90s Name Generator

Nineties names split into three layers. Babies born in the decade got the names that now read as late-millennial: Jessica and Ashley traded the top girls' spot until Emily took over in 1996, followed by Sarah, Samantha, Amanda, Brittany, Elizabeth, Taylor, Megan, Hannah and Kayla; boys were Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, Jacob, Nicholas, Andrew, Daniel, Tyler and Brandon, with Austin, Cody, Dylan, Zachary, Kyle and Hunter peaking hard. The names that date a kid most precisely are the spikes: Kelsey, Chelsea, Destiny, Sierra, Cheyenne, Mackenzie and Shelby for girls; Cody, Dustin, Colton, Dalton, Tanner and Trevor for boys.

The real nineties signature is spelling. Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlin and Kaitlin coexisted in the same classroom, as did Brittany, Brittney, Britney and Brittani, Ashley, Ashlee and Ashleigh, Zachary, Zachery and Zackary and the K-for-C swap gave us Kody and Kortney. Initials were a nickname style of their own (A.J., T.J., C.J., D.J.), and virtue and nature names like Destiny, Trinity, Autumn, Summer, Skye and Dakota took off late in the decade.

The parents were born in the sixties and carry a different set: Lisa, Michelle, Kimberly, Tracy, Tammy, Shannon and Stacey; Jeff, Scott, Todd, Greg, Troy and Darren. Every entry pairs a first name with a surname from the real American mix of the time.