The 20 Most Popular Girls' Names From The 1990s

The ear-splitting sounds of dial-up modems, the mechanical snap of a Furby's eyes, the aroma of a Mcdonald's happy meal — it could only be the '90s. Little girls born in this decade would grow up dancing to the Spice Girls wearing their primary-colored clothes. And they’d need an awesome name to match. Parents opted for a healthy mix of trendy pop culture references and timeless classics. If you had a baby in the '90s, or are one yourself, see if your name ranked within the Social Security Administration's top twenty!

Amber

Also a warm-hued jewel, Amber is a name that was on the rise for decades. And it enjoyed its last golden era in the '90s. The popularity of Saved By The Bell’s Tiffani Amber Thiessen might have had something to do with it.

Victoria

Few names are as powerful and regal as the personification of victory. This name saw a sharp increase for daughters all over the country, though there isn’t a specific reference to pinpoint other than the '80s musical comedy Victor/Victoria.

Alexis

The most-improved name goes to Alexis, hands down. All the odds were against the Greek-derived word for “helper,” until the character Alexis Colby from the television show Dynasty made the name very trendy.

Nicole

People called Nicole didn’t have to convince anybody that it’s a classic title. New parents need only have looked to then-curly red-haired actress Nicole Kidman for confirmation that they were choosing correctly.

Jennifer

If you closed your eyes, spun in a circle, and pointed, there’s a good chance you’d land on a Jennifer. Especially in the '90s, when Jennifer Lopez, Love Hewitt, Connelly, and Aniston captured so many hearts.

Rachel

For those who loved Jennifer Aniston, but just not her name, Rachel was the clear answer. One of the traits people associate with Rachels is naturalness, and that rings true for the iconic Friends character, too.

Stephanie

This name conjures up images of side ponytails and caricatures of Valley Girls, and that might be why it sort of fell from grace as the decade progressed. Still, to all the Stephs and Stefanis out there, your name is timeless.

Lauren

Ever since Lauren Bacall ruled the screen, this name has struck a chord with soon-to-be parents, though it really reached its peak in the '80s and '90s, when you’d surely find at least several Laurens in each school class.

Kayla

All you Kaylas out there, your name has a pinpointable origin! After the soap opera Days of Our Lives introduced the beloved character Kayla Brady, the number of birth certificates bearing that name skyrocketed.

Hannah

The gentle way the sound “Hannah” flutters from your lips mimics the gracefulness that people with this name tend to embody. Other than the Biblical Hannah, the explanation behind why so many parents jumped on the Hannah bandwagon in the '90s is sort of a mystery.

Megan

While it's sort of fallen out of fashion in recent years, little baby Megs were all the rage in the '80s and '90s. Royal figure Meghan Markle and rapper Megan Thee Stallion are two notable gals born within that time frame.

Taylor

While Haydens and Harpers feel like coolest girl names on current kindergarten attendance lists, in the '90s, Taylors were the It girls. One millennial Taylor (you can probably guess who) swiftly catapulted the name to new heights after becoming a famous pop star.

Elizabeth

As timeless as Queen Liz herself, Elizabeths are here to stay. Few names share the same consistency across decades, and it doesn't hurt that Elizabeths have a huge variety of nicknames to choose from.

Brittany

She’s so lucky. She’s a star, She’s Britney, or Brittany, or whatever spelling her parents decided on. Since Miss Spears was one of the biggest names of the decade, it’s no wonder that a generation of little girls were given her moniker.

Amanda

As the name directly translates in Latin to "loved very much by everyone," doting moms and dads felt it worthy of their babies, including the parents of Amanda Bynes and Amanda "Mandy" Moore.

Samantha

For some reason, Samanthas were a dime a dozen in the '90s. It could be Molly Ringwald’s influence as Sam in Sixteen Candles, or the hype of Samantha, one of the most elegant American Girl Dolls.

Sarah

Which one? Seriously. Sarahs are everywhere you look! Some with an "H," some who slapped an "A" on the end and called it a day. Since the 1880s, the name has held a spot within the top 150 given names in the United States.

Emily

Approachable, smart, with a natural appreciation for beauty, if you're a '90s baby named Emily, your parents did you a favor. This name surged in popularity at the end of the 21st century and sort of competes statistically with the name Emma.

Ashley

Predominantly used as a girl's name today, Ashley is actually a historied gender-neutral name that people have given to babies for generations. In the '90s, the Ashley half of the Olsen twins became the most famous child star to ever wear the name.

Jessica

Jessica ruled the roost in the '90s. Perhaps the country was still reeling from the 1987 incident where the world watched with bated breath as Baby Jessica McClure was rescued from the bottom of a well. But what if you were actually born in '80s? What names were the most popular then?

