In 1981 parents in California chose a mix of unique and traditional names for their newborns, reflecting the diverse influences of the times from Sacramento to San Diego. Discover the most popular baby names in California for 1981, a list that not only reveals current trends but also offers inspiration for expectant parents. Join us as we explore these names that capture the spirit and culture of California in 1981.
| 1 | Michael | 7,151 | Jennifer | 5,629 |
| 2 | Christopher | 5,179 | Jessica | 3,746 |
| 3 | David | 4,937 | Melissa | 2,845 |
| 4 | Daniel | 4,335 | Sarah | 2,835 |
| 5 | Matthew | 3,885 | Michelle | 2,463 |
| 6 | Robert | 3,735 | Nicole | 2,351 |
| 7 | Jason | 3,713 | Elizabeth | 2,312 |
| 8 | Joshua | 3,383 | Maria | 2,239 |
| 9 | John | 3,217 | Amanda | 2,114 |
| 10 | Jose | 3,199 | Christina | 2,080 |
| 11 | Ryan | 3,173 | Stephanie | 1,917 |
| 12 | Joseph | 3,037 | Amber | 1,576 |
| 13 | James | 3,017 | Lisa | 1,534 |
| 14 | Brian | 2,615 | Heather | 1,491 |
| 15 | Justin | 2,447 | Rebecca | 1,463 |
| 16 | Anthony | 2,383 | Amy | 1,460 |
| 17 | Jonathan | 2,246 | Tiffany | 1,398 |
| 18 | Richard | 2,196 | Laura | 1,382 |
| 19 | Eric | 2,117 | Crystal | 1,372 |
| 20 | Nicholas | 2,054 | Kimberly | 1,364 |
| 21 | Steven | 1,973 | Erin | 1,306 |
| 22 | Brandon | 1,920 | Angela | 1,298 |
| 23 | Andrew | 1,879 | Andrea | 1,273 |
| 24 | Juan | 1,857 | Veronica | 1,248 |
| 25 | William | 1,792 | Monica | 1,238 |
| 26 | Jeffrey | 1,696 | Danielle | 1,208 |
| 27 | Kevin | 1,685 | Sara | 1,182 |
| 28 | Adam | 1,623 | Vanessa | 1,134 |
| 29 | Aaron | 1,561 | Rachel | 1,111 |
| 30 | Jeremy | 1,463 | Kelly | 1,057 |
| 31 | Timothy | 1,417 | Erica | 1,014 |
| 32 | Paul | 1,410 | Jamie | 991 |
| 33 | Thomas | 1,361 | Shannon | 968 |
| 34 | Mark | 1,301 | Julie | 918 |
| 35 | Sean | 1,284 | Diana | 896 |
| 36 | Scott | 1,266 | Sandra | 890 |
| 37 | Jesse | 1,250 | Megan | 886 |
| 38 | Benjamin | 1,237 | Christine | 881 |
| 39 | Carlos | 1,207 | Cynthia | 862 |
| 40 | Charles | 1,074 | Lauren | 861 |
| 41 | Jesus | 1,038 | April | 857 |
| 42 | Luis | 1,038 | Mary | 845 |
| 43 | Kenneth | 949 | Emily | 821 |
| 44 | Patrick | 948 | Kristin | 819 |
| 45 | Jacob | 944 | Patricia | 812 |
| 46 | Nathan | 941 | Alicia | 799 |
| 47 | Miguel | 916 | Katherine | 798 |
| 48 | Gregory | 854 | Nancy | 795 |
| 49 | Jorge | 842 | Kristen | 735 |
| 50 | Francisco | 833 | Erika | 685 |
| 51 | Ricardo | 826 | Natalie | 671 |
| 52 | Gabriel | 822 | Jacqueline | 663 |
| 53 | Edward | 816 | Anna | 656 |
| 54 | Bryan | 812 | Monique | 654 |
| 55 | Stephen | 808 | Angelica | 593 |
| 56 | Dustin | 789 | Wendy | 590 |
| 57 | Manuel | 766 | Denise | 586 |
| 58 | Victor | 745 | Claudia | 579 |
| 59 | Mario | 733 | Ana | 571 |
| 60 | Alexander | 718 | Valerie | 537 |
| 61 | Alejandro | 711 | Katie | 529 |
| 62 | Raymond | 709 | Julia | 520 |
| 63 | Samuel | 667 | Courtney | 519 |
| 64 | Travis | 650 | Ashley | 516 |
| 65 | Peter | 636 | Kathryn | 512 |
| 66 | Antonio | 629 | Kristina | 502 |
| 67 | Erik | 621 | Brenda | 501 |
| 68 | Roberto | 620 | Lindsay | 499 |
| 69 | Ronald | 613 | Victoria | 488 |
| 70 | Shawn | 610 | Linda | 479 |
| 71 | Frank | 603 | Teresa | 471 |
| 72 | Joel | 580 | Samantha | 445 |
| 73 | George | 579 | Adriana | 441 |
| 74 | Kyle | 577 | Brooke | 439 |
| 75 | Jared | 557 | Karen | 435 |
| 76 | Adrian | 555 | Leslie | 435 |
| 77 | Oscar | 540 | Allison | 434 |
| 78 | Ruben | 539 | Rosa | 424 |
| 79 | Sergio | 539 | Melanie | 417 |
| 80 | Derek | 537 | Joanna | 410 |
| 81 | Jaime | 536 | Brandy | 409 |
| 82 | Chad | 525 | Tara | 407 |
| 83 | Raul | 516 | Candice | 405 |
| 84 | Donald | 514 | Gina | 404 |
| 85 | Javier | 504 | Leticia | 399 |
| 86 | Fernando | 499 | Desiree | 392 |
| 87 | Hector | 498 | Martha | 388 |
| 88 | Armando | 496 | Sonia | 388 |
| 89 | Christian | 481 | Lindsey | 381 |
| 90 | Vincent | 469 | Sabrina | 380 |
| 91 | Keith | 468 | Leah | 378 |
| 92 | Cesar | 453 | Tanya | 376 |
| 93 | Phillip | 452 | Janet | 373 |
| 94 | Gary | 439 | Tina | 371 |
| 95 | Arturo | 410 | Catherine | 367 |
| 96 | Eduardo | 404 | Lorena | 367 |
| 97 | Martin | 404 | Susan | 361 |
| 98 | Zachary | 404 | Heidi | 360 |
| 99 | Salvador | 402 | Renee | 357 |
| 100 | Ian | 396 | Brandi | 352 |