State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1949 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 233,631 California births in 1949 across 1,984 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#73Yolanda#193 nationally
#58Manuel#154 nationally
#87Christina#160 nationally
#96Chris#168 nationally
#80Denise#140 nationally
#69Stephanie#128 nationally
#77Michele#135 nationally
#90Gilbert#147 nationally
#61Irene#111 nationally
#47Victoria#96 nationally
#60Jim#108 nationally
#68Terry#115 nationally

Girls

#1Linda6,272US #1
#2Mary3,220US #2
#3Susan3,180US #5
#4Patricia2,925US #3
#5Kathleen2,348US #9
#6Barbara2,295US #4
#7Nancy2,063US #7
#8Sandra2,029US #6
#9Sharon1,860US #10
#10Carol1,779US #8
#11Karen1,734US #11
#12Pamela1,393US #21
#13Donna1,369US #12
#14Christine1,345US #30
#15Deborah1,331US #15
#16Diane1,237US #19
#17Margaret1,196US #14
#18Janet1,144US #23
#19Judith1,089US #16
#20Cynthia1,009US #27
#21Judy971US #20
#22Janice921US #24
#23Cheryl916US #28
#24Gloria877US #29
#25Carolyn842US #17
#26Shirley838US #18
#27Elizabeth752US #25
#28Marilyn727US #33
#29Catherine726US #37
#30Kathy691US #42
#31Diana688US #48
#32Virginia654US #39
#33Joyce625US #26
#34Kathryn616US #52
#35Beverly606US #31
#36Brenda591US #13
#37Bonnie570US #35
#38Maria569US #72
#39Laura559US #65
#40Gail558US #51
#41Betty554US #22
#42Joan549US #36
#43Katherine536US #59
#44Martha529US #34
#45Peggy529US #38
#46Rebecca521US #40
#47Victoria482US #96
#48Lynn476US #74
#49Paula472US #55
#50Suzanne465US #62
#51Teresa465US #82
#52Frances442US #49
#53Cathy438US #81
#54Connie433US #43
#55Vicki431US #70
#56Ann423US #44
#57Sally417US #77
#58Theresa417US #63
#59Helen415US #46
#60Alice412US #53
#61Irene396US #111
#62Joanne396US #61
#63Marsha387US #79
#64Ruth384US #47
#65Jane382US #41
#66Dorothy381US #32
#67Rita379US #54
#68Terry370US #115
#69Stephanie368US #128
#70Julie351US #113
#71Jacqueline348US #58
#72Jean344US #45
#73Yolanda344US #193
#74Lynda338US #93
#75Sylvia338US #94
#76Phyllis336US #50
#77Michele335US #135
#78Jo334US #60
#79Sherry334US #68
#80Denise331US #140
#81Elaine326US #57
#82Darlene324US #75
#83Anita323US #99
#84Roberta323US #97
#85Rose320US #66
#86Marie316US #67
#87Christina312US #160
#88Jeanne301US #92
#89Charlene299US #100
#90Claudia297US #127
#91Leslie296US #132
#92Wendy296US #122
#93Valerie291US #108
#94Yvonne282US #109
#95Dolores271US #130
#96Sheila271US #76
#97Norma270US #105
#98Ellen269US #64
#99Marcia267US #78
#100Janis261US #131

Boys

#1Robert5,956US #2
#2Michael5,364US #5
#3John5,348US #3
#4James4,656US #1
#5David4,506US #6
#6Richard4,170US #7
#7William3,421US #4
#8Steven2,451US #20
#9Thomas2,432US #8
#10Gary2,209US #12
#11Ronald2,161US #11
#12Charles2,036US #9
#13Stephen1,911US #19
#14Larry1,840US #10
#15Dennis1,760US #16
#16Donald1,695US #13
#17Kenneth1,575US #15
#18Daniel1,495US #22
#19Mark1,397US #24
#20Paul1,385US #17
#21George1,252US #18
#22Edward1,123US #21
#23Joseph1,118US #14
#24Gregory1,087US #31
#25Bruce1,069US #26
#26Frank1,011US #27
#27Timothy943US #34
#28Douglas886US #29
#29Jerry849US #23
#30Patrick829US #39
#31Raymond764US #30
#32Lawrence743US #32
#33Steve685US #68
#34Terry643US #28
#35Jeffrey636US #48
#36Jack624US #47
#37Roger615US #25
#38Craig606US #77
#39Danny606US #40
#40Anthony602US #36
#41Arthur579US #44
#42Peter579US #38
#43Christopher578US #81
#44Mike554US #88
#45Joe553US #52
#46Gerald546US #33
#47Wayne539US #35
#48Alan517US #45
#49Ralph481US #50
#50Philip477US #55
#51Brian447US #86
#52Henry443US #46
#53Stanley421US #60
#54Glenn420US #61
#55Dale411US #54
#56Phillip404US #66
#57Albert402US #56
#58Manuel392US #154
#59Carl383US #43
#60Jim380US #108
#61Roy380US #51
#62Harold376US #42
#63Walter364US #37
#64Bill362US #106
#65Randy359US #92
#66Louis347US #64
#67Ernest345US #76
#68Fred345US #72
#69Don337US #98
#70Johnny337US #49
#71Randall337US #79
#72Martin328US #83
#73Russell326US #69
#74Eric324US #105
#75Scott323US #99
#76Tom319US #114
#77Allen308US #71
#78Rodney308US #87
#79Dan306US #125
#80Jose300US #120
#81Keith299US #85
#82Victor295US #116
#83Andrew289US #75
#84Eugene287US #58
#85Leonard279US #74
#86Harry272US #59
#87Howard272US #63
#88Ray269US #109
#89Barry261US #73
#90Gilbert260US #147
#91Frederick259US #70
#92Tony259US #139
#93Norman255US #90
#94Alfred247US #96
#95Ronnie247US #65
#96Chris238US #168
#97Jimmy237US #53
#98Clifford235US #103
#99Kevin233US #95
#100Lee233US #93

On the move since 1948

Rising

↑28Terry#68
↑19Stephanie#69
↑19Denise#80
↑19Randall#71
↑17Brian#51
↑16Irene#61
↑15Glenn#54
↑14Deborah#15

Falling

↓26Tom#76
↓21Jim#60
↓19Lynda#74
↓17Marie#86
↓17Barry#89
↓16Bill#64
↓15Phyllis#76
↓15Ronnie#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1948 rankings.