Milton
Masculine · “Mill town”
Milton is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 117,936 boys against 615 girls since 1880. See Milton as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Milton alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 43,500 people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Milton most popular?
Milton peaked in 1912, reaching #64 nationally. Today it ranks #1436, 1,372 places below that high. See the whole 1912 chart.
Milton appears on these lists:
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19212,588 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #64reached in 1912
- Change vs 2022
- −18.3%125 in 2025, from 153
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.
Milton in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Miltons among us
people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 13,665 born in 2025 was named Milton
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Milton sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Milton is headed
Milton should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Milton beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Milton in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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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What they receive
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Milton
Masculine · #1436 in the U.S.
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 43,500 people named Milton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Milton in 2025?
- Milton ranks #1436 among US boy names in 2025, with 125 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Milton?
- About 1 in every 13,665 US boys born in 2025 was named Milton — 125 in all.
- Will my child share the name Milton with classmates?
- Milton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Milton
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Raheem#1436 · Niam#1436 · Malakhi#1436 · Finnick#1436 · Darien#1436 · Giancarlo#1436 · Khamari#1443 · Glenn#1443
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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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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