Popular baby names in California, 1961

The most popular baby names in California in 1961 were Lisa for girls (3,769 babies) and David for boys (8,126). Lisa ranked #2 nationally for girls. David ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 364,120 babies born in California in 1961 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1961

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: 95 babies, 4× the national rate
Guadalupe: 119 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Leticia: 244 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Delia: 105 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Teri: 481 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Erin: 237 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Yolanda: 479 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Stacy: 313 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Liz: 129 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Margarita: 103 babies, 2.2× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 150 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Gabriel: 167 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Louie: 97 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Armando: 172 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Javier: 151 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Manuel: 455 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Ruben: 380 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Mario: 358 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Raul: 241 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Fernando: 169 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1961

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	Lisa	3,769	↑2	2
2	Susan	3,134	–	3
3	Karen	3,041	↓2	5
4	Linda	2,743	↑1	4
5	Mary	2,717	↓1	1
6	Sandra	2,184	↑2	9
7	Patricia	2,150	–	6
8	Julie	2,135	↑5	23
9	Cynthia	2,132	↓3	8
10	Lori	2,090	–	14
11	Laura	2,045	–	21
12	Deborah	1,830	–	10
13	Elizabeth	1,762	↑3	19
14	Donna	1,664	–	7
15	Debra	1,648	↓6	13
16	Denise	1,597	↑6	30
17	Pamela	1,569	↑2	15
18	Cheryl	1,565	↓1	20
19	Nancy	1,560	↓1	16
20	Debbie	1,546	↓5	31
21	Teresa	1,545	↓1	18
22	Kathleen	1,478	↑4	29
23	Barbara	1,469	↓2	12
24	Kimberly	1,469	↑3	22
25	Michelle	1,449	↑6	34
26	Diane	1,404	↓3	26
27	Robin	1,370	↑5	27
28	Sharon	1,368	↑1	17
29	Brenda	1,360	↑1	11
30	Cindy	1,355	↓5	33
31	Kathy	1,284	↓7	25
32	Carol	1,282	↓4	24
33	Kelly	1,243	↑1	45
34	Maria	1,190	↑1	57
35	Janet	1,188	↓2	32
36	Jennifer	1,174	↑9	47
37	Tammy	1,136	↑1	28
38	Diana	1,135	↓1	56
39	Kim	1,081	↓3	36
40	Tina	1,046	↑3	41
41	Rebecca	1,023	↑1	44
42	Theresa	994	↓3	35
43	Laurie	973	↓3	43
44	Terri	937	↓3	51
45	Christine	914	↑2	39
46	Catherine	871	↓2	48
47	Tracy	869	new	64
48	Rhonda	847	–	46
49	Margaret	803	↓3	40
50	Leslie	799	↓1	84

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	David	8,126	–	2
2	Michael	7,927	–	1
3	John	6,845	–	3
4	Robert	6,628	–	5
5	Mark	5,516	–	6
6	James	5,178	–	4
7	Richard	4,012	–	8
8	Steven	3,423	–	10
9	William	3,151	–	7
10	Daniel	2,623	–	17
11	Kevin	2,527	↑1	14
12	Thomas	2,405	↓1	9
13	Scott	2,319	↑3	19
14	Jeffrey	2,314	↑1	11
15	Paul	2,234	↓2	18
16	Kenneth	2,159	↓2	16
17	Ronald	2,059	–	24
18	Brian	2,053	–	20
19	Charles	1,943	↑1	13
20	Gary	1,858	↑1	21
21	Timothy	1,849	↓2	15
22	Gregory	1,834	↑2	23
23	Donald	1,833	↓1	22
24	Joseph	1,831	↓1	12
25	Mike	1,801	↑1	36
26	Anthony	1,782	↓1	25
27	Christopher	1,678	–	26
28	Eric	1,481	–	38
29	Steve	1,437	–	45
30	Edward	1,286	–	29
31	Douglas	1,253	↑6	28
32	Craig	1,227	↓1	43
33	Stephen	1,224	↑1	27
34	Frank	1,177	↑1	41
35	Larry	1,169	↓3	30
36	Jeff	1,152	↑3	49
37	Patrick	1,129	↑3	39
38	George	1,091	–	31
39	Dennis	1,082	↓6	34
40	Raymond	1,029	↑1	48
41	Randy	1,021	↓5	33
42	Chris	978	↑7	57
43	Keith	939	↓1	35
44	Peter	923	–	42
45	Jerry	883	↓2	37
46	Jim	872	↓1	78
47	Bruce	870	–	40
48	Matthew	839	–	59
49	Joe	813	↓3	60
50	Todd	803	new	46

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