These popular ’90s baby names are set to make a comeback

Being Pregnant 28 Sep 24 By

Bust out your choker necklaces and pluck those brows into oblivion, these nineties baby names are bringing it all back, baby!

If you lived through the nineties the first time, you may be amazed to see the trends and fashions you once thought groundbreaking having a revival. How are we there again already?

In fact, we may have hit peak ’90s renaissance when, in early October ’23, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain wed Riley Hawk – the son of skateboard legend Tony Hawk – in a ceremony officiated by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe! It’s a ’90s supernova.

Frances Bean Cobain takes a lift selfie with her now husband Riley Hawk
Grab your Doc boots, Riley Hawk and Frances Bean Cobain are married! (Image: Instagram)

And of course, like all things from that iconic decade, we could surely expect those ’90s baby names to make a comeback. too, right?

READ NEXT: The 35 millennial baby names making a comeback PLUS their meanings

Would you give you bub a name that was a big hit in the ’90s?

Netflix is currently awash with brilliant ’90s comedies – with The Fresh PrinceAbsolutely Fabulous, and Friends all streaming. While at the same time, the high street is flooded with ’90s style slip dresses, mules, scrunchies and denim jackets, so it makes perfect sense that it’s that decade which is currently influencing parents-to-be.

According to the pregnancy and parenting website Baby Centre, names that were ubiquitous in the decade that gave us both grunge and Tamagotchi are due a comeback, as new parents are feeling nostalgic for the nineties.

Courtney Cox in Friends.
After Maria, the name Courtney comes in second mostly likely because of Courteney Cox’s role in classic sitcom Friends (Image: Warner Bros. Television.)

Topping the list of girl’s names is Maria – almost definitely inspired by Blondie’s song of the same name which was released at the tail-end of the decade in 1999.

Next up is Courtney, in honour, we assume, of either Cox or Love, depending on whether the parent in question is either a Friends or a Hole fan. At third place is Helen, which given that the world’s highest grossing weather-based-film and huge box-office smash-hit Twister was released in 1996, it’s more than likely that Helen Hunt in the inspiration behind that one.

Brad Pitt in Fight Club
Bradley tops the list of nineties boys’ names possibly thanks to Brad Pitt who starred in ’90s hit Fight Club (Image: 20th Century Studios)

Meanwhile for baby boys, the most popular name is reported to be Bradley – could be inspired by Fight Club star Pitt? At second place is Daniel, which we can only assume is because millennial parents are still kind of into singer Natasha Bedingfield’s big brother. Next up is Ryan, which might be popular due to the fact that Ryan Reynolds – of being Blake Lively’s husband and you know, acting fame – guest-starred in everyone’s favourite 90s TV programme, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

While hanging out at number 19 is Ross, another Friends reference, as new parents name their babies after television’s hottest paleontologist with anger management issues, Ross Geller.

The Top 20 Nineties Baby Names for Girls

  1. Maria
  2. Courtney
  3. Helen
  4. Heather
  5. Bethan
  6. Lydia
  7. Kimberley
  8. Naomi
  9. Abbie
  10. Harriet
  11. Amber
  12. Molly
  13. Jennifer
  14. Stephanie
  15. Abigail
  16. Sophie
  17. Jessica
  18. Daneille
  19. Georgia
  20. Natalie

The Top 20 Nineties Baby Names for Boys

  1. Bradley
  2. Daniel
  3. Ryan
  4. Christopher
  5. Lewis
  6. Nathan
  7. Connor
  8. Scott
  9. Nicholas
  10. Peter
  11. Cameron
  12. Mitchell
  13. Timothy
  14. Toby
  15. Danny
  16. Christian
  17. Stuart
  18. Simon
  19. Ross
  20. Paul

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