State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1917 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,916 California births in 1917 across 882 distinct names.

Distinctively California

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say California more than they say America.

#67Pete#190 nationally
#33Patricia#147 nationally
#77Leland#191 nationally
#89Carmenoutside the national top 200
#84May#195 nationally
#96Isabel#198 nationally
#99Antonio#200 nationally
#28Manuel#128 nationally
#45Tony#131 nationally
#81Jeanne#166 nationally
#55Anita#137 nationally
#76Jose#158 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,149US #1
#2Dorothy779US #3
#3Helen613US #2
#4Margaret549US #4
#5Virginia460US #10
#6Ruth432US #5
#7Frances400US #9
#8Evelyn334US #11
#9Alice316US #13
#10Elizabeth304US #8
#11Barbara298US #67
#12Betty269US #34
#13Marie268US #12
#14Rose246US #16
#15Mildred241US #6
#16Florence236US #14
#17Eleanor230US #26
#18Marjorie228US #36
#19Josephine214US #21
#20Jean208US #40
#21Doris193US #25
#22Jane180US #55
#23Lillian170US #15
#24June169US #73
#25Grace168US #30
#26Louise160US #19
#27Bernice156US #42
#28Lois154US #43
#29Irene150US #17
#30Lucille150US #29
#31Anna141US #7
#32Edna138US #20
#33Patricia137US #147
#34Catherine135US #18
#35Gladys128US #23
#36Phyllis127US #92
#37Marian126US #74
#38Marion125US #45
#39Katherine123US #49
#40Edith122US #28
#41Thelma121US #32
#42Pauline118US #33
#43Hazel117US #31
#44Esther116US #38
#45Elsie114US #50
#46Gertrude112US #37
#47Martha104US #22
#48Ethel103US #24
#49Geraldine99US #89
#50Ann97US #44
#51Emma95US #46
#52Agnes93US #48
#53Lorraine91US #116
#54Eva90US #54
#55Anita89US #137
#56Beatrice88US #39
#57Vivian88US #79
#58Dolores86US #139
#59Charlotte83US #76
#60Laura82US #65
#61Clara81US #41
#62Mabel78US #68
#63Norma78US #108
#64Jessie77US #70
#65Muriel77US #128
#66Audrey76US #117
#67Ellen75US #90
#68Julia75US #47
#69Kathryn74US #60
#70Winifred73US #141
#71Vera71US #66
#72Genevieve70US #77
#73Ida70US #56
#74Lena70US #85
#75Kathleen69US #101
#76Marguerite69US #78
#77Violet68US #84
#78Juanita66US #87
#79Viola66US #59
#80Nellie63US #64
#81Jeanne62US #166
#82Jennie62US #81
#83Alma61US #71
#84May61US #195
#85Ruby61US #27
#86Shirley61US #123
#87Anne60US #53
#88Wilma60US #82
#89Carmen59
#90Emily58US #103
#91Janet58US #136
#92Maria57US #146
#93Pearl56US #57
#94Lucy55US #88
#95Maxine55US #93
#96Isabel54US #198
#97Madeline53US #127
#98Sylvia52US #69
#99Roberta51US #149
#100Theresa51US #97

Boys

#1John1,066US #1
#2Robert1,036US #4
#3William1,005US #2
#4George671US #6
#5James589US #3
#6Frank492US #9
#7Charles484US #7
#8Richard367US #14
#9Edward366US #8
#10Joseph358US #5
#11Jack326US #22
#12Donald282US #20
#13Walter280US #11
#14Albert268US #18
#15Joe240US #35
#16Thomas237US #10
#17Arthur220US #17
#18Harold220US #12
#19Paul220US #13
#20Raymond214US #16
#21Henry205US #15
#22Harry203US #19
#23Ernest183US #37
#24Fred180US #29
#25Louis160US #23
#26David156US #28
#27Kenneth153US #27
#28Manuel152US #128
#29Ralph150US #21
#30Roy146US #33
#31Alfred144US #43
#32Lawrence129US #36
#33Howard124US #26
#34Francis121US #30
#35Clarence120US #25
#36Norman117US #46
#37Earl115US #32
#38Carl114US #24
#39Edwin112US #55
#40Herbert109US #40
#41Stanley109US #34
#42Eugene104US #39
#43Peter99US #50
#44Lloyd98US #53
#45Tony92US #131
#46Anthony87US #38
#47Daniel82US #54
#48Frederick82US #51
#49Elmer81US #45
#50Philip77US #66
#51Clifford76US #59
#52Ray75US #74
#53Leonard73US #41
#54Leo72US #47
#55Melvin70US #57
#56Andrew68US #48
#57Victor66US #78
#58Gordon65US #84
#59Lester62US #61
#60Milton62US #75
#61Russell60US #52
#62Chester58US #56
#63Sam58US #72
#64Vernon58US #71
#65Vincent58US #65
#66Gerald55US #69
#67Pete54US #190
#68Glenn53US #86
#69Warren53US #93
#70Leroy50US #60
#71Theodore49US #63
#72Douglas48US #138
#73Everett48US #94
#74Leslie48US #107
#75Martin48US #77
#76Jose47US #158
#77Leland46US #191
#78Clyde45US #64
#79Willard45US #80
#80Tom44US #139
#81Alvin43US #81
#82Bill43US #147
#83Bernard42US #49
#84Lee39US #85
#85Wesley39US #136
#86Benjamin38US #76
#87Mike38US #126
#88Floyd37US #62
#89Ben36US #129
#90Gilbert36US #105
#91Harvey36US #90
#92Marvin36US #68
#93Wilbur36US #92
#94Don35US #167
#95Allen34US #100
#96Homer34US #102
#97Jesse33US #79
#98Phillip33US #173
#99Antonio32US #200
#100Herman32US #58

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑25Lena#74
↑22Laura#60
↑21Winifred#70
↑21Everett#73
↑20Eva#54
↑19Muriel#65
↑17Gordon#58
↑16Phyllis#36

Falling

↓26Marguerite#76
↓23Anne#87
↓22Ruby#85
↓20Kathryn#69
↓20Pearl#93
↓19Wilma#88
↓15Vera#71
↓15Bernard#83

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.