Millennial names define their generation. John and Mary were the Number 1 names for The Greatest Generation, Linda and Gary emblematic names of the Baby Boom, and now Jessica and Michael emerging as the top names for Millennials.
Nameberry tabulated the names of all babies born from 1982 until 2004, widely agreed as the boundaries for Millennials, and found that Jessica and Michael were at the head of the list for all names given for babies born during the Millennial generation.
Michael was by far the leader for both sexes, with over 1.1 million boys named Michael in those 20+ years. The reason: Michael is a name that feels at once traditional and modern, and provided the perfect bridge between the Old School male names like Robert and Richard borne by the fathers of Millennials and the new names from Milo to Maverick used for boys today.
On the girls’ side, Jessica‘s popularity is somewhat watered down by having shared the stage for so long with Jennifer, which was off its peak by the time the Millennial Generation started being named. The top Millennial girls’ names are a mix of the classic — Sarah, Emily, Elizabeth — and trendy, such as Ashley and Amanda.
Another way to look at the prime Millennial names is that they're a blend of 1980s names and 1990s names.
Here are the Top 20 most Millennial Names for each gender, with the total number of people who received the name during that generation.
Top 20 Millennial Names for Girls
Top 20 Millennial Names for Boys
Many of the girls’ names on the Top 20 considered classically Millennial, from Lauren to Nicole to Kayla, are decidedly mom names now, out of fashion for babies.
On the boys’ side, more of the names in the Top 20 are classics that retain their popularity, such as Matthew, James, and William. but others like Ryan and Brandon have become the dad names of today.
Further down the Top 100 for both genders are names that have risen to the top for today’s babies, including Sophia and Isabella, Ethan and Noah. But there are many more that have continued sailing out to sea. Millennial names we don’t expect to see back for at least three generations include Tiffany and Brianna for girls, Cody and Travis for boys.
Near the bottom of the Millennial Top 1000 are many names Millennials are reviving for their own babies. Ryder, Greyson, and Augustus, less popular for Millennial baby boys, are fashionable today, while girls’ names Lila, Felicity, and Bella have risen from the depths of the Millennial list to the height of fashion today.
Here are the Top 100 names given to millennials. Is your name on it? And which of these still work as baby names?
Millennial Girl Names
Jessica
Ashley
Amanda
Sarah
Jennifer
Emily
Samantha
Elizabeth
Stephanie
Lauren
Nicole
Brittany
Megan
Rachel
Hannah
Kayla
Melissa
Amber
Danielle
Taylor