Katherine

The name "Katherine" originates from Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The "K" spelling is derived from the Greek word katharos, which means "pure." Try and count all the Kates you know on one hand. Tricky, right?

Brittany

Oops, I did it again... and again, and again. The name Brittany, known to have complex French, English, and Celtic origins, was the 21st most popular girls' name in the '80s. Today, the name rings synonymous with the legendary pop singer Britney Spears (who uses a different spelling).

Crystal

Being named Crystal comes with a heavy meaning, as it means "carrier of Christ" in Greek and "follower of Christ" in Latin. It was the ninth most popular girls' name in 1982, with 19,104 babies rocking it.

Christina

The name Christina, meaning "a Christian" in Greek, peaked in the U.S. in 1985, with 16,597 Christinas born that year. Christina Applegate, Christina Aguilera, and Christina Hendricks are some of the most famous Christinas we love today.

Kimberly

This name has been in the running for American baby girls since 1933 and was the 17th most popular girls' name of the '80s. Today, the most famous Kimberly born in the '80s is Kim Kardashian West. You may have heard of her.

Rachel

The name Rachel boasts a Hebrew origin, once meaning "ewe," and was the 16th most popular American girls' name in the '80s, peaking at 1985. It was on the decline in the late '80s, but spiked back up in the mid-to-late '90s. Hm, we wonder why... cue the theme song.

Amy

Though the name Amy has seen several iterations and evolutions, it stems all the way back to the Latin name Amata, which came from the word amatus, meaning “beloved.” Its wild popularity in the late 19th century stemmed from Louisa May Alcott's cherished novel Little Women.

Megan

The Welsh name Megan came from the nickname Meg, which is short for Margaret. These days, Megan is typically used as a full name, though actor Meg Ryan's full first name is actually Margaret. The name saw immense popularity from the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s.

Amber

The name first became popular with the release of Kathleen Winsor's 1944 historical romance novel Forever Amber, followed by a film adaptation of the same name. But the name really shined in 1986, as it was the 13th most popular girls' name in America.

Michelle

After staying near the top through the '70s and '80s, this name's popularity was on the decline after the '80s. But former First Lady Michelle Obama gave it a boost in the early 2000s.

Tiffany

You likely know several 30-something-year-old Tiffanys, enough to band together and form a Tiffany army! The name was popular between 1980 and 1991, peaking at 18,361 babies named Tiffany in 1988. Maybe '80s pop star Tiffany and her 1987 cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" had something to do with it.

Heather

One report showed that the name Heather has seen the most striking rise and fall of any modern baby name, achieving wild popularity from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s. The name's demise came with the release of 1988's dark comedy Heathers, which contains three separate evil characters named Heather.

Elizabeth

The name Elizabeth is an ongoing classic beauty, as it's been one of the 25 most popular girls' names in the United States for the past century. The Hebrew name meaning "my God is abundance," was the ninth most popular girls' name of the '80s.

Melissa

The name Melissa derives from the Greek word for "honey bee." In Greek mythology, Melissa was known as The Goddess of the Bees. What a title! A nymphic nurse of Zeus, she was famous for feeding him goats' milk and honey.

Stephanie

The name Stephanie is a derivative of the Greek word "stephanos," which translates to “crown” or “garland." This was the seventh most popular girls' name in the '80s. Perhaps Full House's little Stephanie Tanner gave the name a boost.

Sarah

Is it just us, or are Sarahs literally always the kindest of souls? In its Hebrew origin, Sarah means "lady," "princess," or "noblewoman," so it all makes sense. Sarah was the fifth most popular American girls' name in the '80s.

Ashley

Coming in at number four on the list of most popular girls' names of the '80s was Ashley. The name reached its peak in 1987, as a whopping 54, 819 American babies were given it that year. So, it's no coincidence that Ashley Olsen (and of course Mary-Kate) was born in 1986.

Amanda

These days, it's almost weird if you don't know somebody named Amanda. The Latin gerundive name meaning "deserving to be loved" was the third most popular girls' name of the '80s.

Jennifer

We really feel for all of the students named Jennifer in the '90s and 2000s, as you were probably forced to go by "Jen" or "Jenny" or Jennifer plus the first initial of your last name. There were just so many Jennifers. It was excruciatingly popular for decades, especially in the '80s.

Jessica

We've reached the only contender to the wretched Jennifer curse, as Jessica was the number one girls' name of the 1980s, with 469,487 American girls receiving the name. Whether you call her Jess, Jessie, or simply Jessica, we'd bet 50 bucks you have one in your life.