In 1981 parents in Iowa chose a mix of unique and traditional names for their newborns, reflecting the diverse influences of the times from Des Moines to Ames. Discover the most popular baby names in Iowa for 1981, a list that not only reveals current trends but also offers inspiration for expectant parents. Join us as we explore these names that capture the spirit and culture of Iowa in 1981.
| 1 | Michael | 1,549 | Jennifer | 1,418 |
| 2 | Joshua | 1,413 | Amanda | 1,318 |
| 3 | Matthew | 1,293 | Jessica | 1,087 |
| 4 | Christopher | 1,158 | Sarah | 922 |
| 5 | Jason | 1,064 | Melissa | 667 |
| 6 | David | 941 | Amy | 653 |
| 7 | James | 919 | Heather | 587 |
| 8 | Ryan | 904 | Amber | 567 |
| 9 | John | 792 | Elizabeth | 535 |
| 10 | Justin | 788 | Stephanie | 530 |
| 11 | Robert | 787 | Angela | 525 |
| 12 | Joseph | 759 | Nicole | 513 |
| 13 | Andrew | 734 | Rachel | 415 |
| 14 | Brandon | 715 | Erin | 412 |
| 15 | Adam | 701 | Tiffany | 397 |
| 16 | Jeremy | 673 | Michelle | 394 |
| 17 | Brian | 652 | Crystal | 378 |
| 18 | Daniel | 646 | Sara | 378 |
| 19 | Eric | 600 | Kimberly | 373 |
| 20 | Nicholas | 544 | Christina | 347 |
| 21 | William | 529 | Lisa | 342 |
| 22 | Aaron | 524 | April | 341 |
| 23 | Jonathan | 455 | Emily | 340 |
| 24 | Nathan | 444 | Andrea | 330 |
| 25 | Benjamin | 437 | Jamie | 324 |
| 26 | Kevin | 437 | Laura | 319 |
| 27 | Timothy | 429 | Rebecca | 303 |
| 28 | Dustin | 424 | Megan | 294 |
| 29 | Anthony | 391 | Mary | 278 |
| 30 | Steven | 384 | Kelly | 274 |
| 31 | Jeffrey | 375 | Kristin | 237 |
| 32 | Thomas | 372 | Ashley | 228 |
| 33 | Travis | 344 | Brooke | 228 |
| 34 | Charles | 342 | Shannon | 228 |
| 35 | Scott | 335 | Brandy | 227 |
| 36 | Mark | 334 | Julie | 227 |
| 37 | Chad | 318 | Danielle | 214 |
| 38 | Jacob | 316 | Erica | 205 |
| 39 | Richard | 315 | Katherine | 197 |
| 40 | Bradley | 306 | Kristen | 183 |
| 41 | Kyle | 300 | Holly | 182 |
| 42 | Paul | 242 | Carrie | 179 |
| 43 | Derek | 228 | Courtney | 177 |
| 44 | Gregory | 225 | Brandi | 170 |
| 45 | Shawn | 222 | Lindsay | 169 |
| 46 | Jesse | 219 | Misty | 163 |
| 47 | Patrick | 218 | Natalie | 163 |
| 48 | Kenneth | 217 | Tara | 161 |
| 49 | Stephen | 215 | Kathryn | 156 |
| 50 | Zachary | 201 | Samantha | 153 |
| 51 | Bryan | 182 | Lindsey | 152 |
| 52 | Jeremiah | 163 | Lauren | 144 |
| 53 | Douglas | 158 | Leslie | 142 |
| 54 | Jared | 158 | Stacy | 139 |
| 55 | Sean | 157 | Kristina | 133 |
| 56 | Craig | 155 | Jill | 128 |
| 57 | Donald | 150 | Katie | 128 |
| 58 | Ronald | 142 | Alicia | 121 |
| 59 | Nathaniel | 136 | Anna | 116 |
| 60 | Shane | 136 | Patricia | 114 |
| 61 | Brent | 135 | Dawn | 108 |
| 62 | Keith | 129 | Leah | 107 |
| 63 | Jeffery | 124 | Stacey | 105 |
| 64 | Joel | 122 | Lori | 104 |
| 65 | Samuel | 122 | Susan | 104 |
| 66 | Cory | 121 | Allison | 103 |
| 67 | Todd | 118 | Christine | 102 |
| 68 | Larry | 110 | Heidi | 97 |
| 69 | Corey | 109 | Abigail | 95 |
| 70 | Gary | 109 | Candice | 95 |
| 71 | Peter | 108 | Kara | 92 |
| 72 | Brett | 107 | Tracy | 91 |
| 73 | Seth | 106 | Monica | 90 |
| 74 | Phillip | 105 | Beth | 89 |
| 75 | Edward | 102 | Bethany | 88 |
| 76 | Dennis | 101 | Dana | 88 |
| 77 | Lucas | 101 | Nichole | 87 |
| 78 | Curtis | 99 | Karen | 86 |
| 79 | Philip | 99 | Melanie | 83 |
| 80 | George | 95 | Valerie | 83 |
| 81 | Erik | 94 | Julia | 82 |
| 82 | Terry | 94 | Jacqueline | 79 |
| 83 | Derrick | 92 | Rachael | 79 |
| 84 | Shaun | 90 | Tina | 79 |
| 85 | Luke | 89 | Wendy | 79 |
| 86 | Marcus | 88 | Kathleen | 78 |
| 87 | Tyler | 85 | Pamela | 78 |
| 88 | Jerry | 83 | Kari | 77 |
| 89 | Troy | 83 | Natasha | 77 |
| 90 | Billy | 82 | Candace | 76 |
| 91 | Casey | 82 | Cassandra | 76 |
| 92 | Clinton | 82 | Tonya | 76 |
| 93 | Jonathon | 82 | Angel | 75 |
| 94 | Wesley | 81 | Christy | 75 |
| 95 | Ian | 75 | Mandy | 75 |
| 96 | Raymond | 73 | Brittany | 73 |
| 97 | Tony | 73 | Maria | 72 |
| 98 | Carl | 72 | Barbara | 70 |
| 99 | Randall | 71 | Cynthia | 70 |
| 100 | Jordan | 68 | Melinda | 70 |
| 101 | Miranda | 70 |