Popular baby names in California, 1985

The most popular baby names in California in 1985 were Jessica for girls (5,536 babies) and Michael for boys (7,215). Social Security records list 425,637 babies born in California in 1985 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1985

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

Girls

Maira: 117 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Mayra: 704 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Susana: 215 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Guadalupe: 342 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Rocio: 197 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Liliana: 216 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Yesenia: 281 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Araceli: 153 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Gabriela: 378 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Alejandra: 245 babies, 4.4× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 356 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Hugo: 181 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Rigoberto: 130 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Jairo: 112 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Cesar: 463 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Gustavo: 234 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Arturo: 389 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Alvaro: 174 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ernesto: 298 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Moises: 140 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1985

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1984	US rank
1	Jessica	5,536	↑1	1
2	Jennifer	4,966	↓1	3
3	Ashley	3,929	–	2
4	Amanda	3,168	↑4	4
5	Nicole	2,891	↓1	7
6	Stephanie	2,620	↑1	6
7	Melissa	2,500	↓2	11
8	Elizabeth	2,497	↑1	9
9	Christina	2,453	↑2	12
10	Sarah	2,414	↓4	5
11	Michelle	2,102	↓1	22
12	Vanessa	2,096	↑1	42
13	Heather	1,880	↓1	8
14	Megan	1,866	↑2	10
15	Maria	1,697	–	52
16	Laura	1,687	↑4	14
17	Amber	1,644	↑1	16
18	Crystal	1,643	↓4	21
19	Danielle	1,641	↓2	18
20	Rachel	1,527	↑1	13
21	Lauren	1,500	↑2	15
22	Brittany	1,423	new	17
23	Kimberly	1,406	↓1	19
24	Tiffany	1,327	↓5	23
25	Amy	1,240	↓1	20
26	Rebecca	1,230	↓1	25
27	Andrea	1,167	↓1	33
28	Sara	1,133	↑10	30
29	Erica	1,130	↑3	34
30	Veronica	1,128	–	72
31	Cynthia	1,106	↓4	66
32	Jamie	1,097	↑11	27
33	Natalie	1,081	–	58
34	Erin	1,078	↓5	26
35	Lisa	1,038	↓7	36
36	Monica	1,027	↓2	61
37	Angela	1,011	↓6	31
38	Katherine	1,005	↑1	32
39	Emily	992	↓2	24
40	Samantha	985	new	29
41	Nancy	967	↑5	>100
42	Kelly	962	↓7	28
43	Christine	950	↓7	44
44	Diana	895	↓2	74
45	Jacqueline	891	↓4	60
46	Shannon	872	↓6	41
47	Kristen	805	–	38
48	Alicia	793	↓4	45
49	Erika	764	↓4	80
50	Patricia	743	–	64

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1984	US rank
1	Michael	7,215	–	1
2	Christopher	6,722	–	2
3	Daniel	5,459	↑1	5
4	David	5,254	↓1	6
5	Matthew	4,514	–	3
6	Robert	3,698	–	8
7	Joshua	3,664	–	4
8	Ryan	3,576	–	12
9	Andrew	3,415	↑6	11
10	James	3,224	↓1	7
11	Anthony	3,127	↑3	20
12	Jose	3,120	↑1	49
13	Joseph	3,054	↓2	10
14	John	3,026	↓4	9
15	Jonathan	2,935	↑2	17
16	Jason	2,705	↓4	14
17	Brandon	2,701	↑3	13
18	Nicholas	2,635	–	19
19	Brian	2,559	↓3	18
20	Eric	2,509	↑1	21
21	Steven	2,487	↑1	24
22	Justin	2,255	↓3	15
23	Kevin	2,230	↑2	23
24	Richard	2,213	↓1	28
25	William	2,052	↑1	16
26	Adam	1,736	↓2	22
27	Kyle	1,718	↑7	27
28	Juan	1,690	–	65
29	Jeffrey	1,670	↓2	29
30	Sean	1,582	↑2	38
31	Thomas	1,559	↓1	25
32	Timothy	1,537	↓3	26
33	Aaron	1,437	↓2	33
34	Alexander	1,398	↑11	50
35	Mark	1,366	↓2	32
36	Carlos	1,275	–	74
37	Paul	1,248	↓2	42
38	Luis	1,236	↑3	85
39	Benjamin	1,170	↑1	31
40	Patrick	1,167	↓3	37
41	Jesus	1,131	↑2	>100
42	Scott	1,100	↓4	44
43	Jacob	1,092	↓4	35
44	Jesse	1,084	–	51
45	Jeremy	1,073	↑4	30
46	Charles	1,058	new	34
47	Stephen	1,036	↓5	36
48	Bryan	1,034	↑2	48
49	Gregory	1,008	↓3	45
50	Miguel	1,008	↓2	>100

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