Milton
Milton was the 1440th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 125 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1920 (2,592). Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Milton in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning mill town or middle town · English, Old English
Say it MIL-tun /ˈmɪltən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,440 boys, down 162 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 125boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19202,592 babies
- Total since 1880
- 118,551babies recorded
What does the name Milton mean?
Milton is an English surname from the many places called Milton, from Old English mylen 'mill' or middel 'middle' plus tūn 'settlement', as Wiktionary notes. It became a first name in honor of the poet John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, and was very common in the US around 1900-1920. Economist Milton Friedman and comedian Milton Berle are well-known bearers.
mylen / middel (Old English, “mill / middle”)tūn (Old English, “settlement”)
How sure is this? Well established. Which of the two place-name sources applies varies.
Related names: Milt, Melton.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Milton', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Milton
The usual nicknames for Milton are Milt.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milt | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Miltons go by each one.
Milton popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 615 since 1901.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,440 | 125 |
| 2020 | #1,278 | 144 |
| 2010 | #1,034 | 188 |
| 2000 | #650 | 280 |
| 1990 | #564 | 324 |
| 1980 | #406 | 402 |
| 1970 | #310 | 633 |
| 1960 | #235 | 1,183 |
| 1950 | #161 | 1,553 |
| 1940 | #132 | 1,423 |
| 1930 | #93 | 2,053 |
| 1920 | #74 | 2,592 |
| 1910 | #76 | 476 |
| 1900 | #98 | 242 |
| 1890 | #119 | 126 |
| 1880 | #91 | 149 |
How popular is Milton, counting every spelling?
Milton has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,360 for boys in 2025, against #1,440 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Milton?
125 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Milton (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Milton born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 67 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Milton.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Milton?
About 40,300 people born in the US named Milton are alive today, with a median age of 64; half are between 44 and 75. That makes Milton a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Milton by state
How common Milton was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Georgia (1.7×). In 34 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Milton: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Milton, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Milton · Sibling names for Milton
Questions about the name Milton
What does Milton mean?
Milton means “mill town or middle town” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Milton?
Milton was the 1440th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 125 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1920 (2,592). Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Milton in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Milton a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Milton in the US.
Where is Milton most popular?
In 2021–2025, Milton was most common in Louisiana (0.17 per 1,000 boys), followed by Georgia and North Carolina.