State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1921 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,984 California births in 1921 across 1,101 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#46Carmenoutside the national top 200
#65Jesusoutside the national top 200
#64Antonio#188 nationally
#61Bob#178 nationally
#70Beverly#186 nationally
#85Lupeoutside the national top 200
#88Isabeloutside the national top 200
#96Juanoutside the national top 200
#95Peggy#195 nationally
#35Tony#134 nationally
#79Bette#169 nationally
#25Manuel#113 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,697US #1
#2Dorothy1,162US #2
#3Betty780US #8
#4Helen743US #3
#5Margaret715US #4
#6Virginia683US #6
#7Barbara653US #40
#8Ruth541US #5
#9Frances477US #9
#10Marjorie444US #16
#11Evelyn430US #12
#12Alice393US #15
#13Jean385US #25
#14Elizabeth361US #10
#15June338US #50
#16Marie330US #14
#17Doris323US #13
#18Patricia295US #84
#19Mildred280US #7
#20Eleanor254US #29
#21Florence253US #17
#22Josephine249US #28
#23Lorraine247US #61
#24Rose244US #20
#25Lois241US #38
#26Phyllis214US #60
#27Lillian208US #19
#28Lucille200US #31
#29Shirley199US #44
#30Irene197US #18
#31Catherine188US #23
#32Jane188US #47
#33Esther186US #42
#34Grace183US #35
#35Norma182US #51
#36Louise179US #22
#37Anna168US #11
#38Pauline168US #37
#39Bernice167US #39
#40Marion164US #43
#41Geraldine163US #62
#42Maria162US #129
#43Edith161US #33
#44Martha161US #21
#45Marian157US #69
#46Carmen152
#47Jeanne151US #109
#48Gladys150US #24
#49Katherine150US #49
#50Gloria149US #102
#51Edna141US #27
#52Juanita140US #57
#53Anita135US #134
#54Thelma135US #30
#55Vivian134US #68
#56Dolores133US #111
#57Beatrice125US #41
#58Elsie123US #55
#59Ann122US #53
#60Elaine117US #97
#61Ethel113US #32
#62Kathleen113US #83
#63Audrey112US #82
#64Hazel112US #34
#65Maxine111US #77
#66Nancy111US #87
#67Rita111US #48
#68Vera110US #76
#69Eva104US #63
#70Beverly103US #186
#71Jennie102US #99
#72Julia102US #58
#73Laura102US #71
#74Gertrude100US #46
#75Viola97US #66
#76Charlotte96US #79
#77Muriel96US #119
#78Ruby92US #26
#79Bette91US #169
#80Genevieve91US #90
#81Lucy91US #93
#82Violet91US #81
#83Constance89US #149
#84Emma86US #52
#85Lupe86
#86Mabel83US #85
#87Clara80US #45
#88Isabel80
#89Winifred80US #163
#90Annie79US #36
#91Ida79US #67
#92Marguerite79US #98
#93Agnes78US #56
#94Nellie78US #80
#95Peggy78US #195
#96Dora77US #130
#97Anne76US #70
#98Emily75US #121
#99Kathryn75US #64
#100Sarah75US #54

Boys

#1Robert1,875US #2
#2John1,489US #1
#3William1,416US #3
#4George890US #6
#5James866US #4
#6Frank689US #9
#7Jack650US #18
#8Richard629US #10
#9Charles584US #5
#10Donald532US #13
#11Edward524US #8
#12Joseph474US #7
#13Raymond383US #16
#14Albert365US #20
#15Harold337US #12
#16Joe334US #36
#17Paul333US #14
#18Thomas330US #11
#19Henry293US #17
#20Walter293US #15
#21Arthur291US #19
#22Kenneth286US #22
#23Harry285US #21
#24David270US #25
#25Manuel261US #113
#26Fred251US #33
#27Ralph233US #23
#28Eugene229US #26
#29Warren214US #24
#30Ernest209US #38
#31Howard204US #27
#32Louis204US #29
#33Alfred199US #43
#34Roy187US #32
#35Tony168US #134
#36Francis158US #35
#37Lawrence157US #37
#38Stanley155US #41
#39Earl154US #31
#40Carl140US #30
#41Clarence140US #28
#42Daniel129US #49
#43Leonard129US #39
#44Peter128US #57
#45Lloyd124US #58
#46Herbert122US #42
#47Jose121US #132
#48Norman120US #46
#49Theodore116US #65
#50Melvin112US #53
#51Anthony110US #40
#52Ray102US #67
#53Victor101US #83
#54Gordon100US #84
#55Elmer94US #48
#56Philip94US #72
#57Edwin93US #54
#58Bill92US #121
#59Clifford92US #62
#60Vernon91US #68
#61Bob90US #178
#62Gerald88US #60
#63Russell88US #52
#64Antonio85US #188
#65Jesus84
#66Vincent84US #70
#67Milton81US #75
#68Sam81US #85
#69Andrew80US #51
#70Tom79US #144
#71Frederick78US #61
#72Gilbert77US #103
#73Chester74US #56
#74Leo74US #50
#75Glenn72US #80
#76Benjamin71US #82
#77Leroy70US #55
#78Douglas66US #111
#79Lester66US #66
#80Samuel66US #44
#81Wallace66US #88
#82Everett65US #95
#83Martin64US #78
#84Alvin63US #73
#85Bernard62US #45
#86Don62US #136
#87Mike61US #145
#88Leslie59US #106
#89Leland57US #171
#90Clyde56US #69
#91Wesley56US #127
#92Marvin55US #59
#93Wayne53US #81
#94Ben52US #139
#95Harvey52US #87
#96Juan52
#97Michael52US #47
#98Wilbur51US #100
#99Floyd49US #63
#100Jesse49US #77

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑32Elaine#60
↑30Gloria#50
↑19Nancy#66
↑18Benjamin#76
↑18Samuel#80
↑15Bob#61
↑14Carmen#46
↑13Catherine#31

Falling

↓30Charlotte#76
↓29Kathryn#99
↓18Leo#74
↓17Leslie#88
↓17Clyde#90
↓16Gertrude#74
↓15Emma#84
↓14Marian#45

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.