Iowa’s most popular baby names of 2025 start with O and C

Expectant parents, if you’re struggling to come up with names for your child, here is some inspiration courtesy of the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Administration tracks the most popular names given to babies in each state using data from Social Security card applications. People can search back as far as 1960 to see the 100 most frequently given names for both male and female babies on the administration’s website.

The Social Security Administration’s 100 most popular baby names in Iowa overlap with what maternity departments across the Des Moines metro found earlier this year for popular baby names.

So what were the most popular names in Iowa for 2025? Here’s what to know.

What are the most popular baby boy names in Iowa?

Here are the top 10 baby names for males born in Iowa in 2025. Following each name is the number of times a child was given the name, according to the Social Security Administration’s data.

1. Oliver: 198
2. Liam: 185
3. Henry: 176
4. Theodore: 176
5. Cooper: 133
6. Hudson: 124
7. James: 118
8. Noah: 118
9. Bennett: 113
10. Owen: 106

Oliver is the undisputed champion when it comes to baby boy names in Iowa. The name has been the No. 1 choice for newborns in the state since 2016. On the other end of the spectrum, Milo, Luka, Tucker, Beckham and Caleb were the least common names in the top 100.

What are the most popular baby girl names in Iowa?

Here are the top 10 baby names for females born in Iowa in 2025.

1. Charlotte:158
2. Evelyn: 117
3. Emma: 116
4. Amelia: 112
5. Eleanor: 109
6. Olivia: 107
7. Sophia: 104
8. Lainey: 101
9. Harper: 98
10. Violet: 97

As for the top girls’ names, the race has been more competitive in recent years. Charlotte has held the No. 1 spot from 2023 through 2025 and also topped the list in 2021, while Olivia claimed the top position in 2020 and 2022. The five least common names in the top 100 for 2025 were Brooklyn, Emily, Kennedy, Lennon and Mabel.

More: What were 2025’s most popular baby names in the Des Moines metro?

The top 10 most popular girl names for 2025 in the U.S.

1. Olivia
2. Charlotte
3. Emma
4. Amelia
5. Sophia
6. Mia
7. Isabella
8. Evelyn
9. Sofia
10. Eliana

The top 10 most popular boy names for 2025 in the U.S.

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Oliver
4. Theodore
5. Henry
6. James
7. Elijah
8. Mateo
9. William
10. Lucas

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth