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Montana

#1,033 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Mountain

Montana has been given to 12,855 babies in the U.S. since 1910. In 2025 it ranked #1,033 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 1998, with 496 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 69% girls, 31% boys all-time.

Babies named Montana, 2025

1 in 13,700

Montana over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
020040060018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Montana over time

In 2025, Montana went to 68% girls and 32% boys.

19102025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Montana: meaning, origin, and history

Mountain

place names

What Montana means

Montana means “mountain”, associated with montaña.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Latin montāna * the US state via Spanish montaña (“mountain”) * the surname from Spanish Montaña topographic surname

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Montana (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Montana is used in English. Its origins include place names.

Montana comes through Spanish montaña, Latin montāna and Spanish Montaña.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Montana is pronounced /mɑnˈtænə/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 8,815 girls were recorded with the name Montana between 1910 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 496 in 1998; its best national rank was #511 in 1998.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #1,738 in 2020 to #1,033 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,674 in 2015 to #1,033 in 2025.

In the United States, 4,040 boys were recorded with the name Montana between 1942 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 194 in 1995; its best national rank was #768 in 1995.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,522 in 2020 to #1,525 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,995 in 2015 to #1,525 in 2025.

How common is Montana?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 13,700
242 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 6,640
0.02% of girls
Rank, 2025
#1,033
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
9,497 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Montana sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5004%

Put another way: gather 9,497 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Montana. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Montanas were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Montana was born before 2001 — so the typical Montana is around 24 today.

Median birth year
2001
About 24 years old
Biggest decade
1990s
35.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
52.6%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
8,586
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1990s — 35.0% of all recorded uses (3,083).

Is Montana rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+26
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
+705
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+641
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.89×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
48.8%
Peak was 1998 (496)
Years since peak
27
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
17.8% average annual change
Best rank ever
#511
1998

Spellings of Montana

Montana is the most-used spelling, taking 43.4% of the 20,325 babies given a near-identical spelling.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Montana is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Montana was most concentrated in Oklahoma — about 1 in 4,167 girls, against 1 in 10,969 across all states with data. It was least common in Minnesota (1 in 50,000).

224 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Oklahoma1 in 4,167
  2. 2West Virginia1 in 4,167
  3. 3Pennsylvania1 in 5,263
  4. 4Michigan1 in 5,556
  5. 5Arkansas1 in 5,882
  6. 6Kentucky1 in 6,667
  7. 7Missouri1 in 6,667
  8. 8Ohio1 in 6,667

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Montana is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Montana was most concentrated in District of Columbia — about 1 in 7,143 boys, against 1 in 21,357 across all states with data. It was least common in New York (1 in 100,000).

114 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1District of Columbia1 in 7,143
  2. 2Maryland1 in 7,143
  3. 3Georgia1 in 9,091
  4. 4Ohio1 in 9,091
  5. 5Tennessee1 in 14,286
  6. 6Texas1 in 14,286
  7. 7Michigan1 in 16,667
  8. 8Missouri1 in 16,667

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Montana around the world

Where Montana ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #2,006
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    1994–2023
    #749
    in 2023
  • Ireland
    2014–2025
    #718
    in 2025
  • France
    1993–2005
    #5,513
    in 2005
  • Canada
    1991–2024
    #2,710
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1986–2013
    #536
    in 2013

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Montana

People whose public names include Montana, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Montana by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#1,033
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 705
Best rank ever
#511
1998
Peak year
1998
496 that year
First recorded
1910
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
8,815
Count in 2025
242

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,525
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 3
Best rank ever
#768
1995
Peak year
1995
194 that year
First recorded
1942
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
4,040
Count in 2025
114

Names similar to Montana

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

MonikaMonroeLilyanaTatyanaYulianaMonserratSantanaLucianaDarianaAvianaAlianaAitanaAiyanaMonetAryanaMoniqueJordanaAriyanaMilanaJohanaBreanaRoxanaGiulianaBryana

Names with a curve like Montana

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Montana, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

KiannaEssenceCarsonYasmeenKatarinaYasmineEstefaniaHunterDestiniSavanahKianaReilly

Sibling names for Montana

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Montana

Top names of 1998, Montana's peak yearThe 1990s in fullOther names that peaked in 1998Girls' names starting with MMountain Names