In 1986 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 1986, 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 1986.
| 1 | Michael | 7,261 | Jessica | 5,964 |
| 2 | Christopher | 6,453 | Ashley | 4,414 |
| 3 | Daniel | 5,435 | Jennifer | 4,306 |
| 4 | David | 5,298 | Amanda | 3,494 |
| 5 | Matthew | 4,699 | Sarah | 3,035 |
| 6 | Andrew | 3,943 | Nicole | 2,726 |
| 7 | Robert | 3,729 | Stephanie | 2,706 |
| 8 | Ryan | 3,508 | Melissa | 2,424 |
| 9 | Joshua | 3,417 | Elizabeth | 2,385 |
| 10 | Anthony | 3,114 | Christina | 2,278 |
| 11 | Jose | 3,072 | Vanessa | 2,081 |
| 12 | James | 3,042 | Michelle | 1,988 |
| 13 | Joseph | 3,013 | Heather | 1,782 |
| 14 | Jonathan | 2,956 | Brittany | 1,767 |
| 15 | John | 2,849 | Lauren | 1,721 |
| 16 | Nicholas | 2,654 | Maria | 1,680 |
| 17 | Jason | 2,609 | Megan | 1,663 |
| 18 | Brandon | 2,522 | Amber | 1,659 |
| 19 | Eric | 2,457 | Danielle | 1,634 |
| 20 | Steven | 2,422 | Crystal | 1,604 |
| 21 | Kevin | 2,383 | Rachel | 1,538 |
| 22 | Justin | 2,286 | Laura | 1,504 |
| 23 | Brian | 2,280 | Kimberly | 1,470 |
| 24 | Richard | 2,126 | Tiffany | 1,404 |
| 25 | Kyle | 2,074 | Samantha | 1,403 |
| 26 | William | 2,018 | Sara | 1,271 |
| 27 | Juan | 1,806 | Erica | 1,225 |
| 28 | Jeffrey | 1,697 | Amy | 1,207 |
| 29 | Sean | 1,684 | Rebecca | 1,207 |
| 30 | Alexander | 1,647 | Andrea | 1,125 |
| 31 | Thomas | 1,581 | Emily | 1,091 |
| 32 | Adam | 1,579 | Natalie | 1,075 |
| 33 | Timothy | 1,568 | Monica | 1,073 |
| 34 | Aaron | 1,441 | Erin | 1,061 |
| 35 | Luis | 1,390 | Katherine | 1,044 |
| 36 | Jeremy | 1,363 | Angela | 1,008 |
| 37 | Jacob | 1,328 | Veronica | 1,008 |
| 38 | Mark | 1,321 | Christine | 971 |
| 39 | Benjamin | 1,313 | Kelly | 966 |
| 40 | Carlos | 1,273 | Diana | 955 |
| 41 | Paul | 1,254 | Lisa | 917 |
| 42 | Jesse | 1,213 | Cynthia | 916 |
| 43 | Patrick | 1,176 | Jacqueline | 911 |
| 44 | Scott | 1,157 | Nancy | 888 |
| 45 | Stephen | 1,093 | Mayra | 868 |
| 46 | Bryan | 1,040 | Jamie | 864 |
| 47 | Charles | 1,030 | Alicia | 844 |
| 48 | Miguel | 1,028 | Shannon | 804 |
| 49 | Tyler | 1,024 | Courtney | 793 |
| 50 | Jesus | 1,016 | Erika | 785 |
| 51 | Gregory | 1,005 | Patricia | 775 |
| 52 | Victor | 1,001 | Sandra | 754 |
| 53 | Jorge | 955 | Allison | 748 |
| 54 | Kenneth | 926 | Victoria | 733 |
| 55 | Samuel | 913 | Kristen | 726 |
| 56 | Travis | 890 | Whitney | 720 |
| 57 | Nathan | 886 | Brenda | 682 |
| 58 | Zachary | 882 | Katie | 680 |
| 59 | Francisco | 837 | Mary | 671 |
| 60 | Edward | 823 | Kristina | 670 |
| 61 | Alejandro | 795 | Angelica | 631 |
| 62 | Christian | 785 | Cassandra | 630 |
| 63 | Manuel | 783 | Anna | 627 |
| 64 | Ricardo | 778 | Kathryn | 616 |
| 65 | Adrian | 765 | Lindsey | 615 |
| 66 | Gabriel | 765 | Valerie | 610 |
| 67 | Peter | 742 | Lindsay | 605 |
| 68 | Mario | 732 | Adriana | 603 |
| 69 | Antonio | 723 | Kristin | 603 |
| 70 | Raymond | 719 | Ana | 582 |
| 71 | Oscar | 684 | Krystal | 580 |
| 72 | Alex | 679 | Monique | 569 |
| 73 | Dustin | 676 | Jenna | 568 |
| 74 | Jordan | 660 | Julie | 567 |
| 75 | Roberto | 626 | Alexandra | 564 |
| 76 | Joel | 621 | Cristina | 552 |
| 77 | Derek | 611 | Claudia | 546 |
| 78 | Shawn | 595 | Brittney | 544 |
| 79 | Erik | 593 | Jasmine | 534 |
| 80 | George | 585 | Denise | 533 |
| 81 | Fernando | 571 | April | 493 |
| 82 | Ruben | 569 | Cindy | 488 |
| 83 | Javier | 561 | Linda | 471 |
| 84 | Jared | 560 | Chelsea | 463 |
| 85 | Martin | 555 | Desiree | 452 |
| 86 | Hector | 545 | Joanna | 445 |
| 87 | Frank | 542 | Catherine | 439 |
| 88 | Phillip | 539 | Leslie | 438 |
| 89 | Sergio | 527 | Julia | 437 |
| 90 | Cody | 525 | Marissa | 434 |
| 91 | Evan | 520 | Wendy | 430 |
| 92 | Bradley | 518 | Kathleen | 425 |
| 93 | Chad | 514 | Yesenia | 425 |
| 94 | Angel | 503 | Tara | 418 |
| 95 | Brett | 501 | Alyssa | 416 |
| 96 | Ian | 496 | Gabriela | 413 |
| 97 | Marcus | 492 | Natasha | 405 |
| 98 | Shane | 487 | Sabrina | 404 |
| 99 | Vincent | 484 | Caitlin | 402 |
| 100 | Jaime | 478 | Karen | 391 |