All The ‘90s TV Show Baby Names You Forgot About

Nobody rocked the world of television (and of politics, we’re looking at you, Dan Quayle) like Murphy Brown giving birth to her baby boy in Season 4. She decided to go forward with pregnancy and parenthood as a single mother, and names her son Avery after her late mother. Maybe you’ve forgotten the name, but there’s no way you could forget that kind of cultural impact. Avery is such a great choice — it’s unisex and means “ruler of elves” — and a nice little homage to this major television moment.

The son of Fraiser Crane and Lilith Sternin is often talked about, but rarely seen — like a good sitcom baby of the ‘90s — despite his very cool name: Frederick. He also goes by Freddy, and honestly these are both great choices for your own little one. Besides, how many characters get to be major parts of two sitcoms like Cheers and Fraiser?

Like many sitcoms of the ‘90s, Everybody Loves Raymond was a hilarious look at a real-life family... with little interaction from the kids. Sure, you saw the Barrones’ daughter Ally and the twin boys Michael and Geoffrey enough, but even I had to really rack my brain to remember their names. Geoffrey, it must be said, is a great name for a little one and a pretty unique option — plus you have the effortlessly cool Geoff as a nickname. The name also means “divine peace” which feels pretty solid.

You remember Mad About You, but do you remember their baby girl Mabel? If you do, you must remember that the name Mabel was chosen to stand for Mothers Always Bring Extra Love. Is that not the cutest? The name Mabel — without the acronym — also means “lovable.” It just doesn’t get much more perfect than that.

There were a whole lot of kids on The Cosby Show, but when the eldest Huxtable daughter, Sondra, had her twins with husband Elvin, even more were added. Elvin and Sondra end up naming their children after Nelson Mandela, which means their little boy was named Nelson. It’s such a gorgeous name and has a great vintage feel, not to mention an incredible tie to an absolute icon and activist.

And don’t forget about their baby girl — Sondra and Elvin named their daughter Winnie after Winnie Mandela. I’m obsessed with this name and think it’s just darling.

Sure, everyone remembers little Michelle on Full House, but what about those twins with the good hair? Nicky and Alex were household names and it’s high time we turn Nicky into a popular name for little boys again. It’s sweet, it’s spunky, and you can even make them go by Nicholas to be fancy.

The sitcom Coach was a huge part of my childhood — I watched reruns of it every morning as I ate my oatmeal, and I came to love Coach Fox and his family. In later seasons, the Foxes decide to adopt a little boy — baby Timothy — in that classic ‘90s sitcom way. Timothy means “God’s honor,” which feels extra appropriate.

You couldn’t really call it a sitcom because of all the drama, but Party of Five was an incredible show of the ‘90s and definitely influenced some baby names in its heyday. But do you remember the littlest Salinger? Baby Owen being taken care of by his older siblings was enough to make you fall in love with Bailey and Charlie, and it’s a name we should absolutely recognize.

I know, Sex and the City has had a recent resurgence with the sequel And Just Like That, but please — you’ve got to give a nod to Brady Hobbes. Brady is such a good name, and since Brady’s named after his dad’s last name, you’re also giving a sweet nod to Steve (who deserved better than Miranda, I said what I said). He was another one of those television babies you didn’t see a whole lot of, but the impact of his birth and how it affected Miranda was pretty huge.

In Boy Meets World, Cory Matthews and his older brother Eric had a ton of adventures, but back home there was always their little sister Morgan. (Who was replaced by an actor at some point and also had fewer and fewer storylines.) But man, original Morgan had some great lines and scenes (“I’ve been up since 6 o’clock!” she shouts over and over when everyone discovers she ate all the marshmallows out of a box of cereal) and she’s got a pretty awesome name. Morgan is one of those perfect unisex choices, and it means “sea-born.”

Everybody remembers Emma and Ben and Phoebe’s brother’s triplets (Frank Jr. Jr. is always a favorite), but what about the Bing twins born at the very end of Friends? Jack Bing was named for his grandfather, Jack Geller, and honestly, when Phoebe points out that his name sounds like a 1940s reporter, she’s not wrong. Jack is so solid and good and works with a wide range of last names — even Bing.

And you can’t forget about Jack’s twin sister, Erica. Erica Geller is named after her birth mom (played by Anna Faris), and it really is such a sweet choice by Monica and Chandler. The name Erica means “eternal ruler” or “ever powerful” which is pretty intense.

OK, maybe nobody’s forgotten about Maggie Simpson considering the show is still on the air with new episodes every year, but what a great baby name. Hopefully yours won’t have quite the pacifier obsession as Maggie, but only time will tell. Maggie is a shortened name for Margaret, which means “pearl.” It’s such a gorgeous name, and I honestly love a little ode to the baby that created the sweetest episode of The Simpsons ever. (Do it for her.)