Milton
Milton was given to 125 boys in 2025, #1,440 among boys’ names; 118,551 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 40,600 Americans named Milton and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (34% of everyone recorded); the median is 64 years old and half are between 44 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Milton by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Milton mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Milton is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “mill” (mylen) and “middle” (middel) and “settlement” (tun).
The English place names are from Old English mylen (“mill”) or middel (“middle”) + tun (“settlement”).
/ˈmɪltən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Milton?
#1,440 among boys’ names, 2025
Milton fell from #1,208 in 2015 to #1,440 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 79.8 to 73.2 per million.
2,603 babies in 1920, the peak
Milton peaked in 1920, when 2,603 babies were given it (2,592 boys, #74 among boys’ names). The 125 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 125 | #1,440 | 0.07 |
| 2024 | 128 | #1,431 | 0.07 |
| 2023 | 128 | #1,426 | 0.07 |
| 2022 | 153 | #1,266 | 0.09 |
| 2021 | 136 | #1,363 | 0.08 |
| 2020 | 144 | #1,278 | 0.08 |
| 2019 | 149 | #1,262 | 0.08 |
| 2018 | 153 | #1,221 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 167 | #1,139 | 0.09 |
| 2016 | 149 | #1,245 | 0.08 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 153 | #1,208 | 0.08 |
| 2014 | 175 | #1,095 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 171 | #1,089 | 0.09 |
| 2012 | 168 | #1,107 | 0.09 |
| 2011 | 159 | #1,140 | 0.08 |
| 2010 | 188 | #1,034 | 0.10 |
| 2009 | 190 | #1,026 | 0.10 |
| 2008 | 218 | #935 | 0.11 |
| 2007 | 222 | #901 | 0.11 |
| 2006 | 238 | #846 | 0.12 |
| 2005 | 231 | #818 | 0.12 |
| 2004 | 244 | #755 | 0.12 |
| 2003 | 243 | #742 | 0.12 |
| 2002 | 260 | #696 | 0.13 |
| 2001 | 264 | #683 | 0.14 |
| 2000 | 280 | #649 | 0.14 |
| 1999 | 228 | #720 | 0.12 |
| 1998 | 217 | #745 | 0.11 |
| 1997 | 248 | #662 | 0.13 |
| 1996 | 281 | #619 | 0.15 |
| 1995 | 271 | #624 | 0.14 |
| 1994 | 282 | #620 | 0.15 |
| 1993 | 318 | #573 | 0.16 |
| 1992 | 331 | #559 | 0.17 |
| 1991 | 333 | #556 | 0.16 |
| 1990 | 324 | #563 | 0.16 |
| 1989 | 347 | #515 | 0.17 |
| 1988 | 365 | #483 | 0.19 |
| 1987 | 364 | #464 | 0.19 |
| 1986 | 341 | #470 | 0.19 |
| 1985 | 366 | #447 | 0.20 |
| 1984 | 374 | #433 | 0.21 |
| 1983 | 372 | #425 | 0.21 |
| 1982 | 410 | #411 | 0.23 |
| 1981 | 402 | #412 | 0.22 |
| 1980 | 402 | #406 | 0.23 |
| 1979 | 375 | #409 | 0.22 |
| 1978 | 415 | #381 | 0.25 |
| 1977 | 412 | #389 | 0.25 |
| 1976 | 441 | #364 | 0.28 |
| 1975 | 437 | #373 | 0.28 |
| 1974 | 451 | #362 | 0.29 |
| 1973 | 455 | #360 | 0.29 |
| 1972 | 485 | #351 | 0.30 |
| 1971 | 591 | #318 | 0.33 |
| 1970 | 633 | #310 | 0.34 |
| 1969 | 652 | #299 | 0.36 |
| 1968 | 680 | #282 | 0.39 |
| 1967 | 710 | #274 | 0.41 |
| 1966 | 765 | #263 | 0.43 |
| 1965 | 825 | #257 | 0.44 |
| 1964 | 979 | #245 | 0.49 |
| 1963 | 993 | #242 | 0.49 |
| 1962 | 1,113 | #231 | 0.54 |
| 1961 | 1,104 | #239 | 0.52 |
| 1960 | 1,183 | #235 | 0.55 |
| 1959 | 1,218 | #225 | 0.57 |
| 1958 | 1,325 | #204 | 0.62 |
| 1957 | 1,362 | #198 | 0.63 |
| 1956 | 1,482 | #188 | 0.70 |
| 1955 | 1,430 | #185 | 0.69 |
| 1954 | 1,581 | #175 | 0.78 |
| 1953 | 1,531 | #175 | 0.78 |
| 1952 | 1,576 | #169 | 0.81 |
| 1951 | 1,520 | #169 | 0.81 |
| 1950 | 1,553 | #161 | 0.87 |
| 1949 | 1,559 | #160 | 0.88 |
| 1948 | 1,546 | #160 | 0.88 |
| 1947 | 1,638 | #158 | 0.90 |
| 1946 | 1,507 | #156 | 0.93 |
| 1945 | 1,349 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1944 | 1,457 | #146 | 1.1 |
| 1943 | 1,508 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1942 | 1,507 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1941 | 1,385 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1940 | 1,423 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1939 | 1,372 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1938 | 1,400 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1937 | 1,385 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1936 | 1,441 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1935 | 1,532 | #117 | 1.5 |
| 1934 | 1,516 | #115 | 1.5 |
| 1933 | 1,486 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1932 | 1,710 | #106 | 1.6 |
| 1931 | 1,834 | #99 | 1.8 |
