Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1998

Montana

Gender Unisex · 69% girls Rank 2025 #1,033 Trend ↑ Rising 93%

A unisex given name transferred from the place name, specifically from the name of the U.S.

Rank 2025
#1,033
among girls · ↑26 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
356
named Montana · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,642
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1998
678 babies
All-time total
12,855
#1,818 all-time among girls
First recorded
1910
in Social Security records

Montana popularity over time

12,855 babies have been named Montana since 1910, 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 92 – 92 9 – #1,937
1920s 69 – 69 7 -25% #2,842
1930s 68 – 68 7 -1% #2,178
1940s – 5 5 1 -93% –
1950s 15 5 20 2 +300% #6,149
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 53 44 97 10 – #4,086
1980s 365 336 701 70 +623% #1,548
1990s 3,083 1,486 4,569 457 +552% #511
2000s 2,857 898 3,755 376 -18% #592
2010s 1,111 612 1,723 172 -54% #1,602
2020s (to 2025) 1,102 654 1,756 293 +70% #1,033

Where Montana is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 270 0.17 outside top 500
2027 296 0.18 outside top 500
2028 320 0.20 outside top 500
2029 342 0.21 outside top 500
2030 361 0.22 outside top 500

Where Montana is most popular

Girls named Montana per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.122 per 1,000. Strongest in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Montana 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
West Virginia 13 0.496 +308%
Oklahoma 36 0.489 +302%
Arkansas 18 0.341 +180%
Kentucky 26 0.304 +150%
Missouri 33 0.274 +125%
Alabama 25 0.266 +119%
Ohio 57 0.240 +98%
Tennessee 37 0.234 +92%
Michigan 38 0.209 +72%
Pennsylvania 46 0.195 +60%
Georgia 43 0.189 +56%
Virginia 28 0.164 +35%
Indiana 23 0.164 +35%
Idaho 5 0.149 +23%
North Carolina 34 0.149 +23%
Maryland 15 0.142 +16%
Colorado 15 0.134 +11%
Utah 11 0.132 +9%
Texas 94 0.117 ≈ national
South Carolina 10 0.111 -8%
Nevada 5 0.108 -11%
Florida 39 0.091 -25%
Kansas 5 0.087 -29%
Illinois 16 0.070 -42%
California 58 0.069 -43%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -53%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -60%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -62%
Arizona 6 0.043 -65%
New York 14 0.035 -71%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Montana

Montana is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,033 in 2025 with 242 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1910, 12,855 American babies have been named Montana, about 69% girls and 31% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1998, when 678 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Montana stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Montana?

The median living Montana is about 24 years old; half are between 13 and 29. An estimated 12 thousand people named Montana are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

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

Montana 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 242 #1,033 114 #1,525
2024 236 #1,059 102 #1,657
2023 174 #1,309 110 #1,588
2022 184 #1,289 107 #1,631
2021 150 #1,434 111 #1,572
2020 116 #1,738 110 #1,522
2019 121 #1,721 111 #1,527
2018 113 #1,809 99 #1,646
2017 115 #1,811 69 #2,044
2016 138 #1,602 62 #2,197
2015 128 #1,674 73 #1,995
2014 126 #1,682 50 #2,507
2013 104 #1,924 41 #2,829
2012 87 #2,182 46 #2,664
2011 99 #1,997 28 #3,752
2010 80 #2,378 33 #3,355
2009 129 #1,717 32 #3,452
2008 192 #1,298 42 #2,863
2007 290 #933 65 #2,106
2006 306 #873 75 #1,836
2005 226 #1,060 89 #1,570
2004 238 #994 102 #1,402
2003 304 #811 85 #1,526
2002 366 #684 124 #1,150
2001 374 #673 143 #1,031
2000 432 #592 141 #1,035
1995 341 #639 194 #771
1990 97 #1,574 79 #1,248
1985 52 #2,067 54 #1,313
1980 10 #6,609 11 #3,764
1975 8 #6,910 9 #3,838
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 16 #2,178 – –
1925 6 #4,798 – –
1920 12 #2,842 – –
1915 17 #1,937 – –
1910 5 #2,674 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Montana?

The median living Montana is about 24 years old. Half of all living Montanas are between 13 and 29 years old.

How many people named Montana are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Montana are alive in the United States, based on 12,855 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Montana mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the place name, specifically from the name of the U.S.

How popular is the name Montana in 2025?

Montana ranked #1,033 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 242 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Montana?

12,855 babies have been named Montana in the United States since 1910, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Montana most popular?

Montana peaked in 1998, when 678 newborns received the name.

Is Montana a boy or girl name?

Montana is used for both: about 69% of babies named Montana have been girls and 31% boys.

Is the name Montana rising or falling?

Montana is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Montana become more popular?

Montana is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 361 girls named Montana in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Montana

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

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