Boy name · Germanic
Miles
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldierMiles is a boy's name that is of Germanic origin: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #44 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Miles
As a boy's name, Miles is of Germanic origin: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier. It is used in English.
Miles is also a surname: the 379th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 82,573 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Miles on our names that mean warrior list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Miles on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Miles on 1 list.
“For a cool, mellow cat, after the trumpet legend”
From Boy cat names, artist and musician names for boy cats
How popular is Miles?
- US rank in 2025
- #44
- 6,072 babies, 3,555 per million boys
- Best rank
- #37 in 2024
- 6,634 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 122,868
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 382 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 388 per million |
| 1900s | 304 per million |
| 1910s | 237 per million |
| 1920s | 212 per million |
| 1930s | 157 per million |
| 1940s | 134 per million |
| 1950s | 157 per million |
| 1960s | 147 per million |
| 1970s | 136 per million |
| 1980s | 307 per million |
| 1990s | 504 per million |
| 2000s | 891 per million |
| 2010s | 1,947 per million |
| 2020s | 3,464 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #105 | #110 | #98 | #75 | #59 | #55 | #56 | #43 | #37 | #44 |
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.
Names spelled like Miles
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- HermanArmy man, soldier (Germanic, boy)
- IngaNamed for Ing, a Germanic god (Old Norse, girl)
- SabrinaFrom Sabrina, the Latin name of the River Severn (Welsh, girl)
- ArthurOf uncertain Celtic origin (Celtic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- CatalinaSpanish form of Katherine, later linked to Greek pure (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- HesterLatin form of Esther (Hebrew, girl)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- JustinFrom Latin Iustinus, derived from Justus, just (Latin, boy)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
Middle names for Miles
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Germanic
- HugoHeart, mind (Germanic, boy)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- ArmandoArmy man (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoEagle (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoldEagle power (Germanic, boy)
- BaldwinBold friend (Germanic, boy)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- BernardoBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- CarlFree man (Germanic, boy)
- CharlieFree man (Germanic, unisex)
- EnzoItalian name, from Heinz, a form of Henry; popular in France (Germanic, boy)
- ErnestSerious, earnest (Germanic, boy)
- FrankOne of the Franks (Germanic, boy)
Miles: common questions
What does the name Miles mean?
Miles is of Germanic origin: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Miles a boy or girl name?
Miles is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 13 girls and 6,072 boys in the US were named Miles, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Miles come from?
Miles is of Germanic origin: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier. Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Miles?
Miles ranked #44 in the US in 2025, with 6,072 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Miles?
Names spelled like Miles include Myles, Milan, Mikel, Milo and Mireu.
What middle names go with Miles?
Middle names that flow well with Miles include Carter, Clark, Cooper, Francis and Isaac. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

