90s Baby Names Are Making A Comeback

Netflix is currently awash with brilliant 90s comedies – with The Fresh Prince, Absolutely Fabulous, Friends and The League of Gentlemen 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 90s.

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, and subsequently crooned to on a dancefloor somewhere near you. 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. And further down at number 13 is Jennifer, which could be because of Aniston, Lopez or possibly even Paige – does anyone else remember the 1998 chart-stormer that was Crush?

Meanwhile for baby boys, the most popular name is reported to be Bradley – could be inspired by Fight Club star Pitt, but we prefer the theory that it’s S Club 7’s Bradley McIntosh. At second place is Daniel, which we can only assume is because millennial parents are still kind of into 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 90s Girl’s Names

The Top 20 90s Boy’s Names