State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1978 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 322,254 California births in 1978 across 3,686 distinct names.

Distinctively California

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

#58Claudiaoutside the national top 200
#62Angelicaoutside the national top 200
#68Anaoutside the national top 200
#75Leticiaoutside the national top 200
#75Alejandrooutside the national top 200
#80Fernandooutside the national top 200
#83Sergiooutside the national top 200
#81Javier#198 nationally
#85Eduardooutside the national top 200
#87Rosaoutside the national top 200
#88Soniaoutside the national top 200
#90Adrianaoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Jennifer5,295US #1
#2Melissa2,450US #2
#3Jessica2,418US #3
#4Michelle2,308US #9
#5Sarah2,141US #8
#6Christina2,020US #15
#7Nicole1,936US #10
#8Maria1,911US #36
#9Elizabeth1,794US #14
#10Heather1,749US #5
#11Lisa1,747US #11
#12Angela1,434US #7
#13Amy1,398US #4
#14Stephanie1,383US #16
#15Kimberly1,301US #13
#16Kelly1,258US #12
#17Rebecca1,217US #17
#18Veronica1,203US #73
#19Amanda1,188US #6
#20Monica1,126US #42
#21Amber1,113US #30
#22Andrea1,069US #23
#23Laura1,058US #19
#24Shannon1,052US #22
#25Erin1,023US #21
#26Christine965US #29
#27Rachel952US #25
#28Crystal911US #18
#29Julie877US #26
#30Sara868US #28
#31Danielle860US #31
#32Jamie860US #20
#33Patricia855US #48
#34Cynthia809US #50
#35Vanessa808US #76
#36Erica806US #34
#37Sandra785US #69
#38April760US #27
#39Mary701US #24
#40Tiffany650US #32
#41Alicia646US #58
#42Nancy628US #97
#43Katherine608US #38
#44Wendy594US #56
#45Emily567US #33
#46Anna556US #65
#47Diana553US #102
#48Karen539US #39
#49Carrie536US #35
#50Megan510US #41
#51Erika505US #104
#52Natalie501US #66
#53Gina497US #93
#54Kristina493US #64
#55Brandy472US #37
#56Stacy467US #44
#57Denise457US #85
#58Claudia451
#59Melanie442US #54
#60Sabrina437US #91
#61Teresa436US #88
#62Angelica435
#63Valerie429US #92
#64Desiree428US #154
#65Susan424US #49
#66Tina414US #45
#67Tracy410US #47
#68Ana404
#69Tara404US #40
#70Linda403US #100
#71Kristen401US #62
#72Jaime399US #70
#73Tanya399US #82
#74Leslie396US #63
#75Leticia395
#76Stacey392US #53
#77Brenda391US #103
#78Kristy390US #51
#79Dawn388US #52
#80Jacqueline384US #81
#81Michele381US #86
#82Julia372US #112
#83Allison370US #75
#84Kathryn370US #57
#85Monique364US #172
#86Kristin363US #78
#87Rosa361
#88Sonia361
#89Jill360US #46
#90Adriana357
#91Brandi354US #61
#92Misty354US #43
#93Tamara352US #105
#94Catherine348US #72
#95Heidi346US #83
#96Victoria342US #121
#97Renee337US #99
#98Kathleen332US #79
#99Lindsay318US #95
#100Holly310US #55

Boys

#1Michael6,489US #1
#2David4,580US #4
#3Jason4,302US #2
#4Christopher4,065US #3
#5Daniel3,432US #11
#6Robert3,310US #8
#7James3,061US #5
#8Matthew3,033US #6
#9John2,926US #7
#10Brian2,766US #9
#11Joshua2,550US #12
#12Jose2,512US #44
#13Joseph2,457US #10
#14Ryan2,448US #14
#15Anthony2,037US #20
#16Eric1,957US #16
#17Richard1,933US #21
#18Steven1,873US #24
#19Nicholas1,765US #25
#20Kevin1,693US #15
#21William1,658US #13
#22Jeffrey1,579US #19
#23Juan1,486US #62
#24Andrew1,462US #22
#25Jeremy1,436US #18
#26Justin1,395US #28
#27Timothy1,342US #17
#28Mark1,321US #26
#29Aaron1,308US #32
#30Thomas1,258US #23
#31Scott1,252US #30
#32Paul1,241US #33
#33Adam1,216US #29
#34Jonathan1,055US #31
#35Benjamin1,021US #34
#36Charles976US #27
#37Sean958US #45
#38Gregory947US #38
#39Brandon920US #40
#40Carlos916US #78
#41Jesse868US #51
#42Nathan845US #36
#43Kenneth827US #41
#44Jesus823US #124
#45Stephen807US #37
#46Bryan778US #43
#47Edward778US #47
#48Gabriel767US #90
#49Patrick728US #42
#50Jacob715US #50
#51Manuel671US #142
#52Victor668US #103
#53Miguel643US #144
#54Jorge640US #153
#55Mario640US #114
#56Shawn624US #39
#57Luis621US #110
#58Ricardo608US #140
#59Francisco605US #155
#60Peter597US #54
#61Shaun563US #52
#62Erik556US #85
#63Raymond549US #69
#64Donald531US #48
#65Chad527US #35
#66Antonio521US #79
#67Roberto514US #154
#68Travis514US #46
#69Samuel508US #57
#70George507US #58
#71Ruben507US #172
#72Oscar504US #179
#73Frank499US #77
#74Ronald496US #55
#75Alejandro493
#76Jaime486US #184
#77Phillip484US #67
#78Joel477US #74
#79Alexander456US #98
#80Fernando452
#81Javier440US #198
#82Gary438US #60
#83Sergio423
#84Adrian416US #111
#85Eduardo415
#86Keith408US #49
#87Dustin406US #68
#88Todd406US #56
#89Jeremiah402US #81
#90Hector383US #191
#91Douglas380US #59
#92Kyle375US #63
#93Cesar373
#94Shane372US #65
#95Jared369US #72
#96Vincent368US #105
#97Salvador353
#98Raul346
#99Larry345US #64
#100Armando341

On the move since 1977

Rising

↑33Nicholas#19
↑24Kristen#71
↑20Kristina#54
↑19Linda#70
↑19Erik#62
↑17Sergio#83
↑15Kristy#78
↑14Tina#66

Falling

↓25Jaime#72
↓22Misty#92
↓18Dawn#79
↓18Holly#100
↓16Sonia#88
↓15Tamara#93
↓13Jill#89
↓13Kathleen#98

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1977 rankings.