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Names that Peaked in 1991

Updated November 2023

Names75

Pages4

Total Names75

Across 4 pages

Page1

of 4

The names

Showing 1–20 of 75

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…
Andrew
Greek
"strong and manly"
During its Top 10 heyday in the late 90s and early oughts, Andrew was one of the "cooler" classic boy names, an update on the old guard Roberts and Richards. While there are still plenty of babies…
Ryan
Irish
"little king"
Ryan’s use as a given name was inspired by the surname Ryan, a variation of the Irish O’Riain meaning "son of Rían." Rían is composed of the Irish-Gaelic elements rí , meaning "king" and an , a…
Ashley
English
"dweller near the ash tree meadow"
Ashley was a sensation in the 1980s and 1990s; it hit Number 1 in 1991. Ashley is still pretty but more and more parents are turning to newer names like Ashlyn and Aubrey, and spellings such as…
Katherine
Greek
"pure"
Katherine is one of the oldest, most diverse, and all-around best names: it's powerful, feminine, royal, saintly, classic, popular, and adaptable. Long one of the top girls' names starting with K ,…
Molly
Diminutive of Mary, Hebrew
"bitter"
Molly is one of the original nickname names, ALWAYS ranking among the US Top 500 girl names since statistics began, in 1880. Molly peaked in 1991 only to rise just as high again in 2011, and though…
Ana
Variation of Hannah
"grace"
Confident and compact, Ana is a widely used variation of the Biblical Hannah. Favored in Spain, Slovenia, Bosnia, Portugal, and Croatia, this shorter spelling has the same substance and versatility…
Cody
English
"helpful, pillow"
In the early 1990s, Cody was in the Top 25 most popular boys' names in the USA; but it has been in decline since then. It retains a greater degree of popularity in the UK, however. Cody might be…
Francisco
Spanish, Portuguese
"free man"
Francisco is one of the more popular Spanish names for boys in the US, which is unsurprising given its popularity back in Spain and Portugal as well as Latin America, coupled with its classic status.…
Ariel
Hebrew
"lion of God"
Ariel is a male Biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest . For…
Arielle
French variation of Ariel
"lion of God"
While not as popular as the Ariel spelling of Little Mermaid fame, this rendition has achieved popularity in its own right. Arielle has been on a steady rise, perhaps helped by the -elle ending…
Ariel
Hebrew
"lion of God"
Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in…
Shelby
English
"estate on the ledge"
Though Shelby was trendier ten years ago, it's still a widely used choice.
Darius
Latin from Greek and Persian
"possessing goodness"
Darius is a historic name via Emperor Darius the Great, a key figure in ancient Persian history, and several other Persian kings. His name today has an appealingly artistic image, which might well be…
Alberto
Germanic
"noble, bright"
Alberto is the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variation of Albert and lends a more unusual and fashionable edge to this name which is still a grandpa name to many.
Brittany
English name of the French region Bretagne, meaning 'from Briton'
Brittany first arrived on the US popularity list in 1971, and rapidly zoomed up the charts, in the Top 100 a decade later. By 1986 it had entered the Top 10, becoming the third most popular girls’…
Laken
Variation of Lake, English
"lake"
Not quite a nature name and not quite a surname — whatever Laken is or isn't, we know it's definitely a name to watch.
Stefan
German, Scandinavian, Polish, and Russian variation of Stephen, Greek
"crown, garland"
An elegant, continental name for the post-Steve era. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1949, fell off in 2008 for one year, then dropped off again in 2024 and seems to be heading downward along with…
Kacey
Variation of Casey or combination of initials K. and C. From the time when initial names seemed really neat. K. C.

Names that Peaked in 1991

The names

Michael

Christopher

Andrew

Ryan

Ashley

Katherine

Molly

Ana

Cody

Francisco

Ariel

Arielle

Ariel

Shelby

Darius

Alberto

Brittany

Laken

Stefan

Kacey