Popular baby names in California, 1940

The most popular baby names in California in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,821 babies) and Robert for boys (3,120). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 102,630 babies born in California in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1940

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

Girls

Lupe: 103 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Angie: 57 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Robin: 44 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Melinda: 63 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Yolanda: 72 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Carmen: 151 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Sheryl: 28 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Wendy: 44 babies, 4× the national rate
Tamara: 31 babies, 4× the national rate
Esperanza: 25 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 56 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Jess: 41 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Manuel: 250 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Raul: 65 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Louie: 69 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Rudy: 84 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Fernando: 32 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Gabriel: 37 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Luis: 44 babies, 4× the national rate
Ricardo: 38 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,821	–	1
2	Patricia	1,675	↑1	3
3	Barbara	1,598	↓1	2
4	Linda	1,568	↑1	8
5	Carol	1,079	↓1	6
6	Judith	1,035	↑3	4
7	Sharon	916	–	17
8	Nancy	890	↓2	7
9	Sandra	839	↑3	10
10	Judy	734	↑6	16
11	Susan	630	↑12	36
12	Donna	629	↑1	23
13	Margaret	625	↑2	11
14	Betty	603	↓4	5
15	Joan	586	↓7	14
16	Diane	582	↑1	45
17	Shirley	582	↓6	9
18	Carolyn	553	–	15
19	Marilyn	518	↓5	25
20	Joyce	508	↑2	13
21	Virginia	502	↓2	21
22	Gloria	468	↑5	30
23	Beverly	439	↓3	27
24	Janice	428	–	22
25	Janet	410	↑1	19
26	Dorothy	393	↓5	12
27	Bonnie	371	↑20	39
28	Frances	370	–	28
29	Kathleen	346	↑8	40
30	Helen	339	↓5	18
31	Alice	334	–	32
32	Karen	334	↑10	34
33	Carole	330	↓4	49
34	Jean	316	↓4	29
35	Elizabeth	298	↓2	20
36	Ann	293	↑4	35
37	Dolores	280	↑1	67
38	Irene	280	↓2	73
39	Ruth	271	–	24
40	Darlene	270	↓6	79
41	Martha	265	new	26
42	Joanne	259	↓7	54
43	Phyllis	257	↑5	33
44	Gail	248	↑5	65
45	Pat	248	↓1	>100
46	Sally	245	↓14	61
47	Norma	240	↓6	43
48	Diana	237	new	>100
49	Brenda	231	new	42
50	Marie	227	↓4	41

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	3,120	–	2
2	John	2,420	↑1	3
3	Richard	2,219	↓1	5
4	James	2,101	–	1
5	William	1,799	–	4
6	David	1,554	–	7
7	Gary	1,183	↑3	19
8	Ronald	1,160	↓1	10
9	Michael	1,124	↑2	18
10	Charles	1,051	↓1	6
11	Donald	1,023	↓3	9
12	Thomas	839	↑1	8
13	Larry	826	↑1	13
14	George	807	↓2	11
15	Frank	683	↑1	20
16	Dennis	650	↑4	24
17	Kenneth	643	↓2	15
18	Jerry	639	↓1	14
19	Edward	609	–	16
20	Paul	558	↓2	17
21	Raymond	472	↑2	22
22	Gerald	464	↑2	21
23	Joe	443	↑2	28
24	Jack	438	↓3	29
25	Joseph	430	↓3	12
26	Bill	390	–	67
27	Roger	361	–	26
28	Stephen	359	↑18	49
29	Daniel	353	↑4	34
30	Fred	339	–	40
31	Arthur	323	↓3	33
32	Jim	320	↑5	78
33	Lawrence	317	↑10	36
34	Don	312	↓2	62
35	Henry	303	↑5	31
36	Bob	299	↓7	99
37	Peter	285	↑4	43
38	Douglas	282	↓2	56
39	Carl	281	↑5	32
40	Ralph	279	↓5	37
41	Wayne	274	↓7	39
42	Walter	270	↓4	25
43	Albert	266	↓4	41
44	Bruce	262	↑3	55
45	Norman	259	↓14	48
46	Mike	256	new	>100
47	Harold	254	↓5	23
48	Manuel	250	↓3	>100
49	Roy	237	new	42
50	Tom	233	new	92

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