90s

If You Were Born In The 90s You Probably Have One Of These Top 10 Names

By Awa |

If you thought that parents in the 90s only named their children after their favorite pop culture icon, you're partially correct.

Some baby names were inspired by TV shows and novels, but many others were actually variations of names that were popular centuries before the 90s started.

Here are the top ten male and female baby names of the 90s. See if yours made the cut:

10. Joseph & Megan

Joseph is the English form of the Hebrew name Yosef YHWH which signifies "Jehovah shall increase."

The 90s was the first time in decades that Megan, or any of its other variations, made it into the top ten. The Welsh name actually gained popularity as a nickname for Margaret, but as we all know, it turned out to be its own name. About 54% of people named Megan in the U.S. were born in the 90s or later.

9. Tyler & Taylor

Tyler is an Old English name borrowed from the Old French occupational name for a person who makes or lays tiles.

Similar to Tyler, the unisex name Taylor has its roots in Old French. It is also an occupational name meaning "tailor."

8. Daniel & Elizabeth

Daniel means "God is my judge," and it originates from the Bible. Nowadays, there are over 100 different variations of the name including its female form Danielle.

Elizabeth is the form of the Hebrew name Elisheva, but the current spelling is derived from the Ancient Greek Elisabet meaning "My God is an oath."

7. Andrew & Brittany

Andrew is a classic boy's name derived from the Greek Andreas which means "manly."

Brittany stems from a region of France with the same name. The 70s was the first time Brittany was given as a name and its popularity peaked in the 90s.

6. Nicholas & Amanda

No matter how you spell Nicholas, the Greek name means "victor of the people." We can thank the Bishop of Myra, Saint Nicholas a.k.a Santa Claus for the moniker's popularity.

Meaning "worthy of love," in Latin, Amanda first appeared on a birth record in 1212. Centuries later, the name became popularized by poets and playwrights.

5. Jacob & Samantha

Jacob was the name given to the Patriarch of the Israelites. The name, which is a variation of James, is possibly derived from the Hebrew words "'qb" which means "to follow" or "'aqeb" meaning "heel."

It's hard to pinpoint the exact origin of the name Samantha, but many speculate that it may have stemmed from Samuel and the word "anthos" which means "flower" in Greek. The first recorded instance of the name was in 1633 in Warwickshire, England.

4. Joshua & Sarah

Joshua is a central figure in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua, Exodus, and Numbers. "Lesus," the Latin spelling of the name gave way to the English spelling of Jesus.

Another name with Biblical origins, Sarah means "princess" or "noblewoman."

3. Matthew & Emily

Derived from Hebrew, Matthew means "Gift of Jehovah." The name became popular due to the Biblical figure Matthew the Apostle. In some cases Matthew is actually an anglicization of Mathuin, which means "bear" in Irish.  

Emily is a short form of the Roman name Aemilia, which means "rival." The name's popularity can also be chalked up to its literary associations.

2. Christopher & Ashley

Christopher's ranked as the second most popular male name for two decades in a row. It stemmed form the Greek name Christoforos meaning "Christ-bearer."

Ashley has an interesting origin. The English name, which means "Ash tree meadow," was initially used only for males and was popularized by the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper. It became a popular among female babies in the U.S. in the late 20th century. Ashley peaked in the 80s and 90s, thanks to the soap opera character Ashley Abbott on The Young and The Restless.

1. Michael & Jessica

Michael is one of the most popular names of all time, and has ranked first many times. The name is derived from the Hebrew Mikhael meaning "Who is like God?" It first appeared in the Book of Numbers and later in the Book of Daniel as the name of the only archangel mentioned in the Bible.

Jessica is a name that hasn't really peaked until the 80s, but it remained popular through the 90s and early 2000s. The name is belived to be an Anglicization of the Hebrew name Yiskah, which means "foresighted." Its current spelling was first spotted in the Shakespearean play The Merchant of Venice.

Did your name make the list? Let us know in the comments!

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