State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1941 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 114,311 California births in 1941 across 1,374 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#86Carmen#195 nationally
#55Manuel#154 nationally
#80Lynn#171 nationally
#47Pat#134 nationally
#83Julie#169 nationally
#70Pamela#155 nationally
#40Mike#111 nationally
#78Tony#145 nationally
#39Bob#103 nationally
#64Charlene#125 nationally
#98Rachel#159 nationally
#59Gilbert#117 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,952US #1
#2Linda1,930US #5
#3Patricia1,823US #3
#4Barbara1,774US #2
#5Carol1,339US #4
#6Sharon1,195US #15
#7Judith1,119US #6
#8Nancy994US #8
#9Sandra975US #9
#10Judy973US #16
#11Susan796US #27
#12Carolyn759US #11
#13Donna725US #20
#14Margaret689US #12
#15Diane662US #40
#16Joan653US #17
#17Betty646US #7
#18Karen615US #19
#19Joyce584US #13
#20Marilyn578US #30
#21Shirley575US #10
#22Virginia548US #23
#23Janice540US #22
#24Janet504US #18
#25Bonnie493US #33
#26Gloria492US #26
#27Dorothy453US #14
#28Kathleen452US #36
#29Beverly425US #29
#30Helen399US #24
#31Frances380US #31
#32Jean356US #32
#33Alice350US #34
#34Elizabeth345US #21
#35Irene320US #74
#36Carole319US #48
#37Darlene302US #76
#38Dolores302US #57
#39Martha288US #25
#40Ann278US #37
#41Joanne273US #54
#42Ruth273US #28
#43Diana269US #100
#44Sally265US #61
#45Gail253US #68
#46Marie251US #42
#47Pat245US #134
#48Phyllis242US #35
#49Norma239US #47
#50Geraldine225US #45
#51Roberta212US #72
#52Anita211US #91
#53Peggy207US #39
#54Suzanne206US #97
#55Elaine203US #44
#56Evelyn201US #50
#57Maria200US #102
#58Joann199US #58
#59Charlotte198US #55
#60Rose197US #49
#61Katherine196US #85
#62Lois191US #43
#63Jo190US #66
#64Charlene186US #125
#65Sue183US #75
#66Connie181US #79
#67Jacqueline181US #73
#68Arlene180US #77
#69Sylvia180US #65
#70Pamela179US #155
#71Jane176US #46
#72Doris175US #38
#73Marjorie169US #71
#74Marlene168US #83
#75Rita166US #63
#76Catherine164US #51
#77Brenda156US #41
#78Eleanor154US #78
#79Kay153US #70
#80Lynn149US #171
#81Louise148US #62
#82Loretta146US #81
#83Julie145US #169
#84Anna144US #56
#85Ellen144US #67
#86Carmen140US #195
#87Esther140US #138
#88Kathryn139US #87
#89Anne138US #82
#90Patsy138US #52
#91Wanda137US #53
#92Marcia135US #105
#93Josephine134US #92
#94Juanita132US #84
#95Yvonne132US #120
#96Maureen131US #129
#97Sheila131US #110
#98Rachel129US #159
#99Jeanette127US #98
#100Deanna126US #137

Boys

#1Robert3,375US #2
#2John2,627US #3
#3Richard2,487US #5
#4James2,361US #1
#5William1,969US #4
#6David1,771US #7
#7Gary1,491US #19
#8Ronald1,401US #9
#9Michael1,379US #16
#10Charles1,140US #6
#11Donald1,120US #10
#12Larry1,026US #11
#13Thomas979US #8
#14George879US #13
#15Dennis867US #23
#16Kenneth765US #15
#17Frank725US #21
#18Jerry711US #14
#19Paul679US #18
#20Edward661US #17
#21Raymond499US #22
#22Joseph475US #12
#23Stephen467US #41
#24Gerald461US #20
#25Jack443US #32
#26Bill440US #68
#27Joe417US #30
#28Roger409US #25
#29Daniel392US #31
#30Arthur372US #33
#31Fred365US #43
#32Douglas325US #53
#33Lawrence325US #34
#34Don324US #66
#35Jim321US #80
#36Peter321US #44
#37Wayne313US #37
#38Steven306US #90
#39Bob297US #103
#40Mike289US #111
#41Albert285US #40
#42Carl285US #29
#43Henry284US #28
#44Walter282US #26
#45Ralph281US #38
#46Harold278US #24
#47Tom269US #88
#48Anthony265US #46
#49Norman264US #49
#50Bruce263US #51
#51Philip256US #52
#52Roy256US #39
#53Stanley237US #57
#54Patrick222US #70
#55Manuel221US #154
#56Ronnie220US #79
#57Terry214US #64
#58Eugene211US #42
#59Gilbert209US #117
#60Dale205US #59
#61Steve205US #112
#62Howard204US #47
#63Leonard197US #54
#64Ernest195US #61
#65Melvin190US #56
#66Ray187US #83
#67Phillip185US #77
#68Louis183US #50
#69Harry178US #48
#70Victor174US #118
#71Alfred172US #74
#72Gordon171US #92
#73Alan165US #84
#74Jimmy158US #45
#75Timothy158US #121
#76Barry157US #91
#77Billy157US #27
#78Tony154US #145
#79Clifford152US #94
#80Johnny150US #55
#81Lee150US #81
#82Gene141US #72
#83Allen140US #73
#84Leroy138US #67
#85Martin138US #85
#86Earl135US #58
#87Jeffrey131US #134
#88Danny129US #120
#89Eddie129US #78
#90Russell126US #75
#91Tommy122US #71
#92Jon120US #128
#93Marvin119US #63
#94Lloyd118US #96
#95Andrew116US #82
#96Glenn116US #86
#97Brian114US #153
#98Jose113US #149
#99Mark108US #122
#100Bobby104US #35

On the move since 1940

Rising

↑24Suzanne#54
↑20Timothy#75
↑19Ronnie#56
↑17Maria#57
↑17Julie#83
↑16Steven#38
↑15Martin#85
↑14Karen#18

Falling

↓28Brenda#77
↓25Loretta#82
↓18Marjorie#73
↓18Tony#78
↓17Jeanette#99
↓17Deanna#100
↓16Marlene#74
↓16Alfred#71

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1940 rankings.