Names that Peaked in 1989
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About this list
The names
Michael
Hebrew
"who is like God?"
Michael was the Number 1 American boys' name for almost half a century. While Michael has moved out of the Top 10 baby boy names , it's still widely used. How has Michael racked up this phenomenal…
Christopher
Greek and Latin
"bearer of Christ"
Christopher derived from the Greek Christophoros, which is composed of the elements Christos , referring to Christ, and phero , meaning "to bear." The name was originally used figuratively, to…
Elliot
English diminutive of Elias, Greek
"Yahweh is God"
Elliot (which boasts several spellings depending upon how many 'l's or 't's you want to use) is a winner -- it has the ideal quality of being neither too common nor weirdly unique. Elliot had a style…
Nico
Italian diminutive of Nicholas, Greek
"people of victory"
Nico is one of the great nickname names, full of charm, energy and effortless cool -- a neo Nick. Nico is commonly heard in Italy -- as a short form of Niccolo -- and also in France, Belgium,…
Christop
Christop, along with other truncated names such as Elizabet, Alexadr, and Katherin, appeared in the Top 1000 of 1989. It was the result of a glitch in some of New York state's data entry, which only…
Stephani
Stephani is a feminine name representing a variant spelling of Stephanie, which derives from the Greek 'Stephanos' meaning 'crown' or 'garland.' This particular spelling, without the final 'e,'…
Lauren
English from Latin
"from Laurentum or bay laurel"
Lauren was derived from Laurence, an English name from the Roman family name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum." Laurentum, an ancient Italian city, got its name from the Latin word laurus ,…
Elizabet
Hungarian; Bulgarian, from Hebrew
"pledged to God"
A variant of Elizabeth that is very popular in Hungary, that would translate well as a small quirky twist on the familiar classic.
Jessica
Hebrew
"behold or wealthy"
When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…
Alexandr
In 1989, several truncated names appeared in the US Top 1000, including Alexandr, Christop, and Elizabet. New York state data was to blame, as some counties could only enter names up to eight…
Katherin
English variation of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
Variation of Katherine.
Britny
Britny is a feminine name that represents a simplified spelling variation of Brittany, which originally referred to a region in northwestern France. This streamlined version emerged during the trend…
Arsenio
Spanish from Greek
"virile, strong"
Long considered Mr. Hall's exclusive property, it's now ready to be adopted by others.
Ashli
Ashli is a feminine name representing a modern spelling variation of Ashley. Originally an Old English surname meaning 'ash tree clearing' or 'meadow of ash trees,' Ashley transitioned to first-name…
Ashton
English
"ash tree place"
Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise.
Casandra
Casandra is a feminine name variant of Cassandra, which derives from Greek mythology. The original Cassandra was a Trojan princess blessed with the gift of prophecy but cursed so that no one would…
Brittney
Variation of Brittany, English name of the French region Bretagne, meaning 'from Briton'
While all spellings of these name are off their popularity peak, Brittney gained some recent notice as the name of the American basketball player arrested in Russian, Brittney Griner.
Britney
Variation of Brittany, English
"from Briton"
This abbreviated spelling, which also relates to Whitney, quickly took on a life of its own, thanks to the megafame of Britney Spears, but it's already beginning to burn out.
Nickolas
Spelling variation of Nicholas
Nouveau spelling remained in the US Top 300 for all of the 1990s. With the traditional spelling still a highly popular choice, a child bearing the Nickolas version could be accused of misspelling his…
Meagan
Welsh diminutive of Margaret
"pearl"
The many spellings of Meagan each seem to suggest a different pronunciation. This one suggests Reagan or the pronunciation MAY-gan. Meagan, like other forms of the name, has been sliding in the…
