State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1946 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 204,944 California births in 1946 across 1,824 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#78Yolandaoutside the national top 200
#66Manuel#157 nationally
#100Toni#185 nationally
#94Cathy#167 nationally
#98Tim#171 nationally
#85Pat#147 nationally
#78Gilbert#138 nationally
#51Bob#107 nationally
#95Christopher#150 nationally
#73Claudia#124 nationally
#67Dan#116 nationally
#96Terry#143 nationally

Girls

#1Linda3,777US #2
#2Mary3,147US #1
#3Patricia2,878US #3
#4Susan2,689US #8
#5Barbara2,573US #4
#6Sharon2,421US #9
#7Carol2,152US #5
#8Sandra2,095US #6
#9Nancy1,779US #7
#10Kathleen1,652US #16
#11Karen1,501US #15
#12Donna1,491US #13
#13Judy1,331US #11
#14Judith1,271US #10
#15Diane1,206US #19
#16Pamela1,184US #34
#17Cheryl1,063US #27
#18Carolyn1,038US #12
#19Margaret986US #17
#20Janet959US #21
#21Janice874US #22
#22Gloria872US #26
#23Shirley861US #18
#24Marilyn791US #29
#25Betty758US #14
#26Diana716US #42
#27Joyce684US #20
#28Virginia684US #31
#29Christine675US #50
#30Joan612US #28
#31Beverly592US #30
#32Elizabeth571US #25
#33Bonnie570US #33
#34Kathy526US #79
#35Dorothy508US #23
#36Cynthia474US #46
#37Martha464US #32
#38Suzanne449US #52
#39Frances448US #39
#40Jean441US #37
#41Connie434US #45
#42Helen434US #36
#43Ann433US #40
#44Alice421US #44
#45Phyllis421US #41
#46Gail419US #49
#47Sally413US #67
#48Catherine408US #48
#49Maria408US #88
#50Jane404US #35
#51Darlene401US #71
#52Kathryn388US #63
#53Peggy388US #43
#54Lynn374US #94
#55Ruth374US #38
#56Carole373US #72
#57Marsha371US #98
#58Jo370US #53
#59Paula369US #69
#60Laura363US #75
#61Sue363US #61
#62Katherine342US #78
#63Roberta339US #86
#64Elaine336US #47
#65Irene336US #102
#66Sherry335US #73
#67Vicki330US #108
#68Anita329US #84
#69Joanne329US #57
#70Dolores323US #104
#71Jacqueline315US #62
#72Marie314US #54
#73Claudia313US #124
#74Jeanne312US #83
#75Rita304US #56
#76Sheila302US #70
#77Brenda283US #24
#78Yolanda282
#79Sylvia281US #82
#80Charlene280US #107
#81Rosemary271US #74
#82Charlotte270US #64
#83Ellen267US #58
#84Victoria267US #122
#85Pat264US #147
#86Norma256US #77
#87Dianne253US #76
#88Julie253US #128
#89Lynda252US #109
#90Evelyn242US #65
#91Marcia242US #89
#92Anne238US #81
#93Leslie234US #130
#94Cathy232US #167
#95Rose232US #60
#96Terry231US #143
#97Janis229US #134
#98Rebecca221US #68
#99Theresa216US #96
#100Toni215US #185

Boys

#1Robert5,521US #2
#2John5,095US #3
#3Richard4,680US #5
#4James4,430US #1
#5Michael4,166US #7
#6William3,342US #4
#7David3,312US #6
#8Gary2,227US #12
#9Ronald2,191US #10
#10Dennis2,009US #17
#11Thomas1,960US #8
#12Charles1,851US #9
#13Larry1,784US #11
#14Donald1,556US #13
#15Kenneth1,422US #15
#16Paul1,304US #18
#17George1,232US #16
#18Steven1,137US #28
#19Stephen1,100US #24
#20Frank1,053US #22
#21Daniel994US #21
#22Jerry987US #20
#23Edward977US #19
#24Joseph871US #14
#25Mike814US #64
#26Terry716US #26
#27Bruce711US #32
#28Raymond662US #25
#29Steve657US #69
#30Jack651US #35
#31Joe646US #37
#32Jim636US #73
#33Gregory623US #56
#34Douglas618US #34
#35Roger615US #23
#36Bill595US #72
#37Gerald570US #27
#38Lawrence559US #31
#39Danny546US #46
#40Patrick521US #59
#41Wayne515US #29
#42Arthur514US #36
#43Timothy503US #60
#44Mark498US #58
#45Peter493US #38
#46Fred492US #51
#47Alan478US #49
#48Tom475US #87
#49Don435US #79
#50Ralph424US #48
#51Bob420US #107
#52Harold410US #33
#53Anthony405US #44
#54Roy400US #43
#55Walter392US #30
#56Albert390US #52
#57Philip376US #61
#58Carl375US #39
#59Dale355US #62
#60Jeffrey354US #78
#61Henry353US #41
#62Stanley344US #65
#63Craig341US #108
#64Johnny335US #47
#65Russell327US #66
#66Manuel322US #157
#67Dan310US #116
#68Howard309US #55
#69Ronnie307US #54
#70Phillip299US #83
#71Louis296US #63
#72Ray295US #95
#73Ernest282US #71
#74Leonard282US #67
#75Harry279US #50
#76Barry277US #68
#77Glenn277US #81
#78Gilbert276US #138
#79Norman274US #76
#80Eugene272US #57
#81Jimmy272US #42
#82Martin251US #92
#83Tony251US #129
#84Allen250US #74
#85Rodney246US #93
#86Lee243US #91
#87Alfred240US #94
#88Andrew236US #84
#89Keith225US #96
#90Brian222US #103
#91Victor222US #120
#92Jon219US #117
#93Eddie218US #85
#94Tommy214US #77
#95Christopher213US #150
#96Billy208US #45
#97Melvin208US #86
#98Tim207US #171
#99Eric196US #134
#100Gene194US #98

On the move since 1945

Rising

↑53Cynthia#36
↑30Marsha#57
↑26Gregory#33
↑21Glenn#77
↑19Rita#75
↑16Sherry#66
↑16Ellen#83
↑16Jeffrey#60

Falling

↓38Victoria#84
↓33Rose#95
↓25Victor#91
↓18Carole#56
↓13Joanne#69
↓12Sylvia#79
↓12Dianne#87
↓12Lynda#89

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1945 rankings.