State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1956 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 324,180 California births in 1956 across 2,449 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#78Manuel#181 nationally
#96Ruben#199 nationally
#79Yolanda#164 nationally
#85Gilbert#160 nationally
#90Jim#148 nationally
#53Leslie#104 nationally
#65Stephanie#111 nationally
#97Brad#142 nationally
#42Victoria#85 nationally
#24Lori#66 nationally
#46Michelle#88 nationally
#55Mike#97 nationally

Girls

#1Susan3,771US #5
#2Debra3,754US #2
#3Linda3,691US #3
#4Mary3,409US #1
#5Deborah3,318US #4
#6Karen3,249US #7
#7Patricia3,003US #6
#8Cynthia2,734US #8
#9Pamela2,143US #12
#10Nancy2,098US #11
#11Kathleen2,076US #17
#12Barbara1,926US #9
#13Sandra1,823US #14
#14Donna1,736US #10
#15Sharon1,717US #13
#16Cheryl1,715US #18
#17Carol1,704US #16
#18Diane1,631US #15
#19Denise1,472US #23
#20Lisa1,440US #31
#21Janet1,399US #21
#22Elizabeth1,267US #22
#23Teresa1,244US #24
#24Lori1,237US #66
#25Laura1,219US #34
#26Robin1,167US #29
#27Catherine1,128US #28
#28Julie1,051US #48
#29Kathy1,007US #20
#30Rebecca1,002US #27
#31Margaret989US #25
#32Janice933US #26
#33Diana906US #56
#34Debbie902US #39
#35Kim902US #38
#36Theresa901US #32
#37Cindy898US #37
#38Brenda891US #19
#39Maria880US #73
#40Laurie770US #76
#41Katherine742US #67
#42Victoria727US #85
#43Kimberly703US #74
#44Kathryn697US #60
#45Valerie695US #80
#46Michelle690US #88
#47Judy689US #35
#48Terri685US #81
#49Paula669US #47
#50Cathy666US #36
#51Martha658US #59
#52Christine654US #42
#53Leslie636US #104
#54Vicki626US #57
#55Lynn625US #58
#56Gloria620US #53
#57Gail607US #49
#58Carolyn603US #33
#59Rose591US #64
#60Ann584US #46
#61Rhonda577US #62
#62Terry575US #91
#63Judith573US #45
#64Tina569US #87
#65Stephanie559US #111
#66Joyce556US #30
#67Virginia554US #75
#68Sherry530US #54
#69Beverly509US #40
#70Jennifer509US #97
#71Suzanne507US #94
#72Connie506US #43
#73Peggy506US #63
#74Shirley498US #41
#75Anita486US #83
#76Bonnie484US #51
#77Renee481US #106
#78Joan480US #52
#79Yolanda480US #164
#80Wendy472US #95
#81Anna466US #103
#82Vickie465US #68
#83Michele464US #100
#84Sylvia461US #108
#85Marilyn456US #70
#86Roberta456US #116
#87Darlene447US #71
#88Sheila443US #55
#89Elaine440US #89
#90Jill415US #101
#91Jane414US #50
#92Sally406US #105
#93Betty404US #44
#94Yvonne398US #121
#95Jean395US #65
#96Dorothy394US #72
#97Alice392US #98
#98Annette389US #119
#99Jacqueline382US #78
#100Sheryl382US #114

Boys

#1Michael8,256US #1
#2David7,118US #4
#3Robert7,095US #3
#4John6,188US #5
#5James5,387US #2
#6Richard4,963US #7
#7Mark4,630US #8
#8Steven4,177US #10
#9William3,809US #6
#10Thomas2,872US #9
#11Daniel2,643US #18
#12Gary2,511US #13
#13Ronald2,474US #15
#14Paul2,212US #17
#15Donald2,162US #14
#16Kenneth2,108US #16
#17Charles2,034US #11
#18Timothy1,958US #19
#19Jeffrey1,936US #20
#20Gregory1,930US #24
#21Joseph1,885US #12
#22Stephen1,622US #23
#23Kevin1,547US #22
#24Scott1,440US #34
#25Edward1,429US #25
#26Larry1,429US #21
#27Brian1,360US #32
#28Dennis1,357US #26
#29Douglas1,300US #29
#30Anthony1,263US #30
#31Bruce1,238US #33
#32George1,195US #27
#33Randy1,189US #28
#34Frank1,113US #38
#35Raymond1,034US #39
#36Patrick1,024US #40
#37Peter954US #37
#38Craig947US #51
#39Christopher924US #47
#40Keith855US #36
#41Jerry795US #35
#42Terry771US #31
#43Alan746US #44
#44Lawrence737US #42
#45Russell726US #52
#46Steve721US #59
#47Danny706US #46
#48Eric664US #79
#49Arthur604US #60
#50Dale599US #50
#51Jack596US #66
#52Gerald592US #49
#53Joe583US #63
#54Martin576US #73
#55Mike576US #97
#56Wayne570US #45
#57Jeffery568US #57
#58Andrew551US #56
#59Ralph541US #67
#60Roger537US #41
#61Rodney534US #65
#62Rick522US #100
#63Phillip491US #76
#64Matthew490US #90
#65Randall489US #54
#66Carl481US #48
#67Glenn477US #61
#68Jose473US #108
#69Victor464US #96
#70Albert460US #81
#71Stanley450US #70
#72Philip447US #64
#73Henry440US #71
#74Ricky440US #43
#75Jon429US #116
#76Roy421US #62
#77Walter409US #53
#78Manuel393US #181
#79Tony391US #85
#80Curtis386US #80
#81Micheal370US #83
#82Darrell368US #88
#83Louis362US #82
#84Barry361US #69
#85Gilbert359US #160
#86Jay354US #92
#87Samuel345US #74
#88Johnny344US #55
#89Vincent344US #98
#90Jim343US #148
#91Leonard343US #89
#92Harold341US #72
#93Dean339US #99
#94Bradley337US #103
#95Ernest337US #94
#96Ruben329US #199
#97Brad326US #142
#98Ray308US #113
#99Allen305US #87
#100Fred305US #102

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑34Kimberly#43
↑32Cindy#37
↑22Mike#55
↑21Kim#35
↑21Rhonda#61
↑18Tony#79
↑15Matthew#64
↑14Cathy#50

Falling

↓20Marilyn#85
↓19Judith#63
↓16Gloria#56
↓14Virginia#67
↓12Carolyn#58
↓12Sheila#88
↓12Roger#60
↓10Paula#49

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.