The Midwestern state of Iowa welcomes roughly 40,000 babies per year.
What were the most popular names among babies born in 2024 specifically? Amelia and Oliver, according to data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Here are Iowa’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2024:
Girl names
- Amelia, 137 baby girls
- Charlotte, 134
- Harper, 129
- Evelyn, 120
- Olivia, 118
- Eleanor, 107
- Emma, 97 (tie)
- Hazel, 97 (tie)
- Ava, 96
- Nora, 95
- Ellie, 94
- Lainey, 92
- Ivy, 89
- Willow, 84
- Violet, 83
- Sophia, 79
- Mia, 76
- Lucy, 72 (tie)
- Layla, 72 (tie)
- Aurora, 71
Boy names
- Oliver, 193 baby boys
- Henry, 185
- Liam, 163
- Theodore, 143
- Elijah, 131
- Noah, 127
- Jack, 123
- Cooper, 117
- Hudson, 114
- Wyatt, 110
- Maverick, 108 (tie)
- Owen, 108 (tie)
- Asher, 106
- William, 104
- Leo, 98
- Brooks, 96
- Bennett, 90 (tie)
- James, 90 (tie)
- Beau, 88
- Benjamin, 86
The SSA‘s 2024 rankings for Iowa are mostly (but not exactly) the same.
And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the names that were bestowed just once in Iowa two years ago:
| Unique girl names | Unique boy names |
| Atalissa, Bisbee, Clemma, Dessalonica, Evermore, Figgy, Gecette, Hadalenna, Iommi, Ivadene, Joyance, Kruella, Linnie, Masoka, Mathurine, Nebraska, Niberley, Olfine, Pixel, Quailynn, Riziki, Solafa, Tapaau, Urmila, Varuna, Winoa, Xinyao, Yolloxochitl, Zayzee | Abizai, Betwell, Biggtyme, Chanter, Druid, Eclipsen, Evinrude, Faverdie, Gable, Htoomrat, Ishimwe, Jaximus, Kalkhee, Liverpool, Merldean, Nashua, Oktak, Ouroboros, Pyae, Quaimere, Redouan, Stunner, Trujack, Ubin, Vikramaditya, Wendo, Xephos, Yak, Zimri |
Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:
- Atalissa is a town in eastern Iowa.
- Evermore is a Taylor Swift album from late 2020.
- Evinrude was a brand of outboard motors.
- Gable is the surname of legendary Iowa wrestler Dan Gable.
- Kruella is a spelling variant of Cruella, the first name of Disney villain Cruella de Vil.
- Liverpool is a city in England.
- Oktak means “prairie” in Choctaw.
- An ouroboros is a circular symbol that depicts a serpent eating its own tail. The symbol’s name derives from an Ancient Greek word meaning “tail-devouring.”
- Yolloxochitl is an obsolete spelling of the Nahuatl word yollohxochitl, which is made up of elements meaning “heart” and “flower.” It refers to a species of magnolia found in Central America.
Finally, here’s a link to Iowa’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare.
Sources:
- Baby Names – Iowa Health & Human Services
- Reproduction & Birth – Iowa Health & Human Services
- Oktak – Chahta Annoopa Miya Kaa
- Wiktionary: Ouroboros, Yollohxochitl
Image: Adapted from Flag of Iowa (public domain)
