Popular baby names in California, 1950

The most popular baby names in California in 1950 were Linda for girls (5,388 babies) and Robert for boys (6,035). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 235,567 babies born in California in 1950 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1950

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: 91 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Angelina: 61 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Teri: 82 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Yolanda: 324 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Kim: 59 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Laurie: 263 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Guadalupe: 121 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Isabel: 68 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Robyn: 62 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Robin: 356 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 110 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Louie: 90 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Manuel: 365 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Ruben: 235 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Fernando: 68 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Mario: 140 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Rudy: 118 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Armando: 94 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Miguel: 81 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Chris: 216 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Linda	5,388	–	1
2	Susan	3,260	↑1	5
3	Mary	3,131	↓1	2
4	Patricia	3,049	–	3
5	Kathleen	2,311	–	10
6	Barbara	2,270	–	4
7	Nancy	2,076	–	6
8	Sandra	2,017	–	8
9	Deborah	1,992	↑6	7
10	Karen	1,867	↑1	12
11	Sharon	1,816	↓2	11
12	Carol	1,737	↓2	9
13	Pamela	1,462	↓1	17
14	Christine	1,361	–	28
15	Donna	1,355	↓2	13
16	Diane	1,214	–	16
17	Janet	1,170	↑1	18
18	Margaret	1,101	↓1	15
19	Cynthia	1,083	↑1	23
20	Janice	952	↑2	22
21	Judith	929	↓2	21
22	Cheryl	903	↑1	29
23	Elizabeth	865	↑4	24
24	Shirley	838	↑2	19
25	Gloria	825	↓1	30
26	Judy	811	↓5	25
27	Carolyn	810	↓2	20
28	Catherine	770	↑1	34
29	Kathryn	677	↑5	46
30	Marilyn	674	↓2	37
31	Diana	658	–	47
32	Kathy	628	↓2	38
33	Virginia	620	↓1	43
34	Gail	603	↑6	42
35	Debra	601	new	59
36	Joyce	587	↓3	27
37	Brenda	586	↓1	14
38	Rebecca	584	↑8	36
39	Maria	582	↓1	73
40	Beverly	579	↓5	31
41	Laura	565	↓2	63
42	Martha	563	↑2	32
43	Katherine	539	–	58
44	Paula	522	↑5	54
45	Joan	515	↓3	40
46	Bonnie	508	↓9	33
47	Peggy	501	↓2	41
48	Victoria	499	↓1	94
49	Betty	488	↓8	26
50	Denise	484	new	82

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Robert	6,035	–	2
2	Michael	5,534	–	4
3	John	5,348	–	3
4	David	4,851	↑1	5
5	James	4,632	↓1	1
6	Richard	4,234	–	7
7	William	3,461	–	6
8	Steven	2,858	–	16
9	Thomas	2,595	–	8
10	Gary	2,568	–	10
11	Ronald	1,970	–	12
12	Charles	1,943	–	9
13	Stephen	1,892	–	19
14	Donald	1,782	↑2	14
15	Dennis	1,708	–	17
16	Daniel	1,693	↑2	21
17	Larry	1,679	↓3	11
18	Mark	1,584	↑1	23
19	Kenneth	1,578	↓2	15
20	Paul	1,443	–	18
21	Gregory	1,357	↑3	25
22	Joseph	1,254	↑1	13
23	George	1,222	↓2	20
24	Edward	1,128	↓2	22
25	Timothy	1,079	↑2	32
26	Bruce	1,017	↓1	26
27	Frank	974	↓1	29
28	Douglas	953	–	28
29	Raymond	810	↑2	31
30	Patrick	799	–	38
31	Lawrence	749	↑1	33
32	Jeffrey	745	↑3	43
33	Jerry	734	↓4	24
34	Christopher	698	↑8	72
35	Anthony	679	↑5	36
36	Gerald	623	↑10	34
37	Terry	620	↓3	30
38	Craig	611	–	69
39	Peter	595	↑4	37
40	Arthur	587	↑1	46
41	Alan	586	↑7	41
42	Jack	571	↓6	48
43	Roger	561	↓6	27
44	Danny	555	↓5	39
45	Scott	510	new	82
46	Wayne	505	↑1	35
47	Steve	500	↓14	83
48	Joe	481	↓3	54
49	Ralph	462	–	52
50	Dale	456	new	49

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