Popular baby names in California, 1959

The most popular baby names in California in 1959 were Mary for girls (3,198 babies) and David for boys (7,628). David ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 345,993 babies born in California in 1959 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1959

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: 102 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Guadalupe: 127 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Leticia: 156 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Marta: 88 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Erin: 250 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Yolanda: 455 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Liz: 124 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Ana: 112 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Irma: 186 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Margarita: 100 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 125 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Manuel: 471 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Ruben: 376 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Armando: 160 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Gabriel: 113 babies, 3× the national rate
Mario: 292 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Rudy: 189 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Javier: 106 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Jesus: 218 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Raul: 202 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1959

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	Mary	3,198	↑2	1
2	Karen	3,136	–	4
3	Susan	3,123	↓2	2
4	Linda	3,103	–	3
5	Lisa	2,682	↑3	10
6	Cynthia	2,535	↓1	8
7	Patricia	2,527	–	6
8	Debra	2,291	↓2	7
9	Deborah	2,134	↑1	9
10	Donna	2,061	↑13	5
11	Sandra	1,906	↑5	13
12	Julie	1,867	↓3	26
13	Lori	1,857	↑2	27
14	Pamela	1,853	↓2	12
15	Debbie	1,774	↑4	20
16	Laura	1,665	↑6	30
17	Nancy	1,660	↓3	14
18	Cheryl	1,640	↓7	18
19	Elizabeth	1,604	↑2	21
20	Kathleen	1,595	↓7	23
21	Kathy	1,574	↓4	15
22	Diane	1,543	↓2	19
23	Cindy	1,528	↑3	25
24	Denise	1,498	↑1	29
25	Carol	1,480	↓1	22
26	Barbara	1,475	↓8	11
27	Sharon	1,418	–	17
28	Teresa	1,352	–	24
29	Robin	1,174	↑3	32
30	Michelle	1,163	↑5	47
31	Janet	1,151	↓2	28
32	Kim	1,085	↑1	35
33	Diana	1,081	↓3	49
34	Brenda	1,079	↓3	16
35	Kimberly	1,060	↑6	33
36	Terri	1,052	↑4	46
37	Theresa	1,011	↓3	34
38	Maria	997	↓1	62
39	Tammy	991	↑7	31
40	Catherine	915	↓4	40
41	Rebecca	882	↓3	38
42	Kelly	841	new	74
43	Margaret	820	↓4	36
44	Laurie	810	↓2	56
45	Cathy	806	↓2	39
46	Christine	777	↓2	43
47	Leslie	766	↓2	84
48	Judy	758	↑1	41
49	Tina	753	↑1	53
50	Valerie	742	new	60

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958	US rank
1	David	7,628	↑1	2
2	Michael	7,467	↓1	1
3	Robert	6,510	–	5
4	John	6,174	–	4
5	Mark	5,304	↑1	6
6	James	5,025	↓1	3
7	Richard	4,460	–	8
8	Steven	3,443	–	10
9	William	3,206	–	7
10	Thomas	2,492	–	9
11	Daniel	2,372	–	18
12	Paul	2,189	↑1	17
13	Ronald	2,147	↓1	21
14	Kevin	2,144	↑6	14
15	Timothy	2,023	↑1	12
16	Jeffrey	1,986	↑5	16
17	Kenneth	1,982	↓2	15
18	Scott	1,931	↑1	24
19	Gary	1,928	↓5	20
20	Charles	1,906	↓2	11
21	Donald	1,869	↓4	19
22	Brian	1,842	↑2	22
23	Gregory	1,781	↓1	23
24	Mike	1,734	↑3	37
25	Joseph	1,674	↓2	13
26	Anthony	1,485	↓1	26
27	Steve	1,472	↑2	41
28	Edward	1,344	↑3	27
29	Dennis	1,328	↑1	29
30	Larry	1,324	↓4	25
31	Christopher	1,312	↑5	35
32	Eric	1,228	↑6	46
33	Stephen	1,226	↓5	28
34	Craig	1,214	↑7	44
35	Douglas	1,211	↓3	30
36	Frank	1,200	↓1	42
37	Randy	1,171	↓4	31
38	George	1,106	↓4	32
39	Patrick	1,059	↓2	43
40	Peter	971	↑4	40
41	Jeff	943	new	52
42	Raymond	927	↓2	45
43	Keith	917	–	39
44	Jim	876	new	70
45	Bruce	866	↓6	38
46	Jerry	842	↓4	36
47	Joe	839	↓1	57
48	Terry	779	–	33
49	Danny	769	↓2	48
50	Matthew	725	↓1	63

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