Popular baby names in California, 1951

The most popular baby names in California in 1951 were Linda for girls (4,884 babies) and Michael for boys (6,192). Michael ranked #4 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 250,465 babies born in California in 1951 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1951

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: 82 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Lori: 120 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Yolanda: 356 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Teri: 93 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Robyn: 80 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Kimberly: 91 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Heidi: 61 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Christina: 352 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Laurie: 407 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Guadalupe: 110 babies, 2.6× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 119 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Christophe: 68 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Jess: 66 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Rudy: 174 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Fernando: 96 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Manuel: 377 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Ruben: 239 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Louie: 83 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Armando: 104 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Mario: 171 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1951

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	Linda	4,884	–	1
2	Patricia	3,546	↑2	3
3	Susan	3,346	↓1	6
4	Mary	3,186	↓1	2
5	Deborah	2,736	↑4	4
6	Kathleen	2,417	↓1	10
7	Karen	2,155	↑3	8
8	Barbara	2,137	↓2	5
9	Nancy	2,044	↓2	7
10	Sandra	1,816	↓2	9
11	Sharon	1,754	–	13
12	Christine	1,736	↑2	24
13	Carol	1,734	↓1	11
14	Debra	1,510	↑21	18
15	Pamela	1,505	↓2	16
16	Donna	1,448	↓1	12
17	Diane	1,357	↓1	15
18	Cynthia	1,240	↑1	20
19	Janet	1,234	↓2	19
20	Margaret	1,028	↓2	17
21	Janice	1,021	↓1	21
22	Cheryl	993	–	30
23	Elizabeth	951	–	23
24	Catherine	874	↑4	34
25	Judith	870	↓4	25
26	Judy	808	–	26
27	Gloria	799	↓2	31
28	Denise	749	↑22	48
29	Gail	746	↑5	36
30	Rebecca	728	↑8	32
31	Carolyn	722	↓4	22
32	Shirley	702	↓8	27
33	Kathryn	699	↓4	45
34	Brenda	681	↑3	14
35	Katherine	667	↑8	55
36	Diana	651	↓5	50
37	Victoria	648	↑11	81
38	Marilyn	646	↓8	41
39	Maria	623	–	75
40	Teresa	619	new	63
41	Laura	614	–	60
42	Virginia	595	↓9	47
43	Kathy	583	↓11	35
44	Beverly	576	↓4	33
45	Joyce	565	↓9	28
46	Joan	550	↓1	39
47	Peggy	548	–	40
48	Martha	544	↓6	38
49	Bonnie	541	↓3	37
50	Paula	510	↓6	51

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950	US rank
1	Michael	6,192	↑1	4
2	Robert	6,167	↓1	2
3	John	5,581	–	3
4	David	4,943	–	5
5	James	4,758	–	1
6	Richard	4,510	–	7
7	William	3,712	–	6
8	Steven	3,323	–	13
9	Gary	2,956	↑1	10
10	Thomas	2,751	↓1	8
11	Mark	2,038	↑7	20
12	Ronald	2,025	↓1	12
13	Charles	2,005	↓1	9
14	Stephen	1,892	↓1	19
15	Daniel	1,818	↑1	21
16	Donald	1,810	↓2	15
17	Dennis	1,712	↓2	17
18	Kenneth	1,703	↑1	16
19	Larry	1,652	↓2	11
20	Paul	1,624	–	18
21	Gregory	1,367	–	25
22	Joseph	1,300	–	14
23	Edward	1,216	↑1	23
24	Timothy	1,169	↑1	28
25	George	1,161	↓2	22
26	Bruce	1,159	–	26
27	Douglas	1,034	↑1	27
28	Frank	966	↓1	31
29	Jeffrey	920	↑3	35
30	Patrick	827	–	39
31	Christopher	811	↑3	61
32	Anthony	791	↑3	34
33	Raymond	768	↓4	32
34	Lawrence	765	↓3	33
35	Jerry	740	↓2	24
36	Craig	703	↑2	63
37	Peter	695	↑2	38
38	Alan	658	↑3	40
39	Terry	654	↓2	30
40	Roger	644	↑3	29
41	Jack	586	↑1	48
42	Scott	570	↑3	68
43	Arthur	569	↓3	44
44	Gerald	555	↓8	36
45	Brian	530	new	75
46	Randy	519	new	56
47	Wayne	519	↓1	37
48	Danny	500	↓4	41
49	Joe	496	↓1	57
50	Dale	495	–	49

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