Popular baby names in California, 1946

The most popular baby names in California in 1946 were Linda for girls (3,777 babies) and Robert for boys (5,522). Linda ranked #2 nationally for girls. Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 204,947 babies born in California in 1946 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1946

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: 121 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Teri: 51 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Yolanda: 282 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Terri: 99 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Robin: 148 babies, 3× the national rate
Pam: 105 babies, 3× the national rate
Cherie: 71 babies, 3× the national rate
Melinda: 86 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Cathleen: 64 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Kristine: 75 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 91 babies, 5× the national rate
Armando: 84 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Miguel: 59 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Ron: 186 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Manuel: 322 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Greg: 170 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Ken: 138 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Ruben: 127 babies, 3× the national rate
Raul: 94 babies, 3× the national rate
Chuck: 66 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1946

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945	US rank
1	Linda	3,777	–	2
2	Mary	3,147	–	1
3	Patricia	2,878	–	3
4	Susan	2,689	↑2	8
5	Barbara	2,573	↓1	4
6	Sharon	2,421	↑1	9
7	Carol	2,152	↓2	5
8	Sandra	2,094	–	6
9	Nancy	1,779	–	7
10	Kathleen	1,652	↑4	16
11	Karen	1,501	–	15
12	Donna	1,491	↓2	13
13	Judy	1,331	–	11
14	Judith	1,271	↓2	10
15	Diane	1,206	–	19
16	Pamela	1,184	↑3	34
17	Cheryl	1,063	↑4	27
18	Carolyn	1,038	↓2	12
19	Margaret	986	↓2	17
20	Janet	959	–	21
21	Janice	874	↑3	22
22	Gloria	872	↓4	26
23	Shirley	861	↓1	18
24	Marilyn	791	↑2	29
25	Betty	758	↓2	14
26	Diana	716	↑1	42
27	Joyce	684	↑1	20
28	Virginia	684	↓3	31
29	Christine	675	↑11	50
30	Joan	612	↓1	28
31	Beverly	592	↑1	30
32	Elizabeth	571	↓1	25
33	Bonnie	570	↓3	33
34	Kathy	526	↑8	79
35	Dorothy	508	↓2	23
36	Cynthia	474	new	46
37	Martha	464	↓2	32
38	Suzanne	449	↑10	52
39	Frances	448	↓5	39
40	Jean	441	↑3	37
41	Connie	434	–	45
42	Helen	434	↓6	36
43	Ann	433	↓6	40
44	Alice	421	↑1	44
45	Phyllis	421	new	41
46	Gail	419	↓7	49
47	Sally	413	–	67
48	Catherine	408	↑1	48
49	Maria	408	new	88
50	Jane	404	↓6	35

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945	US rank
1	Robert	5,522	–	2
2	John	5,096	–	3
3	Richard	4,680	↑1	5
4	James	4,430	↓1	1
5	Michael	4,166	–	7
6	William	3,342	–	4
7	David	3,312	–	6
8	Gary	2,227	–	12
9	Ronald	2,191	–	10
10	Dennis	2,009	↑2	17
11	Thomas	1,960	–	8
12	Charles	1,851	↓2	9
13	Larry	1,784	–	11
14	Donald	1,556	–	13
15	Kenneth	1,422	–	15
16	Paul	1,305	↑1	18
17	George	1,232	↓1	16
18	Steven	1,137	↑5	28
19	Stephen	1,099	↓1	24
20	Frank	1,053	↑1	22
21	Daniel	994	↑3	21
22	Jerry	987	↓2	20
23	Edward	977	↓4	19
24	Joseph	871	↓2	14
25	Mike	814	–	64
26	Terry	716	↑7	26
27	Bruce	711	↑9	32
28	Raymond	662	↓1	25
29	Steve	659	↑5	69
30	Jack	651	↓4	35
31	Joe	646	↓3	37
32	Jim	636	↓3	73
33	Gregory	623	new	56
34	Douglas	618	↓2	34
35	Roger	615	↓5	23
36	Bill	595	↓5	72
37	Gerald	570	↓2	27
38	Lawrence	559	↑2	31
39	Danny	546	↑7	46
40	Patrick	521	↑9	59
41	Wayne	515	↓2	29
42	Arthur	514	↓4	36
43	Timothy	503	new	60
44	Mark	498	new	58
45	Peter	493	↓8	38
46	Fred	492	↓1	51
47	Alan	478	↓5	49
48	Tom	475	↓5	87
49	Don	435	↓8	79
50	Ralph	424	↓3	48

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