boys' name ★ peaked 1920

Milton

Meaning mill Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,440 Trend ↓ Falling 11%

The English place names are from Old English mylen (“mill”) or middel (“middle”) + tun (“settlement”).

Rank 2025
#1,440
among boys · ↓9 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
125
named Milton · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,665
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1920
2,603 babies
All-time total
118,551
#279 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Milton popularity over time

118,551 babies have been named Milton since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,479 1,479 148 – #90
1890s – 1,745 1,745 175 +18% #89
1900s 5 2,695 2,700 270 +55% #78
1910s 103 17,522 17,625 1,763 +553% #64
1920s 159 24,198 24,357 2,436 +38% #74
1930s 103 15,729 15,832 1,583 -35% #93
1940s 58 14,879 14,937 1,494 -6% #132
1950s 99 14,578 14,677 1,468 -2% #161
1960s 62 9,004 9,066 907 -38% #231
1970s 19 4,695 4,714 471 -48% #310
1980s 7 3,743 3,750 375 -20% #406
1990s – 2,833 2,833 283 -24% #556
2000s – 2,390 2,390 239 -16% #650
2010s – 1,632 1,632 163 -32% #1,034
2020s (to 2025) – 814 814 136 -17% #1,266

Where Milton is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 123 0.07 outside top 500
2027 121 0.07 outside top 500
2028 119 0.07 outside top 500
2029 118 0.07 outside top 500
2030 117 0.07 outside top 500

Where Milton is most popular

Boys named Milton per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.078 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Milton born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 17 0.166 +114%
Georgia 34 0.134 +73%
North Carolina 29 0.114 +46%
Virginia 19 0.100 +29%
Texas 80 0.091 +17%
Florida 42 0.089 +14%
Mississippi 5 0.088 +13%
New York 37 0.085 +10%
California 67 0.073 -6%
Arizona 11 0.067 -13%
Tennessee 11 0.061 -21%
Pennsylvania 14 0.053 -32%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 -35%
Maryland 6 0.050 -35%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -68%
Illinois 5 0.020 -75%
Ohio 5 0.019 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Milton

Milton is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,440 in 2025 with 125 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 118,551 American babies have been named Milton. Its peak came in 1920, when 2,603 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Milton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Milton?

The median living Milton is about 64 years old; half are between 45 and 75. An estimated 44 thousand people named Milton are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Milton year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 125 #1,440
2024 – – 128 #1,431
2023 – – 128 #1,426
2022 – – 153 #1,266
2021 – – 136 #1,363
2020 – – 144 #1,278
2019 – – 149 #1,262
2018 – – 153 #1,221
2017 – – 167 #1,139
2016 – – 149 #1,245
2015 – – 153 #1,208
2014 – – 175 #1,095
2013 – – 171 #1,089
2012 – – 168 #1,107
2011 – – 159 #1,140
2010 – – 188 #1,034
2009 – – 190 #1,026
2008 – – 218 #935
2007 – – 222 #901
2006 – – 238 #846
2005 – – 231 #818
2004 – – 244 #755
2003 – – 243 #743
2002 – – 260 #696
2001 – – 264 #684
2000 – – 280 #650
1995 – – 271 #625
1990 – – 324 #564
1985 – – 366 #447
1980 – – 402 #406
1975 5 #10,037 437 #373
1970 – – 633 #310
1965 8 #5,150 825 #257
1960 10 #4,372 1,183 #235
1955 11 #3,718 1,430 #185
1950 7 #4,604 1,553 #161
1945 6 #4,385 1,349 #154
1940 – – 1,423 #132
1935 10 #2,871 1,532 #117
1930 17 #2,085 2,053 #93
1925 15 #2,457 2,567 #80
1920 11 #3,039 2,592 #74
1915 11 #2,649 2,225 #73
1910 – – 476 #76
1905 – – 299 #80
1900 – – 242 #98
1895 – – 188 #102
1890 – – 126 #119
1885 – – 130 #107
1880 – – 149 #91

Famous people named Milton

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Milton Friedman Milton Friedman American economist and statistician (1912–2006) Contemporary
  2. 2 Milton Berle Milton Berle American comedian and actor (1908–2002) Contemporary
  3. 3 Milton S. Hershey Milton S. Hershey American chocolatier (1857–1945) 19th century
  4. 4 Milton Obote Milton Obote Ugandan politician (1925–2005) Contemporary
  5. 5 Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento Brazilian singer-songwriter and musician b. 1942 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Milton H. Erickson Milton H. Erickson American psychiatrist (1901–1980) Contemporary
  7. 7 Milton Glaser Milton Glaser American graphic designer (1929–2020) Contemporary
  8. 8 Milton Babbitt Milton Babbitt American composer (1916–2011) Contemporary
  9. 9 Milton Margai Milton Margai Sierra Leone head of government from 1954 to 1964 1895–1964 · 19th century
  10. 10 Milton Sills Milton Sills American actor (1882–1930) 19th century
  11. 11 Milton Latham Milton Latham American politician (1827–1882) 19th century
  12. 12 Milton George Henschel Milton George Henschel American Jehovah's Witness (1920–2003) Contemporary
  13. 13 Milton L. Humason American astronomer 1891–1972 · 19th century
  14. 14 Milton Cruz Milton Cruz Brazilian football manager and former player b. 1957 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Milton Wynants Milton Wynants Uruguayan cyclist b. 1972 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Milton Mendes Brazilian footballer and manager b. 1965 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Milton, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Milton?

The median living Milton is about 64 years old. Half of all living Miltons are between 45 and 75 years old.

How many people named Milton are alive today?

An estimated 44 thousand people named Milton are alive in the United States, based on 118,551 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Milton mean?

The English place names are from Old English mylen (“mill”) or middel (“middle”) + tun (“settlement”).

How popular is the name Milton in 2025?

Milton ranked #1,440 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 125 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Milton?

118,551 babies have been named Milton in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Milton most popular?

Milton peaked in 1920, when 2,603 newborns received the name.

Is Milton a boy or girl name?

Milton is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Milton rising or falling?

Milton is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Milton become more popular?

Milton is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 117 boys named Milton in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Milton?

Well-known people named Milton include Milton Friedman (economist), Milton Berle (actor), Milton S. Hershey (businessperson).

Names like Milton

Names that sound and feel close to Milton: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Milton with similar names → More names starting with M →