Popular baby names in California, 1938

The most popular baby names in California in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,875 babies) and Robert for boys (2,928). Social Security records list 91,629 babies born in California in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1938

Names given at least 15 times in California that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Armida: 26 babies, 12.4× the national rate
Lupe: 126 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Dian: 28 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Leilani: 23 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Carmen: 161 babies, 5× the national rate
Angie: 44 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Cheryl: 76 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Consuelo: 31 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Penny: 39 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Pamela: 51 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 49 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Jess: 36 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Rudy: 110 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lupe: 28 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Manuel: 240 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Raul: 60 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Ruben: 79 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Ernie: 31 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Mike: 179 babies, 4× the national rate
Armando: 34 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,875	–	1
2	Barbara	1,728	–	2
3	Patricia	1,425	–	3
4	Carol	1,050	–	6
5	Nancy	773	↑1	7
6	Betty	694	↑1	4
7	Shirley	674	↓2	5
8	Joan	651	–	10
9	Donna	610	–	20
10	Marilyn	600	↑2	19
11	Margaret	580	–	9
12	Sandra	560	↑11	14
13	Sharon	558	↑6	30
14	Beverly	553	↓4	18
15	Linda	517	↑12	31
16	Virginia	485	↓3	22
17	Diane	479	↓2	64
18	Judith	465	↑20	12
19	Joyce	452	↓2	11
20	Janet	449	↑1	16
21	Dorothy	443	↓7	8
22	Helen	433	↓6	13
23	Carolyn	404	↓5	15
24	Gloria	397	↓4	36
25	Frances	383	↓3	23
26	Janice	370	↓2	24
27	Judy	356	↑23	41
28	Alice	336	↓2	29
29	Carole	319	–	46
30	Norma	296	↑6	34
31	Dolores	294	↓6	43
32	Darlene	291	↓4	76
33	Elizabeth	290	↓3	17
34	Sally	286	↑3	54
35	Jean	285	↓3	27
36	Susan	271	new	71
37	Ann	264	↓3	32
38	Joanne	253	↓7	57
39	Marlene	252	↓4	51
40	Phyllis	245	↑7	28
41	Roberta	244	↓2	73
42	Ruth	241	↓9	21
43	Irene	232	↑2	72
44	Rosalie	230	new	66
45	Marie	229	↓5	37
46	Kathleen	228	new	58
47	Lois	228	↑2	33
48	Martha	224	new	26
49	Rose	216	↓7	39
50	Jacqueline	214	new	69

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	2,928	–	1
2	John	2,009	↑1	3
3	Richard	1,975	↓1	5
4	James	1,777	–	2
5	William	1,565	–	4
6	Ronald	1,201	↑2	10
7	David	1,195	↓1	8
8	Donald	1,125	↓1	7
9	Charles	975	–	6
10	Gary	879	↑1	22
11	George	777	↓1	11
12	Michael	701	↑4	21
13	Frank	682	–	18
14	Thomas	675	↑1	9
15	Kenneth	626	↓1	14
16	Larry	588	↑3	16
17	Edward	575	↓5	13
18	Jerry	544	↑2	17
19	Paul	521	↓1	15
20	Jack	505	↓3	25
21	Raymond	465	–	20
22	Joe	450	↑1	28
23	Joseph	409	↑1	12
24	Gerald	373	↓2	19
25	Bill	343	↑3	67
26	Don	341	↓1	52
27	Fred	335	↓1	38
28	Dennis	308	↑16	49
29	Arthur	307	–	32
30	Albert	303	↑1	37
31	Norman	301	↑5	43
32	Daniel	298	–	39
33	Ralph	295	↑2	35
34	Bob	292	↓7	94
35	Lawrence	290	↑6	36
36	Douglas	281	new	60
37	Jim	281	↓7	81
38	Roger	277	↓1	31
39	Walter	267	–	26
40	Wayne	265	↑10	40
41	Henry	252	↓7	30
42	Carl	249	↓2	29
43	Harold	241	↓10	23
44	Manuel	240	↓6	>100
45	Peter	230	↓3	48
46	Anthony	222	new	46
47	Gilbert	222	↑2	>100
48	Louis	215	new	47
49	Roy	202	↓4	41
50	Tom	201	new	>100

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