Top 100 Baby Names for the 1990s

The top 100 baby names from the decade of grunge music, broad economic prosperity, and the mass-market adoption of technology.

With bright colors and a vibrant popular culture, it is not surprising that the most popular names from the 1990s were just as distinctive as the decade itself.

Popular 1990s Girl Names Influenced by Hollywood

If you are looking to adopt baby names from the 1990s for your future child, you should be aware that the most popular girl names were often drawn from popular culture. The decade that saw the rise of Britney Spears, Rachel Green, Jennifer Aniston, Stephanie Tanner, and Courtney Cox also saw those first names rise as popular choices for baby girls.

Women who grew up on “Sweet Valley High” books were also having their own children during this decade, and that definitely influenced the popularity of Jessica and Elizabeth during this decade.

1990s Boy Names Inspired by Popular Culture

As was the case with little girls, parents of little boys often took inspiration from popular culture when naming their children. The decade gave us Brandon Walsh, Joey Lawrence, Justin Timberlake, and Matthew Perry. Likewise, these names became popular options for '90s parents.

Traditional 1990s Baby Names for Girls

Although popular culture did play a huge role in providing names for little girls born in the 1990s, other parents chose more traditional names for their children. Names such as Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Samantha, and Hannah all saw a resurgence in popularity during the 1990s.

Traditional 1990s Boy Names

Names such as Christopher, Joshua, Andrew, and Daniel were popular 1990s names. But no playground during the 1990s would have seemed complete without at least one Tyler, Ryan, or Zachary. These were among the most popular baby names from the 90s.

Each of these first names enjoyed tremendous popularity as 1990s baby names.

Where Do the Top Baby Names From the '90s Stand Today?

It's been a while since the '90s! That may still be hard for you to believe. A lot can change with naming trends over the course of multiple decades, so let's see how the top five boys' and girls' names from the '90s fair today.

For the boys, the top five '90s names were Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, and Jacob. Michael is still quite popular in 2023, ranking at number 26. Christopher barely remains in the Top 100 for 2023, sitting at number 94. Matthew doesn't quite make the Top 50 at 56, while Joshua misses the Top 100 by a hair at 101. Finally, Jacob makes it into the Top 50 at number 46. Naming trends have certainly changed for boys; it seems that Joshua has become a rather uncommon name!

For the girls, the top five '90s names were Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, and Samantha. Jessica has taken a massive dive in popularity since the '90s, now sitting at number 1,006. Likewise, Ashley took a significant fall in popularity over the past 30 years, sitting now at spot 362. Emily has faired better; even though it has fallen by quite a bit, it still makes it into the Top 100 at spot 66. Sarah continues the trend of '90s girls' names falling out of favor, ranking at 238 in 2023. Finally, Samantha ranks as just a little less popular than Sarah, ranking at 265 in 2023. If you want a unique name for your baby girl, then '90s girl names are certainly a great place to look!

Top 100 Baby Names by Decade

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