Jose Moves Into Top Spot in Name Game

By MEGAN GARVEY and PATRICK J. McDONNELL

Jan. 8, 1999 12 AM PT

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TIMES STAFF WRITERS

Move over John. Make way for Jose, which in 1998 became the most popular baby boy’s name in California and Texas.

With burgeoning Latino populations and birthrates in both states, it is not entirely surprising that Jose has topped Austin, William and Jacob--the favorites elsewhere in the United States, according to newly released statistics from the Social Security Administration.

Still, the elevation of a Spanish name to the top rank in two of the nation’s biggest states marks a significant shift in a country so predictable in what we call ourselves that five boys’ names--John, Robert, James, Michael and David--have taken turns topping the national list for the last 98 years.

So, what’s in a name?

For much of the last two centuries, experts say, immigrants chose so-called American names as a way of assimilating into their new lives. Not so long ago, Jose would probably have been Joseph. Mikhail would be Michael.

But no longer.

“This gives us a window on society of how much things have changed,” said Edward Callary, professor of English at Northern Illinois University and editor of the American Name Society’s journal.

“Thirty years ago, most people would not have given their child an ethnic name. A lot of folks tried to blend in and fold into American society as quickly as they could.”

Olivia Santos wasn’t considering how best to fit in when she named her newborn son Jose late last year. She was keeping a promise.

With her hands clasped and her eyes closed tight, the 29-year-old mother of three little girls prayed to San Jose, the patron saint of Mazatlan, Guerrero, her native town in Mexico, for a baby boy.

“Since she had not had a son before, she told the saint she would give him his name if she had a son,” said her sister-in-law Irma Castro in her Glassell Park home. “According to our beliefs, she had to keep her promise, since he kept his.”

Such adherence to tradition can be seen in the books parents can buy to help choose a child’s name, with hundreds of listings from Celtic to African to Hawaiian to Muslim to Jewish. In fact, Callary said, the popularity of Jose is more than a sign of a growing Latino population. It also marks an increasing level of comfort in ethnicity.

And fluency in Spanish names that once tripped up American tongues will certainly become more necessary as projections about growth in America’s Latino community come to pass.

In the first few years of the new century, Latinos--their population rising on the tide of near-record immigration levels and high birthrates--are projected to overtake African Americans as the nation’s largest minority group.

In California, according to the Social Security Administration report, Jose was No. 1, followed by traditional favorites Daniel, Michael, Anthony and Jacob.

For Michael Shackleford, the Social Security Administration actuary who compiled the list, Jose’s appearance at the top was a mild surprise.

“When I thought about it, it made sense,” he said. “But it was a little bit of a shock.”

Shackleford said the favorite names for girls in California in 1998 were less exotic, including Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Jennifer and Samantha.

At least in California, Jose had become an increasingly popular choice for boys in recent years.

According to the state Department of Health Services, Jose ranked No. 2 among all boys’ names in 1996, behind only Daniel. It slipped one notch in 1997, behind Daniel and Michael.

“The important thing about so many babies named Jose is that they are by definition American, and it is about time for the rest of the country to perceive them as American,” said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. “Not too long ago, names like Patrick seemed awfully Irish. Now, no one thinks twice about them. I hope this country will reach a point that it is unremarkable that a large number of babies in California are named Jose.”

But even in the choice of Jose, some Latino parents say they are bowing to American sensibilities: It is widely recognized and easy to pronounce.

“Imagine the problems I would have to pass my name on to my son,” said Gildardo Vasquez, a toy vendor at the Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles.

Many immigrant parents, eager for their children to assimilate, do not want to cause undue problems for their offspring by saddling them with names--no matter how beloved--that are tongue-twisters for English speakers.

“People here couldn’t say my name,” said Vasquez. “They would find it strange. They would wonder where it came from, what it means, where it is going.”

Asked his name by English speakers, Gildardo tells them: “Gil.”

Thursday, there was some disagreement about the actual prevalence of Jose.

At the State Street Elementary School in South Gate, Principal Duane Barrett countered the notion that Jose is sweeping the Los Angeles County landscape by consulting his school roster.

“In a school of roughly 1,700 that is 99% Latino, Juan is quite popular here,” he said. “We have two or three in a class in some instances. Sometimes four.”

The name Jose, Barrett said, “comes up about once every six classes.”

But a few stalls away from Vasquez in the Grand Central Market, Jose Guadalupe Ramos presided over a cornucopia of fresh fruit for sale, mostly to Latin American immigrants. To the 20-year-old native of Central Mexico, as to others, it is no surprise that his first name is proliferating north of the border.

Said Ramos: “There are Joses everywhere around here.”

Times staff writer Antonio Olivo and correspondent Joseph Trevino contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

There’s Something About Jose ...

1998 Most Popular Baby Names in California

Boys’ names

1. Jose

2. Daniel

3. Michael

4. Anthony

5. Jacob

6. Matthew