State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1918 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 44,692 California births in 1918 across 942 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#72Carmenoutside the national top 200
#83Peteoutside the national top 200
#85Boboutside the national top 200
#86Jesusoutside the national top 200
#51Jose#160 nationally
#29Patricia#133 nationally
#25Manuel#126 nationally
#90Isabel#190 nationally
#40Tony#135 nationally
#56Anita#151 nationally
#88Phillip#180 nationally
#49Dolores#127 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,251US #1
#2Dorothy879US #3
#3Margaret651US #4
#4Helen641US #2
#5Virginia495US #7
#6Frances446US #8
#7Ruth446US #5
#8Barbara380US #60
#9Betty353US #21
#10Evelyn335US #11
#11Alice319US #13
#12Elizabeth311US #9
#13Marjorie295US #34
#14Marie277US #12
#15Jean261US #37
#16Eleanor243US #26
#17Rose240US #17
#18Mildred239US #6
#19Florence236US #14
#20Josephine232US #24
#21Doris213US #19
#22Jane207US #53
#23Lorraine203US #69
#24Lois201US #42
#25June198US #66
#26Lillian179US #15
#27Lucille172US #29
#28Esther167US #38
#29Patricia165US #133
#30Phyllis163US #80
#31Louise157US #18
#32Bernice155US #41
#33Edna150US #23
#34Grace146US #31
#35Catherine142US #20
#36Marian142US #76
#37Edith140US #30
#38Irene140US #16
#39Thelma139US #32
#40Anna137US #10
#41Marion132US #45
#42Martha131US #25
#43Ethel128US #28
#44Pauline125US #35
#45Elsie122US #49
#46Hazel121US #33
#47Gladys120US #22
#48Katherine120US #50
#49Dolores113US #127
#50Jeanne112US #126
#51Norma108US #98
#52Ann106US #44
#53Beatrice105US #40
#54Vivian102US #72
#55Geraldine101US #77
#56Anita99US #151
#57Violet95US #83
#58Ellen93US #92
#59Kathryn91US #63
#60Ida90US #57
#61Julia87US #48
#62Clara86US #43
#63Shirley86US #97
#64Gertrude85US #39
#65Emma83US #46
#66Mabel83US #74
#67Laura82US #64
#68Charlotte81US #78
#69Vera80US #68
#70Agnes77US #47
#71Wilma77US #82
#72Carmen76
#73Marguerite76US #86
#74Eva73US #55
#75Jessie72US #75
#76Maria72US #147
#77Roberta72US #142
#78Viola71US #59
#79Emily68US #105
#80Rita68US #58
#81Ruby68US #27
#82Anne67US #54
#83Kathleen67US #99
#84Juanita66US #85
#85Nancy65US #102
#86Audrey63US #118
#87Genevieve63US #81
#88Lucy63US #90
#89Myrtle63US #62
#90Isabel62US #190
#91Maxine62US #87
#92Theresa62US #101
#93Winifred62US #145
#94Madeline60US #135
#95Alma59US #73
#96Jennie59US #91
#97Joan58US #160
#98Stella58US #67
#99Pearl57US #56
#100Alberta56US #122

Boys

#1Robert1,269US #4
#2John1,148US #1
#3William1,034US #2
#4George760US #6
#5James683US #3
#6Frank585US #9
#7Charles579US #5
#8Edward462US #8
#9Jack453US #21
#10Richard415US #12
#11Joseph395US #7
#12Donald328US #18
#13Albert288US #19
#14Raymond286US #15
#15Harold260US #13
#16Harry259US #20
#17Arthur258US #17
#18Walter254US #11
#19Joe248US #34
#20Thomas241US #10
#21Henry240US #16
#22Paul238US #14
#23Fred200US #33
#24David197US #28
#25Manuel182US #126
#26Louis180US #24
#27Ernest171US #37
#28Ralph170US #22
#29Kenneth165US #27
#30Howard159US #26
#31Alfred157US #42
#32Roy151US #32
#33Eugene148US #35
#34Carl134US #25
#35Stanley133US #36
#36Earl129US #31
#37Francis129US #30
#38Victor124US #63
#39Lawrence122US #38
#40Tony117US #135
#41Herbert115US #40
#42Clarence109US #23
#43Norman109US #49
#44Lloyd104US #51
#45Edwin98US #55
#46Peter98US #53
#47Anthony97US #39
#48Daniel96US #52
#49Elmer92US #44
#50Leonard90US #41
#51Jose86US #160
#52Melvin86US #56
#53Frederick84US #59
#54Andrew83US #46
#55Russell79US #50
#56Philip78US #71
#57Clifford77US #60
#58Gerald76US #72
#59Ray76US #69
#60Warren75US #90
#61Glenn74US #84
#62Gordon74US #85
#63Lester74US #62
#64Chester72US #54
#65Leo72US #48
#66Leroy65US #57
#67Vernon64US #66
#68Milton62US #76
#69Tom62US #139
#70Bernard57US #47
#71Theodore57US #64
#72Vincent57US #73
#73Samuel56US #43
#74Leslie55US #102
#75Martin54US #81
#76Sam54US #75
#77Clyde50US #67
#78Floyd50US #61
#79Douglas49US #115
#80Lewis49US #74
#81Alvin48US #80
#82Don47US #153
#83Pete47
#84Bill46US #143
#85Bob45
#86Jesus44
#87Bruce42US #146
#88Phillip42US #180
#89Wayne42US #91
#90Wilbur42US #97
#91Harvey40US #88
#92Mike40US #127
#93Sidney40US #94
#94Hugh39US #112
#95Wesley39US #137
#96Willard39US #83
#97Ben38US #128
#98Benjamin37US #79
#99Nick37US #173
#100Wallace37US #124

On the move since 1917

Rising

↑31Jeanne#50
↑30Lorraine#23
↑25Jose#51
↑23Shirley#63
↑22Roberta#77
↑20Violet#57
↑19Victor#38
↑17Wilma#71

Falling

↓23Winifred#93
↓20Eva#74
↓20Audrey#86
↓18Gertrude#64
↓18Agnes#70
↓17Willard#96
↓16Pete#83
↓15Genevieve#87

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1917 rankings.