Note:
Methodology: Please note that the data does not encompass alternate spellings of the same name–for example, Sophia and Sofia are counted differently. Also, the Cal Poly directory determines grade level by the number of units a student has completed, rather than the number of years at Cal Poly or degree completion.
In liberal arts and engineering classrooms, the gender divide becomes apparent as a professor takes attendance for the first time. Enrollment data reveals that, while Cal Poly has a near-even gender split, individual colleges have stark gendered divides. This becomes clear with the names of students enrolled in programs.
At a college that once barred women from attending, women now make up the majority of two-thirds of the academic colleges. Women account for more than half of the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, according to recent enrollment figures. In contrast, the College of Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business are majority male, with men accounting for nearly two-thirds of enrollees in the College of Engineering.
The disparity is most evident in the names that dominate the rosters of the different departments. All of the top five most popular names in the College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts are traditionally feminine. The top five most popular names in the College of Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business are traditionally masculine, except for Ryan, which is gender-neutral, but is predominantly a male name.
While males dominate engineering spaces at Cal Poly, many female engineering majors are members of the Society of Women Engineers, a community that “welcomes, supports, and empowers womxn and our allies from all backgrounds,” according to its diversity statement. The organization focuses on outreach to girls and women in school, professional development, and building community among women in engineering.
Maddie Howard, a mechanical engineering senior and Robotics Outreach Chair, described the Society of Women Engineers as an empowering space where women can meet and see faces like theirs.
“Even as a freshman, you’re looking for the girls and being like, ‘Okay, I’m going to sit by them. I’m going to go to them because I know they’re going to offer a no-judgment support system,’” Howard said.
As the Robotics Outreach Chair, Howard works with elementary and middle school students to teach coding and robotics-based concepts. During outreach events, she speaks with parents about the stereotypes and struggles young women may face in the field.
“We’re really trying to, for the younger generation, show the support early on so that, when they get to college, they know they already have a support system there,” Howard said.
Last quarter, Shaffer was the only woman in a class of 25 students.
“It was so ironic because it was about ethics and professionalism,” Shaffer said. “[The professor] went on to say, ‘Yeah, only 11% of aerospace engineers are female.’ I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, obviously.’”
Shaffer said the gender divide is most obvious when forming project groups.
“You’re almost always last to get in a group because no guys ask you to be part of their group,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer said the Society of Women Engineers is a great way to meet female engineers in other majors outside her own in the College of Engineering.
“Going into SWE, I get to see a lot of people from different engineering majors who feel the same way I do,” Shaffer said. “I don’t see them on a day-to-day basis, so it’s really nice.”
What the most popular surnames say about ethnicity at Cal Poly
The most common student surnames reflect the shifting racial demographics on campus. Hispanic and Asian last names account for nearly two-thirds of the top 15 most popular names, and 40.8% of the undergraduate population identifies as Hispanic or Asian.
Hispanic students are the second-largest ethnic group on campus, at 27.8%, advancing Cal Poly’s goal to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In October 2025, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong noted that 31% of the university’s incoming class were Latino. As of February 2026, the pathway to formal federal designation is not presently available, according to university spokesperson Keegan Koberl.
“In practice, Cal Poly’s focus continues to be on holistic student support and service that fosters belonging and success for all students, rather than focusing solely on a federal designation,” Koberl said.
Compared to last year, some names still remain the most popular
Last November, Mustang News published a similar story using the 2024 Cal Poly student directory. Nearly a year later, some first names still rank high, while others have shifted.
In 2024, the top three most popular names were Ryan, Jack and Ethan. This year, Ryan and Jack remain in the top two, but Ethan has fallen to seventh place. Ryan is a common name for both males and females, which likely raises its ranking even higher.
The name Matthew ranked at No. 6.
Matthew Sechslingloff, an industrial engineering senior, said he had never really considered whether his name was among the most popular, but he thinks it makes sense.
“There’s one Matthew that I know in my major,” Sechslingloff said. “Other than that, in most classes, I’m the only Matthew.”
Sechslingloff shared that he had more memories of sharing a name with someone before he started college.
“When I was in wrestling, there was a kid older than me who was named Matthew,” Sechslingloff said. “This was when I was super little. I had a brother who was pretty much my exact age. People just called us nicknames. They called me Heckle, and they called my brother Jekyll. They called the other guy Matthew, and I was like, ‘That’s fine.’ I kind of just got used to that.”
The most common feminine names in 2024 were Emma, Sophia and Emily. This year, Emma dropped to third place, while Sophia moved to first and Ava rose from fourth to second.
“I kind of like it because, sometimes when I’m in class, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, there’s another Emma.’ At this point, I’ve kind of become friends with the other ones.” Emma Geitner, a biological sciences senior, said. “Even in one of my classes this quarter, we are in groups of three, and somehow I’m with the only other Emma in the class.”
Geitner mentioned that someone once believed she was named after the baby of Ross and Rachel from the TV show “Friends.”
“Around 2004 was when the show had the baby Emma on it, but there’s no relation there,” Geitner said.
Students from the area have a different set of most common names
This year’s data analysis expanded on last year’s article to include area codes and the most common names within them. Over 12% of Cal Poly students have the 805 area code at the beginning of their phone numbers, according to the 2025 student directory.
The 805 area code covers a broad region, including four counties and most of California’s coast. This new enrollment data underscores the growing trend of local students choosing Cal Poly. According to the San Luis Obispo Tribune, nearly 60% of local freshman and transfer students who applied were accepted for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Within the 805 area code, the most common name was Ethan, making it the top name among Cal Poly students in that area code. Emma, Jack, Angel and Olivia are also common among students from the 805 region.