| 1930 | 2,053 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1929 | 2,029 | #94 | 1.9 |
| 1928 | 2,170 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1927 | 2,358 | #88 | 2.1 |
| 1926 | 2,418 | #83 | 2.2 |
| 1925 | 2,567 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1924 | 2,474 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1923 | 2,446 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1922 | 2,556 | #74 | 2.3 |
| 1921 | 2,588 | #75 | 2.3 |
| 1920 | 2,592 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1919 | 2,448 | #73 | 2.5 |
| 1918 | 2,454 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1917 | 2,394 | #75 | 2.6 |
| 1916 | 2,345 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1915 | 2,225 | #73 | 2.6 |
| 1914 | 1,834 | #69 | 2.8 |
| 1913 | 1,419 | #71 | 2.8 |
| 1912 | 1,319 | #64 | 3.1 |
| 1911 | 608 | #70 | 2.7 |
| 1910 | 476 | #76 | 2.5 |
| 1909 | 369 | #81 | 2.3 |
| 1908 | 346 | #79 | 2.2 |
| 1907 | 292 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1906 | 303 | #78 | 2.3 |
| 1905 | 299 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1904 | 230 | #93 | 1.8 |
| 1903 | 210 | #92 | 1.8 |
| 1902 | 207 | #96 | 1.7 |
| 1901 | 197 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1900 | 242 | #98 | 1.6 |
| 1899 | 207 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 1898 | 225 | #91 | 1.8 |
| 1897 | 161 | #106 | 1.4 |
| 1896 | 194 | #98 | 1.6 |
| 1895 | 188 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1894 | 156 | #110 | 1.3 |
| 1893 | 174 | #102 | 1.5 |
| 1892 | 173 | #107 | 1.4 |
| 1891 | 141 | #105 | 1.4 |
| 1890 | 126 | #119 | 1.1 |
| 1889 | 171 | #97 | 1.5 |
| 1888 | 165 | #104 | 1.4 |
| 1887 | 122 | #112 | 1.2 |
| 1886 | 145 | #106 | 1.3 |
| 1885 | 130 | #107 | 1.2 |
| 1884 | 150 | #104 | 1.3 |
| 1883 | 149 | #90 | 1.4 |
| 1882 | 155 | #95 | 1.4 |
| 1881 | 143 | #92 | 1.4 |
| 1880 | 149 | #91 | 1.3 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Milton a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Milton has been given almost only to boys: 615 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Milton: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Milton, and how old are they?
40,600 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 34% of the 118,551 Americans ever recorded as Milton. The median Milton alive today is 64 years old; half are between 44 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 51,890 people named Milton (106 women and girls, 51,784 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 47,551 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 5,120 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 17,100 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 7,670 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 5,210 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 3,540 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,920 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Milton born?
The states with the most babies named Milton are New York, Texas and California, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 12,685 | #1,686 | 1.3× |
| Texas | 8,605 | #1,334 | 1.3× |
| California | 5,230 | #1,283 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 5,165 | #994 | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 5,070 | #981 | 0.6× |
| Louisiana | 4,958 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Georgia | 4,937 | #1,057 | 1.5× |
| Illinois | 4,667 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Virginia | 3,977 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Alabama | 3,737 | not ranked | 1.4× |
Where Milton is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Milton is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 2.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Milton with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Milton
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Milton and names like it
- Compare Milton and FrancisBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sMilton peaked in 1920.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Milton since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Milton: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1920The year the most babies were named Milton.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Milton alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with MMost given first.