I publish a set of name rankings every week, but I don’t post many U.S. state-released rankings anymore. Why? Because the SSA’s yearly dataset always includes a state-by-state breakdown, and the SSA’s data tends to be basically equivalent to what each state releases.
Except for…Iowa! I totally forgot last year to check up on Iowa, the only state I know of to release full sets of baby name data. (Bravo, Iowa!) The last Iowa rankings I posted were for 2016, so, in this post, to catch up, I’ll be covering two years at once.
First up, 2017.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the most popular baby names in the state in 2017 were Emma and Oliver.
Here are Iowa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:
Girl Names, 2017
- Emma, 175 baby girls
- Harper, 172
- Olivia, 168
- Evelyn, 158
- Charlotte, 157
- Ava, 139
- Amelia & Nora, tied, 127 each
- Sophia, 94
- Scarlett, 92
- Elizabeth, 90
Boy Names, 2017
- Oliver, 219 baby boys
- Henry, 181
- Liam, 179
- Lincoln, 160
- William, 155
- Owen & Wyatt, tied, 151 each
- Noah, 135
- James, 129
- Logan, 124
- Benjamin, 118
In the girls’ top 10, Scarlett and Elizabeth replaced Addison and Grace. (The SSA’s data for 2017 was similar, but had Harper in first place.)
In the boys’ top 10, James and Logan replaced Jackson.
And here are some of the names bestowed just once in Iowa in 2017:
| Unique Girl Names, 2017 | Unique Boy Names, 2017 |
| Adelheid Brunnhilde, Axsys, Bergamot, Calladee, Dellaveene, Exaucee Nitocris, Focus, Graxceldie, Hawthorne, Iowa, Ixamara, Jeggsley, Kalaivani, Lahpoe, MellowBelle, Nyantut, Onolinne, Prairie, Prynne, Quebella, Rieslyn, Shelter, Tracieux, Vjosa, Wave, Yatzlimar, Zuzu | Aknowlegde, Bray Ole, Carefree, Dockerty, Dovahkiin, Essolabina, Frantzley, Gamachis, Helgenberger, Igneous, Jake Lasi Flex, Kellz, Lyrics, Mattavion, Novum, Oracle, Pradyumna, Quintelle, Rinidi, Salix, Sundayboy, Thwin, Tritium, Vindrix, Wattney, Yaeger, Zollie |
Possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:
- Bergamot, the citrus fruit used to flavor Early Grey tea
- Dovahkiin, a video game character
- Igneous, a type of rock
- Quebella, means “how beautiful” in Spanish; also a beauty brand
- Salix, the genus of Willow trees
- Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen
Now, on to 2018…
The most popular baby names in the state in 2018 were Evelyn and Oliver. Here are Iowa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:
Girl Names, 2018
- Evelyn, 167 baby girls
- Harper, 158
- Charlotte, 155
- Emma, 153
- Olivia, 142
- Amelia, 126
- Ava, 119
- Sophia, 113
- Nora, 106
- Isabella, 103
Boy Names, 2018
- Oliver, 183 baby boys
- Henry, 176
- Liam, 174
- William, 170
- Owen, 161
- Wyatt, 143
- Noah, 137
- Lincoln, 130
- Jackson, 124
- Hudson, 120
In the girls’ top 10, Isabella replaced Scarlett and Elizabeth. (Yet again: the SSA’s rankings were similar, but had Harper in first place.)
In the boys’ top 10, Jackson and Hudson replaced James, Logan, and Benjamin.
And here are some of the names bestowed just once in Iowa in 2018:
| Unique Girl Names, 2018 | Unique Boy Names, 2018 |
| Avocent, Brklyn, Callalily, Currence, Dacheline, Emcee, Ever-After, Frisquette, Granuaile, Hallow, Hladini, Izanami, Jariahlexa, Kelaviene, Lotus Lou, Mighty, Neshbly, Opry, Plu, Qori, Rexha, Samadhi, Sinamika, Tamber, Ventica, Wildly, Ylsy, Ziggy-Grey | Acts Gabriel, Awnry, Braveheart, Corvinus, Drinian, Evenir, Festo, Flynnigan, Gypsum, Him-Henry, Isidore, Jongroor, Kipden, Kladge, Liamko, Mastajabu, Nuke, Ordie, Paddington, Questan, Rolex, Safe Haven, Thrusher, Vhett, Wrecker, Ychiari, Zallard, Zohnti |
Possible explanations/associations for some of the above:
- Avocent, a technology brand
- Braveheart, the ’90s movie Braveheart
- Frisquette, means “chilly, cold” in French
- Granuaile, an Irish historical figure
- Izanami, a Shinto deity; means “she who invites” in Japanese
- Opry, the Grand Ole Opry
- Rexha, singer Bebe Rexha
- Rolex, a watch brand
- Samadhi, a state of meditative absorption (it was on the Baby Names from the East list)
Sources: Top Baby Names – Iowa Public Health Tracking Portal, frisquette – Wiktionary
Image: Adapted from Flag of Iowa (public domain)
