #39 Everett
- #40 Thomas
- #41 John
- #42 Elias
- #43 Michael
- #44 Carter
- #45 Archer
- #46 Roman
- #47 Myles
- #48 Santiago
- #49 Tate
- #50 Silas
- #51 Atlas
- #52 Daniel
- #53 Mason
- #54 Joseph
- #55 Colter
- #56 Emmett
- #57 Alexander
- #58 Isaac
- #59 Theo
- #60 Sawyer
- #61 Callum
- #62 Hayden
- #63 Nolan
- #64 Stetson
- #65 Vincent
- #66 Dawson
- #67 Graham
- #68 River
- #69 Arlo
- #70 Ezekiel
- #71 Arthur
- #72 Cameron
- #73 Charles
- #74 David
- #75 Dylan
- #76 Calvin
- #77 Ian
- #78 Knox
- #79 Logan
- #80 Rhett
- #81 Ryker
- #82 Axel
- #83 Barrett
- #84 Harrison
- #85 Julian
- #86 Thiago
- #87 August
- #88 Hayes
- #89 Jace
- #90 Matthew
- #91 Micah
- #92 Baker
- #93 Callan
- #94 Eli
- #95 Jasper
- #96 Milo
- #97 Luka
- #98 Tucker
- #99 Beckham
- #100 Caleb
Top 10
- #1Charlotte158#2
- #2Evelyn117#8
- #3Emma116#3
- #4Amelia112#4
- #5Eleanor109#12
- #6Olivia107#1
- #7Sophia104#5
- #8Lainey101#30
- #9Harper98#16
- #10Violet97#13
Names #11–100
- #11 Hazel
- #12 Nora
- #13 Ava
- #14 Lucy
- #15 Aurora
- #16 Ellie
- #17 Ivy
- #18 Elizabeth
- #19 Isabella
- #20 Millie
- #21 Lily
- #22 Mia
- #23 Penelope
- #24 Willow
- #25 Vivian
- #26 Eliana
- #27 Isla
- #28 Lydia
- #29 Ella
- #30 Nova
- #31 Paisley
- #32 Scarlett
- #33 Sofia
- #34 Emersyn
- #35 Iris
- #36 Ruby
- #37 Clara
- #38 Lillian
- #39 Avery
- #40 Elsie
- #41 Eloise
- #42 Sadie
- #43 Claire
- #44 Layla
- #45 Luna
- #46 Ailany
- #47 Aria
- #48 Grace
- #49 Josephine
- #50 Stella
- #51 Delilah
- #52 Parker
- #53 Oakley
- #54 Chloe
- #55 Cora
- #56 Brynlee
- #57 Josie
- #58 Juniper
- #59 Madison
- #60 Wrenley
- #61 Camila
- #62 Emery
- #63 Hallie
- #64 Lyla
- #65 Margaret
- #66 Raelynn
- #67 Kinsley
- #68 Sophie
- #69 Daisy
- #70 Elena
- #71 Collins
- #72 Maeve
- #73 Scottie
- #74 Addison
- #75 Adeline
- #76 Blair
- #77 Oaklynn
- #78 Abigail
- #79 Blakely
- #80 Everly
- #81 Hannah
- #82 Genevieve
- #83 Gianna
- #84 Mila
- #85 Presley
- #86 Vera
- #87 Eden
- #88 Emerson
- #89 Zoey
- #90 Alice
- #91 Athena
- #92 Hadley
- #93 Madelyn
- #94 Naomi
- #95 Sutton
- #96 Brooklyn
- #97 Emily
- #98 Kennedy
- #99 Lennon
- #100 Mabel
Explore Neighboring States
See how naming trends differ in nearby states