Popular baby names in California, 1948

The most popular baby names in California in 1948 were Linda for girls (6,604 babies) and Robert for boys (5,889). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 229,046 babies born in California in 1948 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1948

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: 114 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Chris: 87 babies, 4× the national rate
Robyn: 79 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Yolanda: 337 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Robin: 236 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Teri: 63 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Candy: 73 babies, 3× the national rate
Cathleen: 124 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Shelley: 78 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Isabel: 72 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 82 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Jess: 61 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ruben: 234 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Fernando: 72 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Manuel: 350 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Rudy: 151 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Ken: 130 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Armando: 85 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Ron: 152 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Louie: 73 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1948

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947	US rank
1	Linda	6,604	–	1
2	Mary	3,426	–	2
3	Susan	3,338	↑1	5
4	Patricia	2,883	↓1	4
5	Barbara	2,473	–	3
6	Kathleen	2,110	↑4	10
7	Sandra	2,109	↑1	6
8	Nancy	1,969	↑1	7
9	Carol	1,954	↓2	8
10	Sharon	1,887	↓4	9
11	Karen	1,724	↑1	12
12	Donna	1,442	↓1	11
13	Pamela	1,407	↑1	22
14	Judy	1,250	↓1	16
15	Diane	1,215	–	19
16	Margaret	1,159	↑1	13
17	Judith	1,103	↓1	15
18	Christine	1,099	↑4	35
19	Cheryl	1,021	–	25
20	Janet	1,005	↓2	24
21	Cynthia	950	↑5	27
22	Carolyn	925	↓2	14
23	Janice	913	↓2	23
24	Gloria	890	–	28
25	Shirley	790	↓2	20
26	Marilyn	746	↓1	33
27	Diana	726	↑2	48
28	Elizabeth	724	↑3	26
29	Deborah	672	new	30
30	Catherine	666	↑7	41
31	Virginia	661	↓4	36
32	Kathy	659	–	55
33	Joyce	635	↓5	21
34	Betty	599	–	18
35	Beverly	579	↓5	31
36	Bonnie	568	↓3	34
37	Joan	553	↓2	37
38	Maria	547	↑5	75
39	Martha	531	–	32
40	Kathryn	524	↑5	54
41	Peggy	520	↑7	38
42	Cathy	484	new	>100
43	Brenda	481	new	17
44	Paula	470	↑2	52
45	Frances	468	↓5	42
46	Helen	466	↑3	40
47	Gail	456	↓11	51
48	Laura	448	↑2	73
49	Katherine	442	new	68
50	Victoria	438	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947	US rank
1	Robert	5,889	–	2
2	John	5,424	–	3
3	Michael	4,772	–	6
4	James	4,658	–	1
5	David	4,121	↑1	5
6	Richard	4,000	↓1	7
7	William	3,431	–	4
8	Ronald	2,345	–	10
9	Thomas	2,326	↑2	8
10	Gary	2,203	↓1	12
11	Steven	2,014	↑4	23
12	Larry	2,000	↓2	11
13	Charles	1,926	–	9
14	Dennis	1,858	↓2	17
15	Stephen	1,723	↑3	20
16	Donald	1,654	↓2	14
17	Kenneth	1,450	↓1	15
18	Paul	1,367	↓1	18
19	Daniel	1,366	↑1	22
20	George	1,242	↓1	16
21	Joseph	1,126	↑3	13
22	Gregory	1,053	↑1	32
23	Frank	1,049	↓2	25
24	Mark	1,042	↑7	29
25	Edward	1,035	↓3	19
26	Bruce	924	↑1	28
27	Jerry	861	↓2	21
28	Steve	822	–	60
29	Timothy	814	↑7	38
30	Mike	809	↓4	68
31	Raymond	783	↓1	27
32	Douglas	752	↑1	33
33	Terry	709	↓4	26
34	Patrick	671	↑3	48
35	Lawrence	630	↑5	31
36	Danny	628	↑5	39
37	Jack	610	↓5	43
38	Joe	598	↓4	47
39	Jim	590	↓4	86
40	Roger	579	↓1	24
41	Arthur	572	↑6	44
42	Peter	566	↑2	37
43	Alan	548	↑2	46
44	Gerald	543	↓2	30
45	Wayne	535	↓2	34
46	Craig	534	new	82
47	Jeffrey	514	new	58
48	Bill	505	↓10	84
49	Anthony	504	↓3	41
50	Tom	494	↓2	94

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