State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1943 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 159,812 California births in 1943 across 1,638 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#90Carmenoutside the national top 200
#52Manuel#149 nationally
#61Pat#145 nationally
#80Julie#156 nationally
#62Kathy#136 nationally
#75Tony#145 nationally
#45Bob#110 nationally
#38Cheryl#102 nationally
#70Lynn#134 nationally
#96Claudia#159 nationally
#100Deanna#160 nationally
#34Mike#90 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,928US #1
#2Linda2,816US #4
#3Patricia2,431US #3
#4Barbara2,270US #2
#5Sharon2,195US #8
#6Carol1,937US #5
#7Sandra1,553US #6
#8Judith1,402US #7
#9Susan1,380US #18
#10Nancy1,314US #9
#11Judy1,211US #13
#12Karen1,207US #15
#13Donna1,202US #17
#14Carolyn1,042US #11
#15Diane1,000US #24
#16Margaret905US #14
#17Kathleen895US #22
#18Shirley858US #12
#19Betty763US #10
#20Marilyn758US #27
#21Janet752US #20
#22Virginia741US #25
#23Joan740US #21
#24Joyce681US #16
#25Janice648US #26
#26Gloria631US #30
#27Pamela588US #54
#28Beverly584US #32
#29Bonnie557US #34
#30Frances502US #31
#31Dorothy494US #19
#32Diana482US #62
#33Carole443US #42
#34Helen436US #28
#35Elizabeth407US #23
#36Martha380US #29
#37Alice378US #38
#38Cheryl377US #102
#39Darlene372US #73
#40Jean370US #36
#41Sally369US #57
#42Ruth344US #33
#43Irene338US #85
#44Ann332US #37
#45Phyllis327US #39
#46Joanne323US #49
#47Connie316US #59
#48Dolores305US #74
#49Gail303US #55
#50Peggy297US #41
#51Roberta293US #66
#52Suzanne275US #86
#53Charlotte273US #47
#54Rita271US #52
#55Jo269US #63
#56Joann269US #60
#57Jacqueline268US #65
#58Marie265US #45
#59Elaine259US #46
#60Norma259US #58
#61Pat252US #145
#62Kathy250US #136
#63Rose247US #50
#64Katherine246US #78
#65Sue246US #72
#66Sylvia246US #77
#67Maria242US #103
#68Anita241US #98
#69Christine241US #84
#70Lynn233US #134
#71Kathryn232US #75
#72Charlene227US #121
#73Catherine226US #48
#74Jane222US #44
#75Evelyn220US #53
#76Louise219US #70
#77Lynda217US #115
#78Paula216US #93
#79Geraldine215US #51
#80Julie205US #156
#81Marsha205US #132
#82Sheila205US #92
#83Doris203US #40
#84Dianne200US #88
#85Jeanne199US #113
#86Lois199US #43
#87Anne194US #80
#88Marjorie192US #79
#89Ellen191US #67
#90Carmen189
#91Marcia186US #96
#92Loretta182US #89
#93Marlene182US #104
#94Wanda182US #56
#95Arlene180US #90
#96Claudia179US #159
#97Juanita176US #91
#98Kay176US #81
#99Sherry175US #123
#100Deanna174US #160

Boys

#1Robert4,658US #2
#2John3,879US #3
#3James3,599US #1
#4Richard3,408US #5
#5William2,818US #4
#6David2,504US #6
#7Michael2,418US #10
#8Ronald1,914US #9
#9Gary1,760US #16
#10Charles1,584US #7
#11Thomas1,478US #8
#12Larry1,420US #12
#13Donald1,403US #11
#14Dennis1,228US #20
#15George1,099US #14
#16Kenneth1,085US #15
#17Jerry963US #17
#18Paul931US #19
#19Frank909US #21
#20Edward838US #18
#21Joseph743US #13
#22Stephen706US #29
#23Raymond674US #22
#24Jack643US #34
#25Daniel609US #25
#26Roger595US #24
#27Douglas568US #28
#28Gerald566US #23
#29Joe563US #35
#30Steven528US #58
#31Jim519US #75
#32Bill515US #65
#33Arthur497US #30
#34Mike448US #90
#35Fred446US #45
#36Don435US #72
#37Peter427US #39
#38Terry426US #49
#39Lawrence412US #32
#40Bruce395US #51
#41Harold376US #27
#42Wayne376US #41
#43Walter367US #26
#44Ralph366US #40
#45Bob362US #110
#46Tom360US #87
#47Steve355US #93
#48Albert342US #43
#49Roy329US #38
#50Carl327US #33
#51Henry327US #31
#52Manuel317US #149
#53Patrick313US #69
#54Anthony312US #44
#55Alan309US #67
#56Stanley287US #54
#57Danny285US #88
#58Eugene281US #47
#59Johnny279US #52
#60Phillip277US #81
#61Philip274US #57
#62Norman268US #56
#63Ronnie264US #71
#64Jimmy261US #42
#65Ernest256US #61
#66Louis256US #53
#67Dale252US #59
#68Harry251US #50
#69Ray244US #84
#70Victor244US #97
#71Leonard227US #55
#72Timothy226US #99
#73Howard225US #48
#74Martin222US #83
#75Tony216US #145
#76Gilbert211US #123
#77Melvin210US #63
#78Russell210US #73
#79Barry202US #82
#80Billy201US #37
#81Glenn201US #85
#82Marvin199US #66
#83Alfred190US #78
#84Jeffrey190US #116
#85Mark187US #101
#86Tommy185US #77
#87Gene182US #89
#88Allen180US #76
#89Clifford178US #94
#90Earl174US #60
#91Bobby173US #46
#92Gordon172US #98
#93Frederick168US #70
#94Lee168US #91
#95Eddie166US #80
#96Keith163US #108
#97Brian161US #120
#98Dan157US #139
#99Jose153US #151
#100Jon152US #127

On the move since 1942

Rising

↑21Suzanne#52
↑18Pamela#27
↑17Kathy#62
↑17Danny#57
↑14Marsha#81
↑13Joann#56
↑12Jeanne#85
↑11Jimmy#64

Falling

↓22Loretta#92
↓16Maria#67
↓16Geraldine#79
↓14Lois#86
↓14Kay#98
↓13Lynda#77
↓13Gordon#92
↓12Marie#58

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1942 rankings.