January 1st, 2001 was not just the start of a new decade – it was the beginning of a new millennium! It was a new era where anything was possible.
The internet was quickly evolving to suit this new post-modern era. Video game technology seemed to grow by the day, and HBO had taken over television with revolutionary new shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City.
Of course, 2001 is maybe best remembered for the tragedy on September 11. This terrorist attack united all of America, and reminds everyone that we are stronger together.
Here are some of the highlights from the most popular names from 2001.
Emily was the most popular girls' name in 2001, while Jacob was the most popular boys' name.
2001 Girls Names
Once the most popular name of the 90s, Jessica had fallen out of the Top Ten by 2001. A whole new crop of trendy names had arrived. Popular 2001 girl names included Madison, Alexis, Abigail and Olivia.
Madison was almost unheard of as a girl’s name in the 80’s and 90’s, but it was one of the most trendy 2001 baby names. In fact, over 1% of all girls born in 2001 were named Madison!
Madison would remain in the top 3 girls' name in each of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 — until finally starting a decline outside of the top 20 girls' names in 2018. However, it remains one of the most popular girls' name starting with M to this day.
Two of the most beautiful 2001 names are Alexis and Olivia. Originally a masculine name, Alexis means “defender” in Greek. The name was very popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Most Popular Girl Names in 2001
The name Olivia was actually invented by William Shakespeare for his play “Twelfth Night.” Although it’s been used as a proper name since the 1800s, it started seeing a rise in popularity in the early 90s. By 2001, the name was still growing in popularity. I find it particular interesting to watch the change of popularity of this baby's name in 2000 and 2002.
Most Popular Boy Names in 2001
If you take a look at the most popular boys names for the 90s, you’ll notice that not much has changed in 2001 as boy names from that time were still going strong. Of course you'll want to compare it to the 2000s as well.
As always, Bible names remained very common for boys. Jacob, Michael, Matthew, Joshua, Andrew, Joseph and Daniel were all great men of the Bible. In face Jacob would remain the #1 baby boy name until 2013!
Jacob was the son of Isaac. He later became known as Israel, and he was the father of the 12 tribes. Joseph was one of his youngest sons, famous for his ability to interpret dreams.
Matthew and Andrew were both apostles of Jesus. Matthew – whose Hebrew name was Levi – was a tax collector. Andrew was a fisherman, and was notable for being Jesus’ first disciple.
If you’re looking for name inspiration outside of the Bible, other popular names in 2001 were Anthony, Alexander, Ethan, Brandon and Zachary.