boy's name
Milton
MIL-ten
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 118,984
Milton means the mill settlement, and there is a second and quite separate source meaning the middle settlement — two entirely different Old English place names that ended up producing exactly the same modern spelling.
- Milton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 2,603 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 26,523 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Milton over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,479 |
| 1890s | 1,745 |
| 1900s | 2,700 |
| 1910s | 17,625 |
| 1920s | 24,357 |
| 1930s | 15,832 |
| 1940s | 14,937 |
| 1950s | 14,677 |
| 1960s | 9,066 |
| 1970s | 4,714 |
| 1980s | 3,750 |
| 1990s | 2,833 |
| 2000s | 2,390 |
| 2010s | 1,632 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 814 |
What Milton means
Milton means the settlement with a mill, or alternatively the middle settlement. The two readings come from two distinct Old English place names that fell together.
Where Milton comes from
Milton is an English place name with two sources: myln, a mill, joined to tun, a settlement, and middel, middle, joined to the same tun. Both are common, and the modern spelling cannot distinguish them. Mills mattered enough to name a village for because a manorial mill was a monopoly — tenants were required to grind there and pay for it, which made it one of the more resented institutions of medieval life. John Milton is the name's weight in English, and its nineteenth-century American use honors him directly.
Milton in use
Milton peaked in the United States in 1920, when 2,603 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1440th in the United States on 125 births, 4826th in England and Wales and 6047th in France, across 118,984 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Milton?
In 2025, Milton was given to 125 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Milton is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Milton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Milton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Milton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Milton
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Milton in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Milt
Sibling names for Milton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Milton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Milton
What does the name Milton mean?
The mill settlement, or the middle settlement — two separate Old English place names that fell together.
Why name a village after a mill?
A manorial mill was a monopoly. Tenants had to grind there and pay for it, which made it a landmark in more ways than one.
Is Milton named after the poet?
Its nineteenth-century American use honors John Milton directly, though the place name is much older.
How popular is Milton?
1440th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Milton a girl's or a boy's name?
Milton is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Milton?
Milton has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Milton?
Milton is usually shortened to Milt.
Is Milton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Milton currently ranks #1,440 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.