boy's name
Milo
MY-loh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 76,835
the United States
#119
2025 births
Milo is a boy's name of disputed origin, arriving in England with the Normans alongside Miles. It is most often connected to the Latin miles, meaning soldier, though Germanic and Slavic derivations are equally proposed and none is settled.
- Milo is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 3,162 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,107 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Milo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 219 |
| 1890s | 225 |
| 1900s | 261 |
| 1910s | 1,378 |
| 1920s | 1,711 |
| 1930s | 1,165 |
| 1940s | 914 |
| 1950s | 885 |
| 1960s | 522 |
| 1970s | 573 |
| 1980s | 514 |
| 1990s | 656 |
| 2000s | 3,325 |
| 2010s | 14,026 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 17,939 |
What Milo means
Milo is usually glossed as soldier, following the Latin miles. Competing readings derive it from a Germanic root or from the Slavic mil, meaning gracious or dear, which would give an entirely different sense.
Where Milo comes from
Milo is the Latinised form that the Normans brought to England, and from which Miles and Myles developed. Its root is genuinely unresolved: the Latin miles, a foot soldier, is the obvious candidate but does not explain the sound change cleanly; a Germanic origin is proposed; and the Slavic element mil, meaning gracious, is a third possibility. Milo of Croton, the sixth-century BC Greek wrestler famous for carrying a bull, bears an unrelated Greek name that happens to match. The name fell out of English use and returned strongly from the 1990s alongside other short vintage boys' names.
How popular is Milo?
In 2025, Milo was given to 2,995 babies in the United States, ranking #119 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Milo is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Milo is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mïlo | Mïlo is a rare spelling of Milo, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names that peaked alongside Milo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Milo also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Milo over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Milo in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Milo
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Milo — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Milo
What does the name Milo mean?
Usually glossed as "soldier," from the Latin miles, though its origin is genuinely disputed.
Is Milo related to Miles?
Yes. Miles and Myles both developed from the Norman Milo.
Why do sources disagree about Milo?
Because Latin, Germanic and Slavic roots are all plausible and none is established.
How popular is the name Milo?
In 2025, Milo was given to 2,995 babies in the United States, ranking #119 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Milo a girl's or a boy's name?
Milo is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Milo?
Milo has 2 syllables.
When was Milo most popular?
Milo peaked in 2022, when 3,162 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Milo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Milo currently ranks #45 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.