State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1938 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 91,628 California births in 1938 across 1,270 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
#82Lupeoutside the national top 200
#89Rudyoutside the national top 200
#44Manuel#144 nationally
#58Mike#154 nationally
#62Tony#153 nationally
#59Pat#149 nationally
#71Diana#151 nationally
#88Rachel#165 nationally
#94Dick#165 nationally
#47Gilbert#116 nationally
#77Charlene#143 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,875US #1
#2Barbara1,728US #2
#3Patricia1,425US #3
#4Carol1,050US #6
#5Nancy773US #7
#6Betty694US #4
#7Shirley674US #5
#8Joan651US #10
#9Donna610US #20
#10Marilyn600US #19
#11Margaret580US #9
#12Sandra560US #14
#13Sharon558US #30
#14Beverly553US #18
#15Linda517US #31
#16Virginia485US #22
#17Diane479US #64
#18Judith465US #12
#19Joyce452US #11
#20Janet449US #16
#21Dorothy443US #8
#22Helen433US #13
#23Carolyn404US #15
#24Gloria397US #36
#25Frances383US #23
#26Janice370US #24
#27Judy356US #41
#28Alice336US #29
#29Carole319US #46
#30Norma296US #34
#31Dolores294US #43
#32Darlene291US #76
#33Elizabeth290US #17
#34Sally286US #54
#35Jean285US #27
#36Susan271US #71
#37Ann264US #32
#38Joanne253US #57
#39Marlene252US #51
#40Phyllis245US #28
#41Roberta244US #73
#42Ruth241US #21
#43Irene232US #72
#44Rosalie230US #66
#45Marie229US #37
#46Kathleen228US #58
#47Lois228US #33
#48Martha224US #26
#49Rose216US #39
#50Jacqueline214US #69
#51Arlene210US #63
#52Karen206US #50
#53Doris205US #25
#54Loretta204US #62
#55Eleanor201US #60
#56Evelyn201US #38
#57Elaine198US #42
#58Deanna197US #115
#59Pat194US #149
#60Geraldine184US #45
#61Maria184US #122
#62Marjorie183US #53
#63Sylvia183US #56
#64Esther182US #120
#65Gail177US #77
#66Anita174US #99
#67Bonnie173US #65
#68Joann173US #68
#69Peggy172US #35
#70Yvonne167US #101
#71Diana165US #151
#72Carmen161
#73Wanda150US #49
#74Connie146US #110
#75Jane145US #44
#76Josephine139US #83
#77Charlene136US #143
#78Louise134US #59
#79Catherine132US #48
#80Jeanette132US #91
#81Lorraine127US #93
#82Lupe126
#83Jo125US #78
#84Marcia125US #116
#85Patsy124US #55
#86June123US #79
#87Suzanne122US #133
#88Rachel119US #165
#89Anne115US #84
#90Charlotte112US #70
#91Kay112US #81
#92Laura108US #108
#93Anna107US #40
#94Katherine104US #105
#95Pauline104US #97
#96Margie103US #109
#97Rita102US #74
#98Sheila102US #136
#99Sue102US #104
#100Juanita101US #80

Boys

#1Robert2,928US #1
#2John2,009US #3
#3Richard1,975US #5
#4James1,777US #2
#5William1,565US #4
#6Ronald1,201US #10
#7David1,195US #8
#8Donald1,125US #7
#9Charles975US #6
#10Gary879US #22
#11George777US #11
#12Michael701US #21
#13Frank682US #18
#14Thomas675US #9
#15Kenneth626US #14
#16Larry588US #16
#17Edward575US #13
#18Jerry544US #17
#19Paul521US #15
#20Jack505US #25
#21Raymond465US #20
#22Joe450US #28
#23Joseph409US #12
#24Gerald373US #19
#25Bill343US #67
#26Don341US #52
#27Fred335US #38
#28Dennis308US #49
#29Arthur307US #32
#30Albert303US #37
#31Norman301US #43
#32Daniel298US #39
#33Ralph295US #35
#34Bob292US #94
#35Lawrence290US #36
#36Douglas281US #60
#37Jim281US #81
#38Roger277US #31
#39Walter267US #26
#40Wayne265US #40
#41Henry252US #30
#42Carl249US #29
#43Harold241US #23
#44Manuel240US #144
#45Peter230US #48
#46Anthony222US #46
#47Gilbert222US #116
#48Louis215US #47
#49Roy202US #41
#50Tom201US #106
#51Ernest188US #55
#52Stanley187US #59
#53Bruce186US #66
#54Dale184US #56
#55Eugene183US #33
#56Howard181US #42
#57Ray180US #72
#58Mike179US #154
#59Harry170US #44
#60Alfred169US #69
#61Stephen168US #74
#62Tony163US #153
#63Alan155US #91
#64Johnny153US #63
#65Leonard151US #57
#66Philip150US #64
#67Victor147US #117
#68Gordon144US #78
#69Eddie143US #79
#70Jimmy143US #45
#71Phillip140US #95
#72Billy138US #24
#73Melvin138US #54
#74Allen134US #73
#75Patrick128US #88
#76Earl127US #50
#77Terry127US #86
#78Gene126US #65
#79Warren124US #102
#80Ronnie121US #113
#81Leroy119US #61
#82Bobby117US #27
#83Russell117US #70
#84Jose116US #142
#85Lee115US #80
#86Marvin115US #53
#87Frederick113US #71
#88Clifford112US #89
#89Rudy110
#90Tommy109US #77
#91Glenn107US #83
#92Martin107US #87
#93Jesse105US #107
#94Dick104US #165
#95Jon103US #126
#96Steve103US #149
#97Edwin102US #90
#98Vernon102US #103
#99Lloyd99US #92
#100Danny93US #137

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑23Judy#27
↑23Victor#67
↑20Judith#18
↑20Douglas#36
↑19Susan#36
↑18Wanda#73
↑16Dennis#28
↑16Mike#58

Falling

↓18Leroy#81
↓17Gene#78
↓17Marvin#86
↓16Charlotte#90
↓16Anna#93
↓14Joann#68
↓14June#86
↓14Katherine#94

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.