Milton
Boy nameMilton has been given to 118,551 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1920.
Meaning & origin /ˈmɪltən/
The English place names are from Old English mylen (“mill”) or middel (“middle”) + tun (“settlement”).
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
118,551
Peak year
1920 (2,603 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -18%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Rank through the decades
Milton's rank among U.S. boy names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Boys rank |
|---|---|
| 1900 | #98 |
| 1925 | #80 |
| 1950 | #161 |
| 1975 | #373 |
| 2000 | #650 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Milton — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Milton
Milton Friedman
American economist and statistician (1912–2006)
Milton Obote
President of Uganda (1966–1971; 1980–1985)
Robert Rauschenberg
American painter and graphic artist (1925–2008)
Tita
Brazilian association football player and manager
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Milton.
FAQ
How popular is the name Milton?
Milton has been given to 118,551 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Milton peak?
Milton peaked in 1920, when 2,603 babies were given the name.
Is Milton a girl or boy name?
Milton is primarily a boy name (99% of babies named Milton are boys).
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