Girl name · Slavic
Mila
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: gracious, dearMila is a girl's name that comes from Slavic and means "gracious, dear". It is used in English, German, Russian and Polish.
- Meaning
- Gracious, dear
- Origin
- Slavic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #43 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Mila
As a girl's name, Mila comes from Slavic and means "gracious, dear". It is used in English, German, Russian and Polish.
In German, say MEE-lah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Mila on our names that mean love list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Mila on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Mila on 2 lists.
“Gracious, dear; Slavic mil. A 2025 top-10 pick in Germany. Say MEE-lah”
From German girl names, popular German girl names
“Short for Lyudmila or Milena: dear, gracious; Slavic”
From Russian girl names, russian nicknames that work as names
How popular is Mila?
- US rank in 2025
- #43
- 4,796 babies, 2,984 per million girls
- Best rank
- #14 in 2018
- 8,169 babies that year
- Babies since 1881
- At least 84,489
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 8 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 per million |
| 1900s | 10 per million |
| 1910s | 12 per million |
| 1920s | 15 per million |
| 1930s | 13 per million |
| 1940s | 12 per million |
| 1950s | 12 per million |
| 1960s | 14 per million |
| 1970s | 13 per million |
| 1980s | 9 per million |
| 1990s | 17 per million |
| 2000s | 156 per million |
| 2010s | 2,521 per million |
| 2020s | 3,666 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #48 | #30 | #14 | #19 | #20 | #26 | #18 | #28 | #33 | #43 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Mila
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- MilanGracious, dear; a short form of Slavic Mil- names (Slavic, unisex)
- MilanaGracious, dear (Slavic, girl)
- MilenaGracious, dear (Slavic, girl)
Names spelled like Mila
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- MiraPeace, from Slavic Mir- names; in Sanskrit, sea (Slavic, girl)
- MiaPet form of Maria (Hebrew, girl)
- MikaBeautiful fragrance (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- MinaBeautiful and graceful (depends on hanja) (Korean, girl)
- MylaPossibly a feminine form of Miles (English, girl)
- MaiaGood mother (Greek, girl)
- MinnaLove (Old German, girl)
- MirtaMyrtle (Greek, girl)
- MonaLittle noble one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- JanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- HansGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- IanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- JackGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- JanaGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- JohannaGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- JohannesGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- EvanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- GiaPet form of Gianna, God is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- GiannaGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- IbanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- JanetGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- JeanGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- JeanetteGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
Middle names for Mila
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Slavic
- NadiaHope (Slavic, girl)
- VeraFaith, a Christian virtue (Slavic, girl)
- KalinaViburnum shrub (Slavic, girl)
- BogumiłaDear to God (Slavic, girl)
- BożenaDivine, of God (Slavic, girl)
- BronisławaProtection and glory (Slavic, girl)
- DanicaMorning star (Slavic, girl)
- DarinaGift (Slavic, girl)
- DobrosławaGood glory (Slavic, girl)
- JarosławaFierce glory (Slavic, girl)
- KazimieraDestroyer of peace (Slavic, girl)
- LudmilaGracious to the people (Slavic, girl)
- LudmiłaFavor of the people (Slavic, girl)
- LyubaShort form of Lyubov, love (Slavic, girl)
- LyubovLove, a Christian virtue (Slavic, girl)
- LyudaShort form of Lyudmila, dear to the people (Slavic, girl)
- LyudmilaDear to the people (Slavic, girl)
- MiroslavaGlorious in peace (Slavic, girl)
Mila: common questions
What does the name Mila mean?
Mila comes from Slavic and means "gracious, dear".
Is Mila a boy or girl name?
Mila is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 4,796 girls and 6 boys in the US were named Mila, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Mila come from?
Mila comes from Slavic and means "gracious, dear". Today it is used in English, German, Russian and Polish.
How popular is the name Mila?
Mila ranked #43 in the US in 2025, with 4,796 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Mila?
Forms of Mila with the same meaning and origin include Milan (English), Milana (Russian) and Milena (Russian).
What middle names go with Mila?
Middle names that flow well with Mila include Elise, Fenella, Honor, Juniper and Louisa. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.