State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1952 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 271,674 California births in 1952 across 2,131 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#98Rubenoutside the national top 200
#75Yolanda#173 nationally
#68Manuel#162 nationally
#72Christina#155 nationally
#82Gilbert#151 nationally
#100Chris#160 nationally
#56Laurie#115 nationally
#70Lisa#126 nationally
#48Robin#102 nationally
#52Leslie#104 nationally
#77Michelle#124 nationally
#90Mike#136 nationally

Girls

#1Linda4,775US #1
#2Patricia3,481US #3
#3Deborah3,447US #4
#4Susan3,424US #5
#5Mary3,421US #2
#6Kathleen2,388US #11
#7Karen2,374US #8
#8Debra2,351US #9
#9Nancy2,268US #7
#10Barbara2,161US #6
#11Christine1,936US #20
#12Sandra1,851US #10
#13Pamela1,813US #17
#14Carol1,728US #12
#15Cynthia1,708US #18
#16Sharon1,647US #14
#17Diane1,535US #16
#18Donna1,389US #13
#19Janet1,364US #19
#20Margaret1,091US #21
#21Elizabeth1,053US #22
#22Janice995US #23
#23Cheryl955US #31
#24Denise933US #33
#25Catherine915US #34
#26Judith865US #25
#27Judy844US #26
#28Gloria805US #36
#29Rebecca772US #30
#30Marilyn768US #38
#31Laura755US #53
#32Carolyn743US #24
#33Kathryn742US #48
#34Brenda738US #15
#35Teresa723US #52
#36Gail721US #39
#37Victoria716US #74
#38Kathy689US #29
#39Diana685US #51
#40Katherine682US #59
#41Maria673US #72
#42Paula673US #47
#43Virginia669US #49
#44Joan652US #37
#45Shirley643US #28
#46Joyce641US #27
#47Martha634US #40
#48Robin580US #102
#49Bonnie554US #41
#50Peggy550US #43
#51Beverly548US #35
#52Leslie546US #104
#53Theresa538US #60
#54Cathy506US #56
#55Vicki506US #61
#56Laurie490US #115
#57Connie489US #44
#58Ann485US #45
#59Lynn482US #71
#60Suzanne457US #84
#61Julie451US #85
#62Betty448US #32
#63Rose446US #62
#64Jacqueline443US #58
#65Sally441US #81
#66Jane435US #42
#67Roberta434US #88
#68Valerie422US #87
#69Sherry421US #68
#70Lisa410US #126
#71Jean404US #50
#72Christina401US #155
#73Michele401US #110
#74Dorothy395US #46
#75Yolanda391US #173
#76Alice390US #69
#77Michelle387US #124
#78Sheila387US #64
#79Anita380US #91
#80Frances380US #67
#81Marsha379US #75
#82Ruth374US #57
#83Terry374US #120
#84Jo372US #55
#85Stephanie370US #123
#86Anne369US #79
#87Sylvia369US #99
#88Elaine366US #73
#89Helen366US #63
#90Irene366US #121
#91Wendy366US #105
#92Darlene362US #77
#93Claudia353US #111
#94Jennifer350US #107
#95Rita348US #66
#96Yvonne339US #103
#97Vickie330US #76
#98Marie328US #82
#99Jeanne319US #98
#100Joanne315US #78

Boys

#1Michael7,062US #4
#2Robert6,576US #2
#3John5,899US #3
#4David5,847US #5
#5James5,151US #1
#6Richard5,022US #7
#7William3,803US #6
#8Steven3,643US #11
#9Gary3,130US #10
#10Thomas2,896US #8
#11Mark2,444US #17
#12Charles2,118US #9
#13Daniel2,088US #20
#14Ronald2,024US #15
#15Stephen1,968US #21
#16Dennis1,915US #18
#17Donald1,881US #13
#18Kenneth1,817US #16
#19Paul1,721US #19
#20Larry1,629US #14
#21Gregory1,580US #24
#22Timothy1,329US #27
#23Joseph1,326US #12
#24Edward1,256US #23
#25Bruce1,253US #25
#26George1,233US #22
#27Jeffrey1,205US #31
#28Douglas1,032US #28
#29Frank1,002US #32
#30Patrick892US #37
#31Anthony883US #34
#32Christopher849US #57
#33Lawrence840US #35
#34Raymond804US #33
#35Craig782US #59
#36Randy767US #41
#37Peter747US #36
#38Jerry723US #26
#39Scott686US #54
#40Alan668US #42
#41Terry654US #29
#42Roger619US #30
#43Arthur601US #47
#44Jack596US #52
#45Danny571US #40
#46Gerald562US #39
#47Wayne552US #38
#48Brian541US #64
#49Dale529US #46
#50Kevin529US #43
#51Randall523US #63
#52Keith517US #49
#53Joe485US #62
#54Ralph481US #56
#55Stanley479US #58
#56Eric478US #88
#57Albert459US #66
#58Martin456US #80
#59Philip451US #60
#60Steve436US #85
#61Henry433US #50
#62Phillip428US #74
#63Glenn415US #61
#64Russell409US #70
#65Carl403US #45
#66Andrew402US #68
#67Victor397US #107
#68Manuel385US #162
#69Jose370US #114
#70Roy358US #55
#71Johnny355US #53
#72Walter351US #44
#73Rodney339US #84
#74Leonard334US #83
#75Harold332US #51
#76Allen318US #78
#77Ernest318US #87
#78Louis312US #79
#79Micheal312US #94
#80Fred308US #90
#81Rick307US #119
#82Gilbert306US #151
#83Frederick301US #76
#84Howard300US #73
#85Barry295US #69
#86Eugene286US #71
#87Samuel283US #67
#88Clifford282US #99
#89Jay274US #106
#90Mike272US #136
#91Norman268US #96
#92Lee261US #92
#93Dan255US #129
#94Jon254US #135
#95Ricky254US #81
#96Don252US #120
#97Alfred250US #104
#98Ruben246
#99Glen241US #121
#100Chris240US #160

On the move since 1951

Rising

↑30Leslie#52
↑23Michele#73
↑21Cathy#54
↑19Micheal#79
↑16Sherry#69
↑15Connie#57
↑15Johnny#71
↑14Rick#81

Falling

↓31Irene#90
↓28Helen#89
↓28Rita#95
↓22Joanne#100
↓16Sylvia#87
↓14Alice#76
↓14Mike#90
↓13Shirley#45

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1951 rankings.