Popular baby names in California, 1979

The most popular baby names in California in 1979 were Jennifer for girls (5,461 babies) and Michael for boys (6,587). Social Security records list 343,059 babies born in California in 1979 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1979

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

Girls

Gabriela: 432 babies, 6× the national rate
Alejandra: 238 babies, 6× the national rate
Susana: 248 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Rocio: 145 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Marisela: 137 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Mayra: 313 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Maricela: 185 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Araceli: 172 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Griselda: 130 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Lorena: 332 babies, 5× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 344 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Hugo: 152 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Cesar: 378 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Arturo: 340 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Alejandro: 591 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Gerardo: 328 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Gustavo: 157 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Sergio: 379 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Humberto: 95 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Moises: 126 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1979

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Jennifer	5,461	–	1
2	Melissa	3,006	–	2
3	Jessica	2,543	–	4
4	Michelle	2,428	–	10
5	Nicole	2,212	↑2	9
6	Sarah	2,118	↓1	6
7	Maria	2,030	↑1	37
8	Christina	2,008	↓2	14
9	Elizabeth	1,927	–	11
10	Lisa	1,750	↑1	13
11	Heather	1,614	↓1	7
12	Amanda	1,611	↑7	3
13	Angela	1,500	↓1	8
14	Stephanie	1,392	–	15
15	Kimberly	1,378	–	12
16	Amy	1,373	↓3	5
17	Amber	1,361	↑4	22
18	Monica	1,236	↑2	40
19	Rebecca	1,232	↓2	17
20	Laura	1,218	↑3	20
21	Veronica	1,210	↓3	76
22	Kelly	1,148	↓6	16
23	Andrea	1,139	↓1	26
24	Jamie	1,076	↑8	19
25	Erin	1,028	–	21
26	Crystal	996	↑2	18
27	Shannon	991	↓3	25
28	Sara	950	↑2	30
29	Rachel	933	↓2	27
30	Erica	919	↑6	32
31	Christine	913	↓5	35
32	Julie	889	↓3	29
33	Patricia	888	–	44
34	Vanessa	867	↑1	75
35	Tiffany	833	↑5	28
36	April	832	↑2	23
37	Danielle	831	↓6	33
38	Sandra	815	↓1	77
39	Mary	806	–	24
40	Cynthia	799	↓6	55
41	Alicia	794	–	47
42	Megan	745	↑8	31
43	Katherine	659	–	36
44	Emily	657	↑1	34
45	Nancy	641	↓3	>100
46	Diana	632	↑1	>100
47	Erika	629	new	91
48	Natalie	614	new	68
49	Wendy	585	↓5	64
50	Anna	525	↓4	59

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Michael	6,587	–	1
2	David	4,876	–	4
3	Christopher	4,716	↑1	2
4	Jason	4,065	↓1	3
5	Daniel	3,554	–	12
6	Robert	3,458	–	8
7	John	3,019	↑2	7
8	Matthew	3,009	–	6
9	James	2,978	↓2	5
10	Ryan	2,899	↑4	14
11	Joshua	2,895	–	9
12	Jose	2,681	–	44
13	Brian	2,662	↓3	10
14	Joseph	2,618	↓1	11
15	Eric	2,080	↑1	17
16	Nicholas	2,080	↑3	15
17	Anthony	2,074	↓2	21
18	Richard	2,059	↓1	25
19	Steven	1,838	↓1	27
20	William	1,699	↑1	13
21	Kevin	1,689	↓1	19
22	Jeffrey	1,630	–	24
23	Juan	1,602	–	61
24	Justin	1,578	↑2	22
25	Andrew	1,552	↓1	20
26	Adam	1,444	↑7	23
27	Jeremy	1,433	↓2	16
28	Aaron	1,417	↑1	32
29	Timothy	1,409	↓2	18
30	Scott	1,325	↑1	29
31	Jonathan	1,293	↑3	31
32	Mark	1,279	↓4	30
33	Paul	1,271	↓1	34
34	Thomas	1,237	↓4	26
35	Brandon	1,150	↑4	35
36	Benjamin	1,120	↓1	33
37	Carlos	1,102	↑3	73
38	Charles	1,008	↓2	28
39	Sean	949	↓2	49
40	Jesus	945	↑4	>100
41	Nathan	936	↑1	37
42	Jesse	879	↓1	50
43	Jorge	857	new	>100
44	Patrick	854	↑5	39
45	Gregory	826	↓7	42
46	Kenneth	824	↓3	41
47	Edward	814	–	48
48	Gabriel	813	–	90
49	Stephen	802	↓4	40
50	Luis	797	new	>100

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