Popular baby names in California, 1955

The most popular baby names in California in 1955 were Debra for girls (3,969 babies) and Michael for boys (7,871). Debra ranked #4 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 304,570 babies born in California in 1955 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1955

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: 75 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Yolanda: 491 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Stacey: 85 babies, 3× the national rate
Guadalupe: 126 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Kelly: 111 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Ana: 78 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Teri: 265 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Jeri: 158 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Shannon: 111 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Kerry: 107 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 118 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Christophe: 88 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Raul: 193 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Rudy: 159 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Manuel: 385 babies, 3× the national rate
Ruben: 301 babies, 3× the national rate
Mario: 237 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Armando: 130 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Fernando: 116 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Jesus: 163 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1955

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	Debra	3,969	↑2	4
2	Susan	3,900	–	5
3	Linda	3,751	↓2	3
4	Mary	3,396	↑1	1
5	Deborah	3,325	↓1	2
6	Patricia	3,045	–	6
7	Karen	2,830	–	8
8	Cynthia	2,363	–	11
9	Nancy	2,292	↑1	9
10	Pamela	2,190	↓1	12
11	Kathleen	2,012	–	17
12	Barbara	2,011	–	7
13	Sandra	1,827	–	13
14	Donna	1,660	↑1	10
15	Carol	1,651	↓1	15
16	Cheryl	1,639	↑3	19
17	Diane	1,543	↓1	14
18	Sharon	1,493	↓1	16
19	Janet	1,412	↓1	20
20	Denise	1,374	↑1	23
21	Elizabeth	1,260	↓1	21
22	Teresa	1,168	↑2	26
23	Robin	1,048	↑2	33
24	Laura	1,043	↑3	41
25	Lisa	1,038	↑8	48
26	Catherine	968	–	28
27	Margaret	964	↓4	24
28	Rebecca	915	↓6	27
29	Janice	905	↓1	25
30	Brenda	830	↑1	18
31	Kathy	826	↑4	22
32	Theresa	823	↑5	38
33	Julie	808	↑8	67
34	Lori	796	new	89
35	Diana	778	↓3	55
36	Maria	721	↓7	69
37	Katherine	719	↑6	65
38	Victoria	719	↑7	82
39	Paula	708	↓5	39
40	Gloria	699	↓10	47
41	Debbie	697	new	63
42	Kathryn	688	–	59
43	Judy	679	↓7	32
44	Judith	667	↓4	31
45	Laurie	664	new	91
46	Carolyn	661	↓2	30
47	Leslie	646	↑2	99
48	Gail	631	↓9	42
49	Valerie	615	new	80
50	Christine	613	↓2	40

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	Michael	7,871	–	1
2	David	7,382	↑1	2
3	Robert	6,896	↓1	4
4	John	6,033	–	5
5	James	5,150	–	3
6	Richard	4,871	–	7
7	Steven	4,205	–	10
8	Mark	4,107	↑1	9
9	William	3,913	↓1	6
10	Thomas	2,772	–	8
11	Daniel	2,609	↑1	17
12	Gary	2,545	↓1	12
13	Ronald	2,202	–	18
14	Paul	2,131	↑1	16
15	Kenneth	2,050	↑2	15
16	Donald	2,048	–	14
17	Charles	1,947	↓3	11
18	Gregory	1,914	↑2	24
19	Jeffrey	1,871	–	20
20	Stephen	1,791	↓2	21
21	Timothy	1,764	↑2	22
22	Joseph	1,731	–	13
23	Dennis	1,500	↓2	23
24	Larry	1,403	–	19
25	Edward	1,371	–	25
26	George	1,227	–	26
27	Bruce	1,207	–	32
28	Douglas	1,205	–	29
29	Kevin	1,188	↑2	27
30	Scott	1,184	↓1	38
31	Anthony	1,152	↓1	31
32	Randy	1,079	↑4	30
33	Frank	1,008	↓1	34
34	Craig	987	↑1	50
35	Brian	937	↑3	40
36	Patrick	936	↓3	41
37	Christopher	922	↑4	49
38	Raymond	909	↓4	36
39	Terry	820	↓2	28
40	Peter	811	–	35
41	Lawrence	791	↓2	42
42	Alan	778	↑1	43
43	Keith	726	↑6	39
44	Jerry	709	↓2	33
45	Arthur	638	↓1	56
46	Danny	626	↑1	45
47	Eric	613	new	85
48	Roger	611	↓3	37
49	Dale	598	new	52
50	Russell	588	new	57

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