State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1942 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 142,044 California births in 1942 across 1,522 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#98Carmenoutside the national top 200
#53Manuel#153 nationally
#53Pat#144 nationally
#90Claudia#172 nationally
#79Kathy#159 nationally
#78Julie#157 nationally
#73Tony#145 nationally
#40Bob#110 nationally
#80Lynn#149 nationally
#38Mike#106 nationally
#64Lynda#132 nationally
#45Pamela#106 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,461US #4
#2Mary2,440US #1
#3Barbara2,212US #2
#4Patricia2,155US #3
#5Sharon1,828US #11
#6Carol1,672US #5
#7Sandra1,330US #6
#8Nancy1,259US #8
#9Judith1,224US #7
#10Judy1,119US #15
#11Karen1,063US #16
#12Susan1,058US #21
#13Donna1,007US #20
#14Carolyn996US #10
#15Diane931US #28
#16Joan764US #18
#17Margaret750US #14
#18Kathleen745US #24
#19Shirley737US #12
#20Betty669US #9
#21Janet665US #19
#22Marilyn653US #27
#23Virginia616US #23
#24Carole596US #35
#25Joyce592US #13
#26Gloria567US #31
#27Janice562US #25
#28Bonnie540US #34
#29Beverly483US #32
#30Helen468US #26
#31Dorothy461US #17
#32Frances459US #30
#33Diana444US #68
#34Elizabeth403US #22
#35Alice360US #39
#36Jean356US #36
#37Joanne344US #48
#38Dolores330US #63
#39Ruth330US #33
#40Ann326US #38
#41Darlene324US #78
#42Martha321US #29
#43Phyllis316US #37
#44Sally310US #56
#45Pamela301US #106
#46Marie296US #43
#47Roberta292US #66
#48Irene288US #80
#49Gail278US #60
#50Connie269US #70
#51Maria260US #97
#52Charlotte256US #51
#53Pat254US #144
#54Norma253US #52
#55Jo251US #65
#56Elaine241US #45
#57Peggy233US #42
#58Rose233US #50
#59Sue229US #73
#60Jacqueline226US #69
#61Rita226US #55
#62Sylvia226US #72
#63Geraldine222US #47
#64Lynda221US #132
#65Katherine213US #81
#66Kathryn213US #82
#67Anita208US #93
#68Jane205US #46
#69Joann204US #58
#70Loretta203US #79
#71Sheila203US #94
#72Lois200US #44
#73Suzanne200US #103
#74Dianne199US #109
#75Louise199US #61
#76Charlene196US #117
#77Christine196US #96
#78Julie191US #157
#79Kathy191US #159
#80Lynn191US #149
#81Catherine190US #49
#82Marlene183US #84
#83Evelyn182US #53
#84Kay177US #75
#85Marcia176US #105
#86Arlene171US #83
#87Doris170US #41
#88Marjorie170US #74
#89Esther168US #142
#90Claudia166US #172
#91Anne165US #76
#92Ellen165US #64
#93Yvonne162US #131
#94Rosemary158US #92
#95Marsha156US #156
#96Maureen154US #102
#97Jeanne153US #119
#98Carmen151
#99Jeanette151US #104
#100Sherry150US #145

Boys

#1Robert4,019US #2
#2John3,421US #3
#3James3,273US #1
#4Richard2,951US #5
#5William2,540US #4
#6David2,304US #6
#7Michael1,959US #13
#8Gary1,793US #18
#9Ronald1,740US #9
#10Charles1,427US #7
#11Thomas1,282US #8
#12Donald1,260US #10
#13Larry1,258US #12
#14Dennis1,241US #20
#15Kenneth1,029US #15
#16George990US #14
#17Jerry875US #16
#18Frank800US #21
#19Paul776US #19
#20Edward716US #17
#21Douglas706US #23
#22Stephen639US #32
#23Raymond611US #24
#24Joseph574US #11
#25Jack543US #34
#26Daniel529US #28
#27Gerald523US #22
#28Joe487US #33
#29Jim485US #74
#30Roger484US #25
#31Bill480US #65
#32Fred423US #46
#33Lawrence408US #30
#34Arthur407US #29
#35Bruce390US #50
#36Peter390US #39
#37Steven385US #75
#38Mike380US #106
#39Walter370US #26
#40Bob360US #110
#41Wayne360US #41
#42Harold352US #27
#43Don345US #72
#44Carl341US #36
#45Tom341US #89
#46Ralph329US #38
#47Terry315US #52
#48Anthony309US #44
#49Stanley308US #56
#50Albert307US #40
#51Henry302US #31
#52Steve295US #102
#53Manuel283US #153
#54Patrick282US #64
#55Norman281US #53
#56Philip271US #54
#57Roy271US #42
#58Eugene255US #45
#59Ray254US #84
#60Phillip252US #77
#61Ronnie251US #78
#62Dale247US #63
#63Harry242US #48
#64Ernest234US #61
#65Alan230US #81
#66Louis220US #51
#67Howard215US #49
#68Leonard215US #57
#69Johnny210US #55
#70Barry209US #79
#71Victor209US #99
#72Russell201US #70
#73Tony201US #145
#74Danny199US #111
#75Jimmy195US #47
#76Melvin192US #60
#77Alfred189US #76
#78Allen189US #71
#79Gordon189US #92
#80Gilbert188US #128
#81Tommy185US #73
#82Lee178US #87
#83Timothy175US #108
#84Clifford174US #95
#85Martin174US #85
#86Eddie170US #86
#87Gene162US #82
#88Glenn161US #88
#89Billy160US #35
#90Leroy159US #69
#91Mark157US #117
#92Marvin153US #66
#93Jeffrey151US #116
#94Dan149US #147
#95Brian147US #139
#96Jon146US #125
#97Lloyd145US #96
#98Earl143US #62
#99Andrew139US #80
#100Jose138US #150

On the move since 1941

Rising

↑26Sheila#71
↑25Pamela#45
↑22Kathryn#66
↑18Russell#72
↑16Connie#50
↑15Bruce#35
↑14Rita#61
↑14Danny#74

Falling

↓27Evelyn#83
↓21Gilbert#80
↓19Suzanne#73
↓18Arlene#86
↓15Anita#67
↓15Doris#87
↓15Marjorie#88
↓13Irene#48

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1941 rankings.