State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1937 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 83,738 California births in 1937 across 1,220 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#78Carmenoutside the national top 200
#93Lupeoutside the national top 200
#98Rubenoutside the national top 200
#38Manuel#138 nationally
#60Tony#160 nationally
#48Pat#147 nationally
#74Mike#168 nationally
#66Diana#157 nationally
#85Rachel#163 nationally
#63Deanna#139 nationally
#88Dick#153 nationally
#81Suzanne#145 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,712US #1
#2Barbara1,601US #2
#3Patricia1,252US #3
#4Carol1,015US #6
#5Shirley733US #4
#6Nancy677US #7
#7Betty661US #5
#8Joan627US #9
#9Donna601US #21
#10Beverly576US #14
#11Margaret567US #10
#12Marilyn558US #13
#13Virginia454US #16
#14Dorothy450US #8
#15Diane437US #76
#16Helen433US #12
#17Joyce428US #11
#18Carolyn418US #20
#19Sharon416US #41
#20Gloria380US #32
#21Janet376US #18
#22Frances374US #19
#23Sandra370US #26
#24Janice344US #25
#25Dolores313US #37
#26Alice310US #28
#27Linda310US #49
#28Darlene277US #72
#29Carole269US #56
#30Elizabeth268US #17
#31Joanne268US #51
#32Jean265US #23
#33Ruth264US #15
#34Ann257US #30
#35Marlene255US #40
#36Norma253US #33
#37Sally249US #59
#38Judith247US #34
#39Roberta233US #66
#40Marie221US #35
#41Arlene219US #60
#42Rose217US #38
#43Evelyn211US #36
#44Eleanor207US #53
#45Irene204US #62
#46Doris199US #22
#47Phyllis197US #27
#48Pat196US #147
#49Lois192US #29
#50Judy190US #91
#51Jacqueline189US #70
#52Gail188US #99
#53Martha186US #24
#54Joann184US #58
#55Susan183US #97
#56Sylvia183US #50
#57Kathleen181US #61
#58Peggy181US #31
#59Anita180US #93
#60Geraldine179US #44
#61Elaine178US #45
#62Yvonne170US #77
#63Deanna168US #139
#64Loretta165US #63
#65Bonnie163US #64
#66Diana156US #157
#67Karen155US #113
#68Maria155US #123
#69Esther146US #116
#70Connie145US #128
#71Marjorie144US #57
#72June141US #71
#73Jane140US #42
#74Charlotte138US #67
#75Jeanette138US #90
#76Josephine138US #82
#77Anna135US #39
#78Carmen135
#79Louise129US #48
#80Katherine127US #103
#81Suzanne122US #145
#82Catherine119US #47
#83Charlene119US #141
#84Jo116US #73
#85Rachel114US #163
#86Rita114US #69
#87Juanita112US #75
#88Patsy111US #54
#89Anne109US #92
#90Marcia108US #124
#91Wanda106US #55
#92Lorraine103US #83
#93Lupe103
#94Kay102US #79
#95Lillian101US #84
#96Sue100US #101
#97Marian98US #129
#98Kathryn97US #108
#99Jeanne96US #149
#100Laura95US #105

Boys

#1Robert2,885US #1
#2Richard1,975US #5
#3John1,844US #3
#4James1,546US #2
#5William1,402US #4
#6David1,140US #8
#7Donald1,111US #7
#8Ronald974US #11
#9Charles931US #6
#10George713US #10
#11Gary650US #29
#12Edward609US #13
#13Frank607US #18
#14Kenneth605US #14
#15Thomas600US #9
#16Michael541US #27
#17Jack498US #23
#18Paul486US #15
#19Larry481US #16
#20Jerry475US #17
#21Raymond460US #19
#22Gerald399US #20
#23Joe395US #25
#24Joseph377US #12
#25Don337US #51
#26Fred329US #35
#27Bob313US #81
#28Bill308US #64
#29Arthur288US #31
#30Jim287US #82
#31Albert273US #37
#32Daniel260US #39
#33Harold260US #21
#34Henry256US #30
#35Ralph253US #34
#36Norman244US #43
#37Roger242US #36
#38Manuel239US #138
#39Walter233US #26
#40Carl228US #28
#41Lawrence228US #38
#42Peter216US #52
#43Eugene212US #33
#44Dennis198US #63
#45Roy197US #40
#46Bruce192US #70
#47Alfred189US #60
#48Ray187US #71
#49Gilbert186US #112
#50Wayne186US #44
#51Anthony183US #47
#52Ernest182US #53
#53Stanley179US #57
#54Harry174US #41
#55Howard174US #42
#56Douglas172US #74
#57Louis167US #46
#58Tom164US #108
#59Philip162US #62
#60Tony155US #160
#61Gene154US #61
#62Gordon152US #75
#63Leroy145US #56
#64Dale142US #59
#65Johnny142US #69
#66Melvin140US #50
#67Leonard139US #58
#68Eddie133US #83
#69Marvin130US #49
#70Warren130US #106
#71Earl129US #48
#72Phillip128US #98
#73Billy127US #22
#74Mike126US #168
#75Stephen126US #92
#76Jimmy120US #45
#77Clifford115US #90
#78Alan114US #103
#79Tommy114US #84
#80Lee112US #78
#81Glenn110US #88
#82Martin110US #87
#83Patrick110US #94
#84Russell108US #67
#85Terry107US #113
#86Allen106US #76
#87Lloyd106US #91
#88Dick104US #153
#89Jose104US #142
#90Victor104US #117
#91Ted102US #147
#92Danny92US #152
#93Edwin92US #89
#94Bobby91US #24
#95Ronnie91US #128
#96Theodore91US #86
#97Allan88US #124
#98Ruben88
#99Andrew86US #79
#100Jesse86US #102

On the move since 1936

Rising

↑41Linda#27
↑23Judy#50
↑18Dennis#44
↑18Gene#61
↑15Suzanne#81
↑14Susan#55
↑14Melvin#66
↑14Warren#70

Falling

↓27Lorraine#92
↓21Carmen#78
↓20Esther#69
↓20Jose#89
↓16Maria#68
↓16Louise#79
↓15Lois#49
↓15Lupe#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1936 rankings.