At BetCalifornia.com, we wanted to take a hyper-localized approach to see what celebrities that were raised in the state are being discussed the most in the past year – ultimately concluding they would be the most well-known celebrities.
We utilized a weighted system between AhRefs.com Keywords Explorer and Google Trends to look at the most searched California celebrities over the past 12 months. Once finding both statistics, they were averaged to determine the Top 10. California celebrity was defined as a person who resided in California in their formative childhood and teenage years for over 10 years. Celebrity was broken down to include only actors/actresses, singer/songwriters, TV personalities, comedians, dancers, athletes and social media influencers.
Stick with BetCalifornia for more research items such as this as we countdown the future launch of California sports betting.
Weighted Rank | Celebrity | Hometown City | Search Volume Over Past Year |
1 | Billie Eilish, Singer-Songwriter | Los Angeles, CA | 5.2M |
2 | Jenna Ortega, Actress | Palm Desert, CA | 4.7M |
3 | Olivia Rodrigo, Singer & Actress | Murrieta, CA | 4.2M |
4 | Zendaya, Actress | Oakland, CA | 3.6M |
5 | Blake Lively, Actress | Los Angeles, CA | 3.0M |
6 | Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor | Los Angeles, CA | 2.7M |
7 | Kylie Jenner, Internet Personality | Los Angeles, CA | 2.5M |
8 | Meghan Markle, Actress | Los Angeles, CA | 2.4M |
9 | Angelina Jolie, Actress | Los Angeles, CA | 2.3M |
10 | Kim Kardashian, Internet Personality | Los Angeles, CA | 2.2M |
T-11 | Zac Efron, Actor | San Luis Obispo, CA | 2.1M |
T-11 | Doja Cat, Singer-Songwriter | Los Angeles, CA | 2.1M |
T-13 | Clint Eastwood, Actor & Director | San Francisco, CA | 1.9M |
T-13 | Tom Brady, Former NFL Player | San Mateo, CA | 1.9M |
15 | Jake Gyllenhaal, Actor | Los Angeles, CA | 1.8M |
T-16 | Amanda Bynes, Actress | Thousand Oaks, CA | 1.6M |
T-16 | Austin Butler, Actor | Anaheim, CA | 1.6M |
18 | Tiger Woods, Golfer | Cypress, CA | 1.5M |
T-19 | Kevin Costner, Actor | Lynwood, CA | 1.4M |
T-19 | Kendall Jenner, Internet Personality | Los Angeles, CA | 1.4M |
T-19 | Elizabeth Olsen, Actress | Sherman Oaks, CA | 1.4M |
T-19 | Aaron Rodgers, Current NFL Player | Chico, CA | 1.4M |
T-19 | Tom Hanks, Actor | Concord, CA | 1.4M |
You know California is a proverbial "who's who" of celebrities when Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods all fail to crack the top five! It’s the kind of upset you could win big on in the future at California betting apps.
1. Billie Eilish, Actress and Singer, Los Angeles. Search volume: 5.2M. The 22-year old had a massive 2024, releasing her third studio album "Hit Me Hard and Soft," and taking her talents on the road with a massive tour that will span North America and Europe starting this September. Eilish also performed during the Olympics Closing Ceremony as part of the hand-off from Paris to L.A. ahead of the Games in 2028.
2. Jenna Ortega, Actress, Palm Desert. Search volume: 4.7M. Ortega first came on the scene in the popular CW show "Jane the Virgin," and has only continued to rise in fame with more projects in the years since. In 2024, she starred in the smash hit "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" alongside Michael Keaton, which has grossed over $330M worldwide as of late September. Ortega also appeared in the music video for Sabrina Carpenter's song "Taste."
3. Olivia Rodrigo, Singer & Actress, Murrieta. Search volume: 4.2M. Yet another female star under 23 years old rounds out our top 3, with Rodrigo beating out the likes of Zendaya and Blake Lively. Rodrigo has been touring nearly all of 2024 across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and also made a headlining appearance at Coachella in April. Her Guts World Tour is set to conclude on March 30, 2025, in Bogotá.
4. Zendaya, Actress, Oakland. Search volume: 3.6M. It's been a massive year for Zendaya, who starred in both "Dune: Part II" and the tennis sex drama "Challengers". Across both, the young actress earned some of the best reviews of her career, and we expect her to factor into the Oscars Best Actress race for "Challengers" later this year. Up next? Perhaps season three of the HBO drama "Euphoria." Perhaps...
5. Blake Lively, Actress, Los Angeles. Search volume: 3.0M. Mrs. Deadpool herself grabs the fifth spot on our rankings, coming in hot off the hit "It Ends With Us," which has grossed over $330M internationally. Lively, the wife of Ryan Reynolds, has been a pop culture staple in 2024 with her husband's "Deadpool & Wolverine" smash hit and her reported feud with "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni that played out over their respective press tours.
6. Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor, Los Angeles, Search volume: 2.7M. It's not often one has to feel bad for Leo DiCaprio, but the longtime star couldn't quite crack our top 5. However, he is the most famous male from California, so don't panic just yet. He's also had a quiet 2024, as his most recent film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," came out back in 2023. DiCaprio earned rave reviews as always, but did miss out on an Oscar nomination for his role. He's currently filming a Paul Thomas Anderson movie to be released in 2025.
7. Kylie Jenner, Internet Personality, Los Angeles. Search volume: 2.5M. Jenner in 2024 has continued her ambitious business endeavors, launching her clothing line Khy and getting into the canned cocktail game with Sprinter, which offers flavors like black cherry and peach.
8. Meghan Markle, Former Actress, Los Angeles, Search volume: 2.4M. The American member of the British royal family will always have a unique celebrity standing, and in 2024 she launched a lifestyle and cooking brand, in addition to lining up more Netflix projects.
9. Angelina Jolie, Actress, Los Angeles. Search volume: 2.3M. The Academy Award winner, now 49, is back in the spotlight after a few quiet years. Jolie this fall headlines "Maria," a film about opera singer Maria Callas. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in late August and will hit Netflix before Christmas.
10. Kim Kardashian, Internet Personality, Los Angeles. Search volume: 2.2M. Kardashian this fall is doubling down on her acting career, starring as a divorce attorney in the Hulu legal drama series, "All's Fair," created by Ryan Murphy.
Among notables to miss the top 10: Zac Efron has had a strong couple years with his acclaimed performance in "The Iron Claw," and also hammed it up opposite Nicole Kidman in "The Family Affair" on Netflix. He tied at No. 11 with Doja Cat.
Legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood and 7-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady tied for No. 13. Eastwood, now 94, has another film coming out later this year, while Brady just started his commentary career calling NFL games on FOX.
Actor Austin Butler (T16) could be a name to rise on this list in the coming years. He starred alongside Zendaya in "Dune: Part II" and also earned strong reviews opposite Tom Hardy in "The Bikeriders."
Kevin Costner, Kendall Jenner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Hanks all tied for 19th, speaking to the star power that hails from the Golden State.
USA Today photo by Dan MacMedan.
The 22-year old singer and actress is from Los Angeles.
Zendaya, who starred in "Dune: Part Two" and "Challengers" in 2024, is originally from Oakland.
Yes, the 37-year-old actress is from Los Angeles and is married to Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds.
Author
Thomas Leary is a news editor and writer for BetCalifornia.com. He previously worked at Sports Business Journal for over 6 years, where he helped identify emerging sectors across sports business, such as legalized gambling, and helped launch the publication’s digital newsletter division.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
