Born in 1991 · Millennials
Baby names of 1991
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,895,335 babies born in 1991: 1,875,007 girls and 2,020,328 boys. Ashley and Michael were the most popular names, and 16.7% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 20.6% in 1981. The name most tied to 1991 is Iesha: among girls, it was 25× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Millennials
- Born 1981–1996
- Babies on record
- 3,895,335
- 1,875,007 girls · 2,020,328 boys
- Different names
- 15,466
- for girls, plus 9,648 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 16.7%
- of babies got one · girls 14.9%, boys 18.4%
Top 10 names of 1991
- Ashley was the #1 name for girls in both 1991 and 1992.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1991, 16.7% of babies were given one of that year's 10 most popular names. Across all years, that share fell from 29.0% in 1935 to 7.5% in 2025.
Names that sound like 1991
These names were far more common in 1991 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1991 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iesha | Girl | #157 | 25× |
| Brittani | Girl | #281 | 13× |
| Tevin | Boy | #250 | 13× |
| Brittany | Girl | #3 | 12× |
| Chelsea | Girl | #18 | 9.4× |
| Chelsie | Girl | #256 | 8.8× |
| Chelsey | Girl | #129 | 8.8× |
| Brittney | Girl | #58 | 8.7× |
| Kelsey | Girl | #26 | 8.1× |
| Dominique | Boy | #170 | 7.7× |
Names that peaked in 1991
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1991, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1991.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Samantha | Girl | #5 |
| Kayla | Girl | #12 |
| Jordan | Boy | #29 |
| Shelby | Girl | #33 |
| Ariel | Girl | #66 |
| Molly | Girl | #74 |
| Bianca | Girl | #89 |
| Kara | Girl | #106 |
| Kirsten | Girl | #154 |
| Iesha | Girl | #157 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1991
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1991 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Shelbie403 babies
- Demi333 babies
- Harley316 babies
- Ieshia293 babies
- Makenzie284 babies
- Shanequa284 babies
- Karlee281 babies
- Haylee271 babies
Boys
- Devonte260 babies
- Sage257 babies
- Dillan222 babies
- Gunnar206 babies
- Shaquille199 babies
- Dillion186 babies
- Dylon169 babies
- Storm151 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1991 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1991 and 2025.
Girls
Boys
- Cory #74 in 1991 , now #1,245 in 2025
- Brett #88 in 1991 , now #1,382 in 2025
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data