1992 Babies Definitely Had These Names

Shared life experiences characterize each generation, and it sometimes even begins right from the moment you were named in a fashionable way (at the time). If you hear one of these popular baby names of 1992, you can definitely begin to believe that you might have someone born in that year on your hands. Either the youngest Millennials or in the middle of the Millennial pack (depending on whose definition you believe), 1992 babies were born in the year when George Bush (the other one) signed NAFTA, before Bill Clinton defeated him in a presidential election. Compact discs were getting popular. More importantly, the Goosebumps books began to be released. We watched Nickelodeon and played with gak. It was a magical time.

Now, maybe I'm just another 90's kid who's terrified of kids who grew up in the 2000's, but 1992 is around the birth year when kids start to seem... really young. Yes, I know they're like pushing 25 now but people born in 1992 are younger than my little brother — in other words, babies. And you can help to identify these 1992 babies by name. As with the names from 1985, names from 1990, and names from 1995, you can see a distinctive set from within the overall most popular 1992 names too. Helpfully compiled by the United State Social Security Administration, here are the standouts.

1. Samantha

Samantha doesn't really sound like a Biblical name to me. But as the feminine form of "Samuel" which means "name of God" or "God has heard," it basically is. The popularity of Samantha peaked in the 1990s, holding at a super high #6 for girls in 1992. I always think of the American Girl doll Samantha, but since she was released in 1986 the girls who play with her would be too young to name their own daughters after her in the 1990s (mostly, I hope).

2. Michael

This was the #1 boy name for 1992. Though Michael is a classic, in the 2000s it has recently been significantly less popular than it was previously (just #9 in 2015, ouch). And it's another Biblical name that doesn't especially sound like it, meaning "Who is like God?" Popular Michaels in 1992 would have included Michael J. Fox, of course.

3. Emily

Emily has become more popular in relatively-recent years, and 1992 is when it hit single-digit popularity coming in at number 7 for girls. Meaning "striving" or "eager," Emily was also a character on 90120 for a while so maybe that's what inspired parents? You never know.

4. Dylan

Coming from the Celtic word for the sea, Dylan is a fine choice for either a boy or a girl actually. But if you meet a male Dylan, he may very well have been born in 1992 — that's when Dylan jumped up almost 20 places from previously, to 28th most popular baby boy name in the United States.

5. Megan

1992 was a good year for the name Megan. It clocked in at 10th in popularity for girls, whereas by 2015 it had fallen to a devastating 384th place. It's really unclear what caused such a solid choice to plummet. Maybe the proliferation of new spellings are putting people off — Megyn, Mehgan, Megane, Megon, or Meigan, anyone?

6. Zachary

Zachary was close to its all-time high in 1992. This name which means "remembered by God" grabbed 16th place then, but it's fallen to just 88th place as of 2015.

7. Kayla

A Greek name meaning "pure," Kayla is an extreme 1992 success story. It was the 12th most popular name for girls in 1992, as compared to 133 a decade prior in 1982 — and way back in 581st place the year before that!

8. Kevin

Though the name Kevin has kind of a strong sound to it, its Gaelic meaning is actually "gentle" or "lovable." The 25th most popular boy name in 1992, I suspect that Kevin from classic movie Home Alone was both inspired by, and inspiration for, the other Kevins around the time of its 1990 release.

9. Chelsea

Since Bill Clinton wasn't elected until the fall of 1992, his daughter Chelsea could not have been the explanation for most of the name Chelsea's 1992 success. But this classy name, which originally refers to a waterfront area in London or a port more generally, doesn't really need a complicated explanation for why it would be popular.

10. Austin

With the awesome meaning "majestic dignity," Austin was climbing fast when it earned the 38th spot for boys in 1992. Could Stone Cold (then "Stunning") Steve Austin possibly be responsible?

11. Victoria

Though probably no one would admit to naming their baby girl after a lingerie brand, the early 1990s is when Victoria's Secret began to take off, coincidence much? Apart from that connotation, Victoria is a fine name, with the dignified meaning of "victory." It held 22nd place for girls in 1992.

12. Daniel

Yet another solid Biblical name, Daniel held the 7th place for boys in 1992 (just 2 spots away from its all-time high). With the rather somber meaning, "God is my judge," Daniel easily become Danny too. The 1991 book My Daniel by Pam Conrad is a great one, but I'm not entirely sure that a fictional character who met a tragically premature death was the inspiration for these 1992 babies.

13. Kelsey

1992 was Kelsey's most popular year ever, when it came in number 23 for girls. An English name meaning "victory ship," Kelsey fell in 2015 to just 344th place.

14. Nicholas

Yet another victory-related name! 1992 parents must have felt optimistic. This one, a Greek name meaning "victory of the people," reached 12th place for boys then.

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