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Boy name · Germanic

Miles

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: from Germanic Milo, meaning uncertain; long linked to Latin soldier

Miles 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
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US boys, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2020s, at 3,464 per million.
Babies named Miles per million US boys, by decade; highest in the 2020s
1880s382 per million
1890s388 per million
1900s304 per million
1910s237 per million
1920s212 per million
1930s157 per million
1940s134 per million
1950s157 per million
1960s147 per million
1970s136 per million
1980s307 per million
1990s504 per million
2000s891 per million
2010s1,947 per million
2020s3,464 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
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.

  • MylesVariant of Miles (Germanic, boy)
  • MilanGracious, dear; a short form of Slavic Mil- names (Slavic, unisex)
  • MikelWho is like God (Hebrew, boy)
  • MiloGermanic form of Miles, possibly dear; linked to Latin soldier (Germanic, boy)
  • MireuDragon, an old native Korean word (Korean, boy)

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.

  • CarterCart driver (English, boy)
  • ClarkCleric, scribe (Old English, boy)
  • CooperBarrel maker (English, boy)
  • FrancisFrenchman (Latin, boy)
  • IsaacHe will laugh (Hebrew, boy)
  • LanceLand (Germanic, boy)
  • RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
  • TobiasGod is good (Hebrew, boy)

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.