Popular baby names in California, 1953

The most popular baby names in California in 1953 were Linda for girls (4,452 babies) and Michael for boys (7,851). Linda ranked #2 nationally for girls. Michael ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 287,487 babies born in California in 1953 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1953

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: 84 babies, 5× the national rate
Guadalupe: 162 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Teri: 157 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Yolanda: 373 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Kerry: 109 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Sheri: 129 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Christina: 316 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Cathleen: 142 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Cheri: 140 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Heidi: 115 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 116 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Christophe: 82 babies, 4× the national rate
Louie: 93 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Manuel: 394 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Ruben: 288 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Rudy: 145 babies, 3× the national rate
Armando: 130 babies, 3× the national rate
Mario: 216 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Raul: 156 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Fernando: 110 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1953

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Linda	4,452	–	2
2	Deborah	3,857	↑1	3
3	Susan	3,752	↑1	5
4	Mary	3,400	↑1	1
5	Patricia	3,324	↓3	4
6	Debra	3,295	↑2	7
7	Karen	2,461	–	9
8	Cynthia	2,288	↑7	12
9	Kathleen	2,232	↓3	14
10	Pamela	2,222	↑3	10
11	Nancy	2,210	↓2	8
12	Barbara	2,147	↓2	6
13	Sandra	1,948	↓1	11
14	Sharon	1,655	↑2	15
15	Carol	1,597	↓1	16
16	Donna	1,554	↑2	13
17	Diane	1,534	–	17
18	Janet	1,447	↑1	19
19	Elizabeth	1,185	↑2	21
20	Denise	1,068	↑4	31
21	Cheryl	1,058	↑2	28
22	Margaret	1,023	↓2	20
23	Janice	1,007	↓1	22
24	Christine	943	↓13	32
25	Rebecca	934	↑4	24
26	Catherine	894	↓1	35
27	Laura	860	↑4	51
28	Teresa	855	↑7	42
29	Robin	841	↑19	66
30	Judith	788	↓4	30
31	Gloria	783	↓3	38
32	Brenda	774	↑2	18
33	Marilyn	772	↓3	36
34	Judy	767	↓7	27
35	Diana	764	↑4	55
36	Kathy	749	↑2	23
37	Paula	745	↑5	40
38	Kathryn	743	↓5	48
39	Maria	742	↑2	68
40	Gail	735	↓4	39
41	Victoria	731	↓4	82
42	Carolyn	715	↓10	25
43	Julie	691	new	74
44	Katherine	683	↓4	63
45	Shirley	676	–	29
46	Theresa	656	new	50
47	Martha	637	–	41
48	Joyce	632	↓2	26
49	Joan	612	↓5	37
50	Virginia	596	↓7	53

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1952	US rank
1	Michael	7,851	–	3
2	Robert	6,751	–	1
3	David	6,384	↑1	5
4	John	5,954	↓1	4
5	James	5,253	–	2
6	Richard	5,228	–	7
7	Steven	3,954	↑1	11
8	William	3,858	↓1	6
9	Gary	2,940	–	10
10	Mark	2,878	↑1	12
11	Thomas	2,876	↓1	8
12	Daniel	2,265	↑1	20
13	Ronald	2,189	↑1	15
14	Charles	2,120	↓2	9
15	Donald	2,103	↑2	14
16	Kenneth	1,938	↑2	17
17	Paul	1,904	↑2	16
18	Dennis	1,809	↓2	19
19	Stephen	1,806	↓4	21
20	Gregory	1,611	↑1	24
21	Joseph	1,496	↑2	13
22	Larry	1,465	↓2	18
23	Jeffrey	1,428	↑4	25
24	Timothy	1,303	↓2	26
25	George	1,279	↑1	22
26	Edward	1,273	↓2	23
27	Bruce	1,232	↓2	28
28	Douglas	1,154	–	27
29	Frank	1,022	–	33
30	Anthony	936	↑1	32
31	Raymond	920	↑3	34
32	Patrick	904	↓2	39
33	Scott	894	↑6	46
34	Randy	893	↑2	35
35	Craig	851	–	60
36	Lawrence	843	↓3	37
37	Christopher	798	↓5	63
38	Peter	771	↓1	38
39	Terry	744	↑2	30
40	Jerry	742	↓2	29
41	Brian	739	↑7	53
42	Roger	723	–	31
43	Kevin	682	↑7	36
44	Arthur	636	↓1	50
45	Alan	629	↓5	43
46	Jack	611	↓2	57
47	Gerald	591	↓1	42
48	Dale	587	↑1	48
49	Danny	569	↓4	41
50	Wayne	554	↓3	40

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