Popular baby names in California, 1986

The most popular baby names in California in 1986 were Jessica for girls (5,965 babies) and Michael for boys (7,262). Social Security records list 435,997 babies born in California in 1986 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in California in 1986

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: 124 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Mayra: 868 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Eliana: 274 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Maricela: 187 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Griselda: 123 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Guadalupe: 337 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Silvia: 181 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Araceli: 176 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Gabriela: 412 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Maribel: 263 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Boys

Salvador: 374 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Hugo: 205 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Rigoberto: 121 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Gustavo: 245 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Cristian: 124 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Ignacio: 123 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Guillermo: 208 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Moises: 148 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Alvaro: 141 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Cesar: 437 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in California, 1986

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1985	US rank
1	Jessica	5,965	–	1
2	Ashley	4,414	↑1	2
3	Jennifer	4,306	↓1	4
4	Amanda	3,493	–	3
5	Sarah	3,035	↑5	5
6	Nicole	2,727	↓1	7
7	Stephanie	2,706	↓1	6
8	Melissa	2,425	↓1	12
9	Elizabeth	2,385	↓1	10
10	Christina	2,278	↓1	19
11	Vanessa	2,082	↑1	43
12	Michelle	1,988	↓1	23
13	Heather	1,782	–	9
14	Brittany	1,767	↑8	8
15	Lauren	1,722	↑6	14
16	Maria	1,683	↓1	49
17	Megan	1,663	↓3	11
18	Amber	1,659	↓1	13
19	Danielle	1,634	–	16
20	Crystal	1,604	↓2	25
21	Rachel	1,538	↓1	15
22	Laura	1,503	↓6	20
23	Kimberly	1,470	–	18
24	Tiffany	1,404	–	17
25	Samantha	1,403	↑15	21
26	Sara	1,271	↑2	27
27	Erica	1,226	↑2	31
28	Amy	1,207	↓3	22
29	Rebecca	1,207	↓3	26
30	Andrea	1,125	↓3	36
31	Emily	1,091	↑8	24
32	Natalie	1,074	↑1	52
33	Monica	1,073	↑3	59
34	Erin	1,060	–	30
35	Katherine	1,044	↑3	28
36	Veronica	1,009	↓6	77
37	Angela	1,007	–	33
38	Christine	970	↑5	47
39	Kelly	965	↑3	29
40	Diana	955	↑4	75
41	Lisa	918	↓6	40
42	Cynthia	916	↓11	81
43	Jacqueline	911	↑2	57
44	Nancy	888	↓3	>100
45	Mayra	868	new	>100
46	Jamie	864	↓14	34
47	Alicia	845	↑1	45
48	Shannon	803	↓2	44
49	Courtney	793	new	35
50	Erika	785	↓1	74

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1985	US rank
1	Michael	7,262	–	1
2	Christopher	6,453	–	2
3	Daniel	5,434	–	6
4	David	5,298	–	5
5	Matthew	4,697	–	3
6	Andrew	3,943	↑3	8
7	Robert	3,729	↓1	9
8	Ryan	3,507	–	11
9	Joshua	3,418	↓2	4
10	Anthony	3,116	↑1	19
11	Jose	3,073	↑1	51
12	James	3,046	↓2	7
13	Joseph	3,012	–	12
14	Jonathan	2,957	↑1	16
15	John	2,848	↓1	10
16	Nicholas	2,655	↑2	17
17	Jason	2,610	↓1	18
18	Brandon	2,521	↓1	13
19	Eric	2,457	↑1	22
20	Steven	2,423	↑1	25
21	Kevin	2,383	↑2	21
22	Justin	2,286	–	14
23	Brian	2,281	↓4	20
24	Richard	2,126	–	29
25	Kyle	2,074	↑2	23
26	William	2,018	↓1	15
27	Juan	1,807	↑1	65
28	Jeffrey	1,698	↑1	32
29	Sean	1,685	↑1	37
30	Alexander	1,646	↑4	41
31	Thomas	1,582	–	26
32	Adam	1,578	↓6	24
33	Timothy	1,568	↓1	27
34	Aaron	1,440	↓1	33
35	Luis	1,390	↑3	79
36	Jeremy	1,363	↑9	28
37	Jacob	1,328	↑6	31
38	Mark	1,321	↓3	35
39	Benjamin	1,313	–	30
40	Carlos	1,273	↓4	76
41	Paul	1,253	↓4	45
42	Jesse	1,213	↑2	48
43	Patrick	1,176	↓3	39
44	Scott	1,157	↓2	44
45	Stephen	1,093	↑2	36
46	Bryan	1,040	↑2	47
47	Charles	1,030	↓1	34
48	Miguel	1,030	↑2	>100
49	Tyler	1,024	new	40
50	Jesus	1,015	↓9	>100

← California 1985 California: all years · US 1986 California 1987 →