State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1936 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 74,935 California births in 1936 across 1,154 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#57Carmen#199 nationally
#78Lupeoutside the national top 200
#90Rubenoutside the national top 200
#91Rudyoutside the national top 200
#52Tony#160 nationally
#46Pat#152 nationally
#71Mike#174 nationally
#34Manuel#135 nationally
#19Diane#112 nationally
#82Rachel#163 nationally
#98Rosie#173 nationally
#69Jose#139 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,541US #1
#2Barbara1,438US #3
#3Patricia1,132US #5
#4Carol873US #10
#5Shirley865US #2
#6Joan736US #7
#7Nancy607US #8
#8Betty593US #4
#9Beverly548US #17
#10Marilyn546US #13
#11Donna505US #22
#12Margaret491US #9
#13Virginia469US #14
#14Helen432US #11
#15Dorothy426US #6
#16Gloria388US #32
#17Joyce380US #12
#18Dolores355US #30
#19Diane329US #112
#20Janet325US #21
#21Frances322US #19
#22Sharon317US #60
#23Sandra312US #38
#24Alice295US #27
#25Carolyn293US #23
#26Marlene293US #39
#27Ruth278US #16
#28Joanne266US #48
#29Sally262US #59
#30Janice260US #31
#31Jean254US #20
#32Darlene243US #83
#33Ann237US #28
#34Lois230US #26
#35Norma223US #29
#36Elizabeth222US #18
#37Irene218US #57
#38Phyllis209US #25
#39Eleanor205US #47
#40Carole204US #73
#41Roberta197US #64
#42Arlene196US #54
#43Rose196US #37
#44Marie192US #33
#45Sylvia186US #53
#46Pat183US #152
#47Judith182US #43
#48Doris177US #15
#49Esther173US #107
#50Geraldine168US #41
#51Evelyn166US #34
#52Maria166US #120
#53Yvonne164US #81
#54Anita163US #104
#55Kathleen161US #67
#56Jacqueline156US #66
#57Carmen155US #199
#58Martha155US #24
#59Jane153US #42
#60Gail152US #101
#61Joann151US #55
#62Josephine150US #77
#63Louise148US #46
#64Elaine147US #50
#65Lorraine147US #76
#66Marjorie146US #49
#67Peggy142US #35
#68Linda141US #97
#69Susan138US #110
#70June135US #62
#71Karen135US #132
#72Bonnie128US #65
#73Judy127US #118
#74Connie119US #134
#75Loretta112US #70
#76Jo108US #72
#77Charlotte107US #61
#78Lupe107
#79Anna106US #36
#80Jeanette105US #94
#81Pauline105US #82
#82Rachel105US #163
#83Charlene104US #145
#84Lillian103US #79
#85Grace98US #86
#86Katherine97US #100
#87Marian97US #114
#88Patsy97US #52
#89Kay96US #98
#90Catherine95US #44
#91Rita94US #69
#92Wanda93US #56
#93Joy92US #144
#94Florence91US #80
#95Juanita91US #75
#96Suzanne91US #151
#97Julia90US #105
#98Rosie90US #173
#99Jeanne89US #141
#100Anne88US #89

Boys

#1Robert2,546US #1
#2Richard1,836US #5
#3John1,746US #3
#4James1,405US #2
#5William1,220US #4
#6Donald1,136US #7
#7David834US #10
#8Charles799US #6
#9Ronald789US #12
#10George691US #9
#11Frank598US #16
#12Edward528US #13
#13Thomas515US #8
#14Kenneth483US #14
#15Jack448US #20
#16Gary436US #38
#17Paul405US #15
#18Raymond387US #17
#19Jerry382US #18
#20Michael380US #33
#21Joe375US #23
#22Joseph372US #11
#23Larry344US #25
#24Don317US #51
#25Bill290US #61
#26Bob282US #77
#27Gerald279US #19
#28Henry272US #28
#29Albert266US #34
#30Walter258US #26
#31Arthur254US #30
#32Ralph253US #31
#33Fred245US #36
#34Manuel242US #135
#35Daniel227US #41
#36Carl226US #27
#37Lawrence221US #37
#38Roger221US #35
#39Jim214US #85
#40Norman209US #43
#41Peter209US #56
#42Harold206US #21
#43Harry192US #39
#44Gilbert191US #113
#45Ernest187US #55
#46Eugene185US #29
#47Stanley185US #58
#48Louis176US #44
#49Alfred164US #60
#50Roy158US #42
#51Wayne157US #45
#52Tony153US #160
#53Anthony151US #48
#54Gordon151US #75
#55Philip148US #63
#56Ray147US #65
#57Bruce146US #73
#58Dale145US #59
#59Eddie143US #79
#60Howard143US #40
#61Douglas138US #78
#62Dennis134US #74
#63Tom126US #112
#64Johnny124US #72
#65Leonard123US #54
#66Leroy121US #57
#67Marvin120US #49
#68Jimmy117US #46
#69Jose116US #139
#70Clifford112US #90
#71Mike112US #174
#72Phillip112US #102
#73Lee110US #76
#74Alan109US #108
#75Billy107US #22
#76Victor105US #116
#77Earl104US #47
#78Tommy103US #91
#79Gene102US #66
#80Melvin101US #53
#81Stephen99US #99
#82Dick98US #141
#83Russell98US #69
#84Warren98US #95
#85Patrick97US #100
#86Martin95US #92
#87Ronnie95US #147
#88Ted93US #144
#89Bobby92US #24
#90Ruben90
#91Rudy85
#92Edwin84US #84
#93Glenn84US #80
#94Allen83US #81
#95Frederick82US #70
#96Lloyd82US #88
#97Jesse80US #104
#98Floyd74US #86
#99Theodore74US #87
#100Francis73US #50

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑30Gail#60
↑29Linda#68
↑27Karen#71
↑20Judith#47
↑18Peggy#67
↑15Sharon#22
↑15Gordon#54
↑15Eddie#59

Falling

↓29Juanita#95
↓26Marjorie#66
↓20Glenn#93
↓19Anne#100
↓17Warren#84
↓16Marian#87
↓14Victor#76
↓14Gene#79

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.