State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1939 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 93,466 California births in 1939 across 1,274 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#80Carmenoutside the national top 200
#100Lynnoutside the national top 200
#100Rudyoutside the national top 200
#44Pat#142 nationally
#45Manuel#143 nationally
#60Tony#140 nationally
#51Mike#129 nationally
#60Diana#138 nationally
#72Steven#144 nationally
#54Maria#119 nationally
#68Deanna#133 nationally
#83Jose#148 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,698US #1
#2Barbara1,620US #2
#3Patricia1,509US #3
#4Carol1,109US #6
#5Linda847US #15
#6Nancy831US #7
#7Sharon793US #23
#8Joan712US #11
#9Judith702US #8
#10Betty658US #4
#11Shirley611US #5
#12Sandra594US #13
#13Donna591US #20
#14Marilyn584US #19
#15Margaret583US #10
#16Judy536US #28
#17Diane505US #51
#18Carolyn480US #14
#19Virginia480US #21
#20Beverly478US #25
#21Dorothy471US #9
#22Joyce435US #12
#23Susan433US #44
#24Janice417US #24
#25Helen398US #16
#26Janet395US #17
#27Gloria357US #36
#28Frances356US #26
#29Carole334US #47
#30Jean326US #32
#31Alice318US #31
#32Sally288US #52
#33Elizabeth277US #18
#34Darlene272US #75
#35Joanne266US #53
#36Irene263US #74
#37Kathleen258US #48
#38Dolores257US #58
#39Ruth248US #22
#40Ann246US #33
#41Norma240US #38
#42Karen237US #39
#43Roberta232US #71
#44Pat229US #142
#45Evelyn225US #40
#46Marie220US #37
#47Bonnie214US #61
#48Phyllis214US #30
#49Gail213US #73
#50Lois213US #35
#51Martha197US #27
#52Marlene195US #64
#53Arlene194US #69
#54Maria189US #119
#55Loretta186US #65
#56Rose184US #42
#57Elaine182US #45
#58Eleanor180US #63
#59Marjorie179US #60
#60Diana178US #138
#61Peggy177US #34
#62Jacqueline174US #72
#63Joann174US #57
#64Geraldine171US #41
#65Sylvia171US #62
#66Jo169US #70
#67Anita168US #97
#68Deanna166US #133
#69Yvonne166US #90
#70Esther165US #117
#71Louise160US #59
#72Suzanne159US #122
#73Jane155US #46
#74Rosalie154US #114
#75Brenda151US #86
#76Charlotte151US #66
#77Connie150US #111
#78Doris149US #29
#79Anne142US #85
#80Carmen141
#81Juanita133US #77
#82Josephine129US #84
#83Anna128US #43
#84Rita125US #78
#85Wanda125US #50
#86Katherine124US #101
#87Kay123US #76
#88Charlene122US #139
#89Patsy122US #56
#90Marcia121US #109
#91Sue121US #92
#92Jeanette117US #82
#93June117US #83
#94Lorraine116US #95
#95Rachel116US #160
#96Sheila112US #125
#97Ellen110US #80
#98Rosemary106US #93
#99Margie105US #113
#100Lynn103

Boys

#1Robert2,856US #1
#2Richard2,124US #5
#3John2,027US #3
#4James1,871US #2
#5William1,528US #4
#6David1,397US #7
#7Ronald1,153US #10
#8Donald997US #8
#9Charles959US #6
#10Gary933US #21
#11Michael920US #18
#12George749US #11
#13Thomas675US #9
#14Larry663US #14
#15Kenneth641US #13
#16Frank605US #20
#17Jerry585US #16
#18Paul570US #17
#19Edward564US #15
#20Dennis501US #34
#21Jack452US #26
#22Joseph430US #12
#23Raymond429US #22
#24Gerald417US #19
#25Joe384US #27
#26Bill356US #67
#27Roger332US #28
#28Arthur330US #32
#29Bob314US #89
#30Fred306US #40
#31Norman305US #44
#32Don304US #56
#33Daniel303US #38
#34Wayne301US #39
#35Ralph298US #35
#36Douglas287US #58
#37Jim281US #75
#38Walter276US #25
#39Albert274US #41
#40Henry268US #31
#41Peter262US #46
#42Harold246US #23
#43Lawrence234US #36
#44Carl231US #30
#45Manuel220US #143
#46Stephen214US #65
#47Bruce213US #64
#48Philip211US #66
#49Stanley209US #57
#50Eugene205US #37
#51Mike204US #129
#52Tom202US #97
#53Roy201US #42
#54Ernest200US #55
#55Anthony191US #48
#56Gilbert189US #115
#57Alfred183US #70
#58Leonard179US #54
#59Ray176US #74
#60Tony172US #140
#61Melvin168US #51
#62Howard167US #47
#63Alan165US #85
#64Dale165US #59
#65Harry160US #45
#66Louis158US #49
#67Gordon153US #82
#68Ronnie148US #109
#69Patrick146US #79
#70Johnny144US #62
#71Allen140US #72
#72Steven138US #144
#73Eddie137US #81
#74Earl135US #50
#75Clifford131US #88
#76Leroy130US #61
#77Marvin127US #52
#78Phillip127US #92
#79Danny123US #137
#80Lee123US #78
#81Russell123US #73
#82Jimmy122US #43
#83Jose122US #148
#84Victor121US #119
#85Gene120US #69
#86Billy117US #24
#87Terry117US #83
#88Glenn116US #87
#89Steve116US #139
#90Lloyd107US #95
#91Jesse101US #99
#92Jon101US #121
#93Tommy101US #77
#94Martin100US #91
#95Ted97US #149
#96Bobby94US #29
#97Edwin94US #96
#98Herbert93US #68
#99Frederick90US #71
#100Rudy90

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑21Danny#79
↑20Bonnie#47
↑19Juanita#81
↑18Philip#48
↑17Jo#66
↑16Gail#49
↑15Pat#44
↑15Suzanne#72

Falling

↓30Rosalie#74
↓25Doris#78
↓18Louis#66
↓17Victor#84
↓14Billy#86
↓14Bobby#96
↓13Marlene#52
↓13Lorraine#94

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.