State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1950 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 235,568 California births in 1950 across 1,990 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#94Ruben#200 nationally
#82Yolanda#179 nationally
#64Manuel#158 nationally
#85Christina#165 nationally
#100Chris#178 nationally
#72Robin#149 nationally
#76Gilbert#144 nationally
#70Stephanie#122 nationally
#58Jose#109 nationally
#90Jim#139 nationally
#48Victoria#94 nationally
#68Mike#113 nationally

Girls

#1Linda5,388US #1
#2Susan3,260US #5
#3Mary3,131US #2
#4Patricia3,049US #3
#5Kathleen2,311US #10
#6Barbara2,270US #4
#7Nancy2,076US #6
#8Sandra2,017US #8
#9Deborah1,992US #7
#10Karen1,867US #12
#11Sharon1,816US #11
#12Carol1,737US #9
#13Pamela1,462US #17
#14Christine1,361US #28
#15Donna1,355US #13
#16Diane1,214US #16
#17Janet1,170US #18
#18Margaret1,101US #15
#19Cynthia1,083US #23
#20Janice952US #22
#21Judith929US #21
#22Cheryl903US #29
#23Elizabeth865US #24
#24Shirley838US #19
#25Gloria825US #30
#26Judy811US #25
#27Carolyn810US #20
#28Catherine770US #34
#29Kathryn677US #46
#30Marilyn674US #37
#31Diana658US #47
#32Kathy628US #38
#33Virginia620US #43
#34Gail603US #42
#35Debra601US #59
#36Joyce587US #27
#37Brenda585US #14
#38Rebecca584US #36
#39Maria582US #73
#40Beverly579US #31
#41Laura565US #63
#42Martha563US #32
#43Katherine539US #58
#44Paula522US #54
#45Joan515US #40
#46Bonnie508US #33
#47Peggy501US #41
#48Victoria499US #94
#49Betty488US #26
#50Denise484US #82
#51Teresa475US #81
#52Theresa462US #65
#53Suzanne448US #71
#54Frances444US #51
#55Sally440US #78
#56Marsha438US #68
#57Ann426US #45
#58Lynn423US #76
#59Vicki417US #61
#60Cathy406US #75
#61Alice395US #57
#62Helen390US #50
#63Sherry389US #62
#64Jacqueline388US #55
#65Connie384US #44
#66Irene384US #92
#67Jane371US #39
#68Elaine370US #60
#69Sylvia366US #97
#70Stephanie359US #122
#71Jean357US #48
#72Robin356US #149
#73Joanne353US #67
#74Rita351US #56
#75Dorothy350US #35
#76Wendy347US #114
#77Julie339US #111
#78Darlene338US #79
#79Rose331US #69
#80Ruth329US #49
#81Jo325US #64
#82Yolanda324US #179
#83Lynda321US #107
#84Marie321US #72
#85Christina313US #165
#86Terry311US #127
#87Marcia305US #77
#88Yvonne304US #110
#89Sheila299US #70
#90Maureen298US #89
#91Phyllis296US #53
#92Jeanne295US #95
#93Michele295US #128
#94Anita291US #99
#95Leslie289US #134
#96Valerie288US #116
#97Lorraine285US #105
#98Roberta281US #96
#99Colleen280US #124
#100Ellen269US #66

Boys

#1Robert6,035US #2
#2Michael5,533US #4
#3John5,348US #3
#4David4,852US #5
#5James4,632US #1
#6Richard4,234US #7
#7William3,461US #6
#8Steven2,858US #16
#9Thomas2,595US #8
#10Gary2,567US #10
#11Ronald1,970US #12
#12Charles1,943US #9
#13Stephen1,892US #19
#14Donald1,782US #14
#15Dennis1,708US #17
#16Daniel1,693US #21
#17Larry1,679US #11
#18Mark1,584US #23
#19Kenneth1,578US #15
#20Paul1,444US #18
#21Gregory1,357US #25
#22Joseph1,253US #13
#23George1,222US #20
#24Edward1,128US #22
#25Timothy1,078US #32
#26Bruce1,017US #26
#27Frank974US #29
#28Douglas953US #28
#29Raymond810US #31
#30Patrick799US #38
#31Lawrence749US #33
#32Jeffrey745US #43
#33Jerry734US #24
#34Christopher698US #72
#35Anthony679US #36
#36Gerald623US #34
#37Terry620US #30
#38Craig611US #69
#39Peter595US #37
#40Arthur587US #46
#41Alan586US #41
#42Jack571US #48
#43Roger561US #27
#44Danny555US #39
#45Scott510US #82
#46Wayne505US #35
#47Steve500US #83
#48Joe481US #54
#49Ralph462US #52
#50Dale456US #49
#51Philip443US #53
#52Albert423US #56
#53Henry416US #47
#54Glenn411US #59
#55Brian410US #79
#56Carl403US #44
#57Stanley396US #60
#58Jose394US #109
#59Randall389US #70
#60Phillip383US #64
#61Harold379US #45
#62Randy374US #80
#63Walter367US #40
#64Manuel365US #158
#65Roy361US #51
#66Keith354US #78
#67Martin351US #85
#68Mike350US #113
#69Ernest348US #81
#70Andrew341US #68
#71Rodney336US #88
#72Russell336US #67
#73Eric324US #98
#74Leonard312US #77
#75Fred304US #84
#76Gilbert296US #144
#77Barry286US #74
#78Victor279US #106
#79Kevin275US #73
#80Louis272US #66
#81Johnny270US #50
#82Allen268US #71
#83Don263US #107
#84Howard263US #63
#85Eugene255US #58
#86Lee251US #91
#87Frederick250US #75
#88Harry248US #61
#89Bill247US #131
#90Jim246US #139
#91Clifford244US #100
#92Gordon243US #108
#93Norman239US #90
#94Ruben235US #200
#95Alfred233US #96
#96Jay230US #115
#97Ray223US #111
#98Jimmy222US #55
#99Micheal217US #104
#100Chris216US #178

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑30Denise#50
↑30Scott#45
↑22Jose#58
↑20Kevin#79
↑16Sherry#63
↑16Wendy#76
↑15Keith#66
↑14Gilbert#76

Falling

↓30Jim#90
↓25Bill#89
↓24Mike#68
↓18Terry#86
↓16Ruth#80
↓16Michele#93
↓15Phyllis#91
↓14Roberta#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.