Popular baby names in California, 1956

The most popular baby names in California in 1956 were Susan for girls (3,770 babies) and Michael for boys (8,256). Susan ranked #5 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 324,175 babies born in California in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1956

Names given at least 15 times in California that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Guadalupe: 151 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Erin: 82 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Ana: 105 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Leticia: 104 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Yolanda: 480 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Isabel: 85 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Stacey: 96 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Stacy: 84 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Jeri: 159 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Rene: 110 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 120 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Armando: 167 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Manuel: 393 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Rudy: 180 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Ruben: 329 babies, 3× the national rate
Mario: 282 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Fernando: 116 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Raul: 165 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Francisco: 157 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Ron: 153 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Susan	3,770	↑1	5
2	Debra	3,754	↓1	2
3	Linda	3,691	–	3
4	Mary	3,409	–	1
5	Deborah	3,318	–	4
6	Karen	3,249	↑1	7
7	Patricia	3,003	↓1	6
8	Cynthia	2,734	–	8
9	Pamela	2,143	↑1	12
10	Nancy	2,098	↓1	11
11	Kathleen	2,076	–	17
12	Barbara	1,926	–	9
13	Sandra	1,823	–	14
14	Donna	1,736	–	10
15	Sharon	1,717	↑3	13
16	Cheryl	1,715	–	18
17	Carol	1,704	↓2	16
18	Diane	1,631	↓1	15
19	Denise	1,472	↑1	23
20	Lisa	1,440	↑5	31
21	Janet	1,399	↓2	21
22	Elizabeth	1,267	↓1	22
23	Teresa	1,244	↓1	24
24	Lori	1,237	↑10	66
25	Laura	1,219	↓1	34
26	Robin	1,167	↓3	29
27	Catherine	1,127	↓1	28
28	Julie	1,051	↑5	48
29	Kathy	1,007	↑2	20
30	Rebecca	1,002	↓2	27
31	Margaret	989	↓4	25
32	Janice	933	↓3	26
33	Diana	906	↑2	56
34	Debbie	902	↑7	39
35	Kim	902	new	38
36	Theresa	901	↓4	32
37	Cindy	897	new	37
38	Brenda	891	↓8	19
39	Maria	880	↓3	73
40	Laurie	770	↑5	76
41	Katherine	742	↓4	67
42	Victoria	727	↓4	85
43	Kimberly	703	new	74
44	Kathryn	697	↓2	60
45	Valerie	694	↑4	80
46	Michelle	690	new	88
47	Judy	689	↓4	35
48	Terri	685	new	81
49	Paula	669	↓10	47
50	Cathy	666	new	36

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Michael	8,256	–	1
2	David	7,119	–	4
3	Robert	7,098	–	3
4	John	6,187	–	5
5	James	5,388	–	2
6	Richard	4,963	–	7
7	Mark	4,630	↑1	8
8	Steven	4,177	↓1	10
9	William	3,809	–	6
10	Thomas	2,872	–	9
11	Daniel	2,643	–	18
12	Gary	2,511	–	13
13	Ronald	2,474	–	15
14	Paul	2,212	–	17
15	Donald	2,162	↑1	14
16	Kenneth	2,109	↓1	16
17	Charles	2,034	–	11
18	Timothy	1,958	↑3	19
19	Jeffrey	1,937	–	20
20	Gregory	1,930	↓2	24
21	Joseph	1,885	↑1	12
22	Stephen	1,622	↓2	23
23	Kevin	1,547	↑6	22
24	Scott	1,440	↑6	34
25	Edward	1,429	–	25
26	Larry	1,429	↓2	21
27	Brian	1,360	↑8	32
28	Dennis	1,357	↓5	26
29	Douglas	1,300	↓1	29
30	Anthony	1,263	↑1	30
31	Bruce	1,238	↓4	33
32	George	1,195	↓6	27
33	Randy	1,189	↓1	28
34	Frank	1,113	↓1	38
35	Raymond	1,034	↑3	39
36	Patrick	1,024	–	40
37	Peter	954	↑3	37
38	Craig	947	↓4	51
39	Christopher	924	↓2	47
40	Keith	855	↑3	36
41	Jerry	795	↑3	35
42	Terry	771	↓3	31
43	Alan	746	↓1	44
44	Lawrence	737	↓3	42
45	Russell	726	↑5	52
46	Steve	720	new	59
47	Danny	706	↓1	46
48	Eric	664	↓1	79
49	Arthur	604	↓4	60
50	Dale	599	↓1	50

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