State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1955 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 304,560 California births in 1955 across 2,348 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#199 nationally
#75Manuel#170 nationally
#75Yolanda#167 nationally
#83Gilbert#154 nationally
#34Lori#89 nationally
#47Leslie#99 nationally
#100Melinda#150 nationally
#45Laurie#91 nationally
#77Mike#123 nationally
#38Victoria#82 nationally
#70Stephanie#114 nationally
#67Rick#109 nationally

Girls

#1Debra3,969US #4
#2Susan3,900US #5
#3Linda3,751US #3
#4Mary3,396US #1
#5Deborah3,325US #2
#6Patricia3,045US #6
#7Karen2,830US #8
#8Cynthia2,363US #11
#9Nancy2,292US #9
#10Pamela2,190US #12
#11Kathleen2,012US #17
#12Barbara2,011US #7
#13Sandra1,827US #13
#14Donna1,660US #10
#15Carol1,651US #15
#16Cheryl1,639US #19
#17Diane1,543US #14
#18Sharon1,493US #16
#19Janet1,412US #20
#20Denise1,374US #23
#21Elizabeth1,260US #21
#22Teresa1,168US #26
#23Robin1,048US #33
#24Laura1,043US #41
#25Lisa1,038US #48
#26Catherine968US #28
#27Margaret964US #24
#28Rebecca915US #27
#29Janice905US #25
#30Brenda831US #18
#31Kathy826US #22
#32Theresa823US #38
#33Julie808US #67
#34Lori796US #89
#35Diana778US #55
#36Maria721US #69
#37Katherine719US #65
#38Victoria719US #82
#39Paula708US #39
#40Gloria699US #47
#41Debbie697US #63
#42Kathryn688US #59
#43Judy679US #32
#44Judith667US #31
#45Laurie664US #91
#46Carolyn661US #30
#47Leslie646US #99
#48Gail631US #42
#49Valerie615US #80
#50Christine613US #40
#51Vicki610US #52
#52Terri604US #85
#53Virginia593US #66
#54Lynn587US #62
#55Martha585US #53
#56Kim576US #75
#57Terry572US #83
#58Ann569US #43
#59Michelle568US #97
#60Rose565US #54
#61Joyce557US #29
#62Beverly548US #34
#63Connie547US #35
#64Cathy542US #44
#65Marilyn532US #49
#66Shirley518US #37
#67Peggy513US #51
#68Suzanne512US #86
#69Cindy511US #79
#70Stephanie507US #114
#71Wendy502US #90
#72Joan498US #46
#73Michele498US #93
#74Bonnie492US #45
#75Yolanda490US #167
#76Sheila460US #57
#77Kimberly449US #111
#78Sherry447US #56
#79Renee443US #117
#80Jennifer441US #104
#81Elaine440US #77
#82Rhonda439US #71
#83Betty423US #36
#84Sally417US #95
#85Anita415US #94
#86Vickie412US #68
#87Anna407US #105
#88Roberta407US #113
#89Darlene403US #76
#90Sylvia403US #107
#91Jo402US #58
#92Jill393US #102
#93Jean390US #60
#94Anne388US #84
#95Marie388US #92
#96Colleen385US #110
#97Alice384US #87
#98Jacqueline376US #73
#99Jane374US #50
#100Melinda371US #150

Boys

#1Michael7,869US #1
#2David7,383US #2
#3Robert6,896US #4
#4John6,031US #5
#5James5,151US #3
#6Richard4,870US #7
#7Steven4,205US #10
#8Mark4,106US #9
#9William3,912US #6
#10Thomas2,772US #8
#11Daniel2,609US #17
#12Gary2,545US #12
#13Ronald2,202US #18
#14Paul2,130US #16
#15Kenneth2,051US #15
#16Donald2,048US #14
#17Charles1,947US #11
#18Gregory1,914US #24
#19Jeffrey1,871US #20
#20Stephen1,791US #21
#21Timothy1,764US #22
#22Joseph1,731US #13
#23Dennis1,500US #23
#24Larry1,403US #19
#25Edward1,372US #25
#26George1,227US #26
#27Bruce1,207US #32
#28Douglas1,205US #29
#29Kevin1,188US #27
#30Scott1,184US #38
#31Anthony1,153US #31
#32Randy1,079US #30
#33Frank1,008US #34
#34Craig987US #50
#35Brian936US #40
#36Patrick936US #41
#37Christopher922US #49
#38Raymond909US #36
#39Terry820US #28
#40Peter811US #35
#41Lawrence792US #42
#42Alan777US #43
#43Keith726US #39
#44Jerry709US #33
#45Arthur638US #56
#46Danny626US #45
#47Eric613US #85
#48Roger611US #37
#49Dale598US #52
#50Russell588US #57
#51Steve574US #72
#52Jack573US #60
#53Joe545US #68
#54Martin541US #77
#55Gerald538US #48
#56Wayne510US #44
#57Rodney506US #65
#58Andrew493US #66
#59Jeffery492US #73
#60Randall487US #53
#61Carl485US #47
#62Ralph485US #67
#63Jose472US #104
#64Henry458US #61
#65Glenn457US #59
#66Phillip457US #74
#67Rick454US #109
#68Albert448US #76
#69Philip444US #62
#70Victor425US #101
#71Stanley424US #64
#72Roy411US #58
#73Ricky397US #46
#74Micheal395US #87
#75Manuel385US #170
#76Walter382US #51
#77Mike379US #123
#78Jon370US #115
#79Matthew359US #105
#80Curtis351US #79
#81Johnny346US #55
#82Barry344US #70
#83Gilbert342US #154
#84Howard338US #83
#85Ernest337US #90
#86Vincent326US #99
#87Harold322US #63
#88Bradley321US #107
#89Leonard320US #88
#90Louis316US #82
#91Samuel312US #71
#92Darrell310US #91
#93Jay303US #103
#94Ruben301US #199
#95Eugene299US #81
#96Allen294US #84
#97Tony291US #93
#98Jesse290US #122
#99Frederick288US #86
#100Marc288US #126

On the move since 1954

Rising

↑41Kim#56
↑38Debbie#41
↑21Renee#79
↑20Lori#34
↑20Matthew#79
↑15Cindy#69
↑15Eric#47
↑15Jeffery#59

Falling

↓27Marilyn#65
↓22Joan#72
↓18Jacqueline#98
↓18Stanley#71
↓17Marie#95
↓17Jane#99
↓13Rose#60
↓13Sherry#78

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1954 rankings.