State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1948 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 229,045 California births in 1948 across 1,971 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#75Yolanda#197 nationally
#67Manuel#156 nationally
#100Chris#172 nationally
#73Bob#141 nationally
#42Cathy#104 nationally
#50Victoria#108 nationally
#87Gilbert#145 nationally
#52Christopher#102 nationally
#76Jose#126 nationally
#88Stephanie#137 nationally
#99Denise#147 nationally
#39Jim#86 nationally

Girls

#1Linda6,604US #1
#2Mary3,426US #2
#3Susan3,338US #5
#4Patricia2,883US #4
#5Barbara2,473US #3
#6Kathleen2,110US #10
#7Sandra2,109US #6
#8Nancy1,969US #7
#9Carol1,954US #8
#10Sharon1,887US #9
#11Karen1,724US #12
#12Donna1,442US #11
#13Pamela1,407US #22
#14Judy1,250US #16
#15Diane1,215US #19
#16Margaret1,159US #13
#17Judith1,103US #15
#18Christine1,099US #35
#19Cheryl1,021US #25
#20Janet1,004US #24
#21Cynthia950US #27
#22Carolyn925US #14
#23Janice913US #23
#24Gloria890US #28
#25Shirley790US #20
#26Marilyn746US #33
#27Diana726US #48
#28Elizabeth724US #26
#29Deborah672US #30
#30Catherine666US #41
#31Virginia661US #36
#32Kathy659US #55
#33Joyce635US #21
#34Betty599US #18
#35Beverly580US #31
#36Bonnie568US #34
#37Joan553US #37
#38Maria547US #75
#39Martha531US #32
#40Kathryn524US #54
#41Peggy520US #38
#42Cathy484US #104
#43Brenda481US #17
#44Paula470US #52
#45Frances468US #42
#46Helen466US #40
#47Gail456US #51
#48Laura448US #73
#49Katherine442US #68
#50Victoria438US #108
#51Ann432US #44
#52Lynn430US #80
#53Suzanne426US #66
#54Connie423US #43
#55Lynda419US #84
#56Alice416US #49
#57Vicki411US #81
#58Ruth407US #45
#59Dorothy406US #29
#60Rebecca400US #50
#61Phyllis393US #46
#62Teresa390US #82
#63Theresa388US #63
#64Sally383US #72
#65Marsha380US #76
#66Jacqueline375US #58
#67Jo372US #56
#68Jean370US #47
#69Marie366US #60
#70Joanne359US #65
#71Jane358US #39
#72Rose347US #62
#73Darlene345US #77
#74Julie341US #117
#75Yolanda338US #197
#76Sherry337US #61
#77Irene335US #111
#78Claudia330US #122
#79Elaine330US #53
#80Sue324US #78
#81Rita322US #59
#82Sylvia314US #100
#83Anita306US #102
#84Roberta301US #101
#85Dolores300US #119
#86Sheila300US #71
#87Marcia298US #79
#88Stephanie298US #137
#89Carole295US #106
#90Janis292US #121
#91Charlene290US #105
#92Leslie290US #131
#93Jeanne289US #95
#94Yvonne287US #112
#95Norma279US #103
#96Terry279US #133
#97Charlotte270US #69
#98Maureen270US #88
#99Denise258US #147
#100Valerie258US #135

Boys

#1Robert5,888US #2
#2John5,424US #3
#3Michael4,772US #6
#4James4,658US #1
#5David4,121US #5
#6Richard4,000US #7
#7William3,431US #4
#8Ronald2,345US #10
#9Thomas2,326US #8
#10Gary2,203US #12
#11Steven2,014US #23
#12Larry1,999US #11
#13Charles1,926US #9
#14Dennis1,858US #17
#15Stephen1,723US #20
#16Donald1,654US #14
#17Kenneth1,450US #15
#18Paul1,367US #18
#19Daniel1,366US #22
#20George1,242US #16
#21Joseph1,126US #13
#22Gregory1,053US #32
#23Frank1,049US #25
#24Mark1,042US #29
#25Edward1,035US #19
#26Bruce924US #28
#27Jerry861US #21
#28Steve822US #60
#29Timothy814US #38
#30Mike809US #68
#31Raymond783US #27
#32Douglas752US #33
#33Terry709US #26
#34Patrick671US #48
#35Lawrence630US #31
#36Danny628US #39
#37Jack610US #43
#38Joe598US #47
#39Jim590US #86
#40Roger579US #24
#41Arthur572US #44
#42Peter566US #37
#43Alan548US #46
#44Gerald543US #30
#45Wayne535US #34
#46Craig534US #82
#47Jeffrey514US #58
#48Bill505US #84
#49Anthony504US #41
#50Tom494US #94
#51Ralph483US #51
#52Christopher441US #102
#53Philip437US #54
#54Stanley428US #65
#55Carl423US #42
#56Dale421US #56
#57Henry421US #45
#58Fred413US #66
#59Harold413US #36
#60Roy408US #49
#61Albert401US #55
#62Phillip397US #69
#63Walter393US #35
#64Russell391US #67
#65Don385US #91
#66Johnny369US #52
#67Manuel350US #156
#68Brian338US #95
#69Glenn318US #73
#70Randy318US #99
#71Ernest311US #76
#72Barry308US #74
#73Bob308US #141
#74Louis303US #64
#75Martin302US #88
#76Jose301US #126
#77Dan297US #113
#78Harry293US #57
#79Howard290US #63
#80Ronnie284US #59
#81Scott282US #122
#82Alfred280US #96
#83Allen279US #72
#84Eric278US #114
#85Rodney275US #92
#86Victor275US #115
#87Gilbert271US #145
#88Andrew266US #77
#89Tony266US #125
#90Randall265US #98
#91Jimmy264US #50
#92Leonard264US #71
#93Keith259US #89
#94Eugene258US #61
#95Ray257US #100
#96Frederick255US #75
#97Samuel249US #70
#98Norman247US #85
#99Lee243US #93
#100Chris235US #172

On the move since 1947

Rising

↑38Deborah#29
↑35Theresa#63
↑28Victoria#50
↑26Christopher#52
↑23Teresa#62
↑22Jacqueline#66
↑21Cathy#42
↑20Rebecca#60

Falling

↓21Dorothy#59
↓19Sue#80
↓19Norman#98
↓16Jean#68
↓16Jane#71
↓16Sheila#86
↓14Lynda#55
↓14Darlene#73

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1947 rankings.