Milton
Feminine · “Mill town”
Milton is given to boys far more often — 117,936 boys against 615 girls since 1880. See Milton as a boy name
Milton is an English place name, 'mill town', that became a first name in honor of the poet of Paradise Lost. It was one of the most familiar American boys' names in the early twentieth century, carried by a comedian, an economist and a chocolate maker.
How old is the name Milton?
Milton first appears in US birth records in 1901 — 124 years ago. The typical Milton alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 200 people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Milton most popular?
Milton peaked in 1901, reaching #1679 nationally. See the whole 1901 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From myln tun to Milton
The story of Milton
John Milton, blind and in political disgrace after the Restoration, dictated Paradise Lost to his daughters and assistants and in 1667 sold the rights to a printer for five pounds, with the promise of five more if the first edition sold out; it is now counted among the greatest poems in English. Admirers made his surname a first name. Milton Hershey, a Pennsylvania candy maker, built a whole town around his chocolate factory and, having no children, gave his fortune to the school for orphan boys he and his wife had founded, which still runs today. The spelling is recorded almost entirely for boys.
Meaning
Mill town
From Old English myln, 'mill', and tun, 'farmstead, town'; many English villages are called Milton.
How the name formed
- myln tun
- Milton
Pronouncing Milton
MIL-tun
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Milton
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1901
- Most girls named
- 191821 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1679reached in 1901
- Change vs 1975
- +40.0%7 in 1989, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Miltons among us
people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Milton sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Instantly recognized and spelled as everyone expects.
- A long, unbroken American history.
- Carries a great poet in its background.
- It is strongly represented among older generations and rare among babies, so a young Milton will stand out.
- Some will hear it as old-fashioned.
- For a girl it would be very unusual.
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Milton
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Miltons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Milton in 2025?
- Milton is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Milton with classmates?
- Milton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Milton? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Milton and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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