Popular baby names in California, 1942

The most popular baby names in California in 1942 were Linda for girls (2,461 babies) and Robert for boys (4,019). Linda ranked #4 nationally for girls. Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 142,049 babies born in California in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1942

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

Girls

Robin: 78 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Lupe: 73 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Michelle: 50 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Jeri: 42 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Angie: 40 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Melinda: 82 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Yolanda: 82 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Terry: 143 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Toni: 93 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Wendy: 76 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Angel: 38 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Rudy: 111 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Manuel: 284 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Raul: 74 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Salvador: 50 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ron: 90 babies, 4× the national rate
Jess: 40 babies, 4× the national rate
Ken: 79 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Ernie: 37 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Ruben: 88 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Linda	2,461	↑1	4
2	Mary	2,440	↓1	1
3	Barbara	2,212	↑1	2
4	Patricia	2,155	↓1	3
5	Sharon	1,828	↑1	11
6	Carol	1,672	↓1	5
7	Sandra	1,330	↑2	6
8	Nancy	1,259	–	8
9	Judith	1,224	↓2	7
10	Judy	1,119	–	15
11	Karen	1,063	↑7	16
12	Susan	1,058	↓1	21
13	Donna	1,007	–	20
14	Carolyn	996	↓2	10
15	Diane	931	–	28
16	Joan	764	–	18
17	Margaret	750	↓3	14
18	Kathleen	745	↑10	24
19	Shirley	737	↑2	12
20	Betty	669	↓3	9
21	Janet	665	↑3	19
22	Marilyn	653	↓2	27
23	Virginia	616	↓1	23
24	Carole	596	↑12	35
25	Joyce	592	↓6	13
26	Gloria	567	–	31
27	Janice	562	↓4	25
28	Bonnie	540	↓3	34
29	Beverly	483	–	32
30	Helen	468	–	26
31	Dorothy	461	↓4	17
32	Frances	459	↓1	30
33	Diana	444	↑10	68
34	Elizabeth	403	–	22
35	Alice	360	↓2	39
36	Jean	356	↓4	36
37	Joanne	344	↑4	48
38	Dolores	330	–	63
39	Ruth	330	↑3	33
40	Ann	326	–	38
41	Darlene	324	↓4	78
42	Martha	321	↓3	29
43	Phyllis	316	↑5	37
44	Sally	310	–	56
45	Pamela	301	new	>100
46	Marie	296	–	43
47	Roberta	292	new	66
48	Irene	288	↓13	80
49	Gail	278	↓4	60
50	Connie	269	new	70

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Robert	4,019	–	2
2	John	3,422	–	3
3	James	3,273	↑1	1
4	Richard	2,951	↓1	5
5	William	2,540	–	4
6	David	2,304	–	6
7	Michael	1,959	↑2	13
8	Gary	1,793	↓1	18
9	Ronald	1,740	↓1	9
10	Charles	1,427	–	7
11	Thomas	1,282	↑2	8
12	Donald	1,260	↓1	10
13	Larry	1,258	↓1	12
14	Dennis	1,241	↑1	20
15	Kenneth	1,029	↑1	15
16	George	990	↓2	14
17	Jerry	875	↑1	16
18	Frank	800	↓1	21
19	Paul	776	–	19
20	Edward	716	–	17
21	Douglas	706	↑11	23
22	Stephen	639	↑1	32
23	Raymond	611	↓2	24
24	Joseph	574	↓2	11
25	Jack	543	–	34
26	Daniel	529	↑3	28
27	Gerald	523	↓3	22
28	Joe	487	↓1	33
29	Jim	485	↑6	74
30	Roger	484	↓2	25
31	Bill	480	↓5	65
32	Fred	423	↓1	46
33	Lawrence	408	–	30
34	Arthur	407	↓4	29
35	Bruce	390	↑15	50
36	Peter	390	–	39
37	Steven	385	↑1	75
38	Mike	380	↑2	>100
39	Walter	370	↑5	26
40	Bob	360	↓1	>100
41	Wayne	360	↓4	41
42	Harold	352	↑4	27
43	Don	345	↓9	72
44	Carl	341	↓2	36
45	Tom	341	↑2	89
46	Ralph	329	↓1	38
47	Terry	315	new	52
48	Anthony	309	–	44
49	Stanley	308	new	56
50	Albert	307	↓9	40

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