girl's name
Myla
MY-la
- Origin Disputed
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 36,932
the United States
#210
2025 births
Myla is a girl's name whose origin is unsettled. It is read as a feminine of Miles, meaning "merciful," as a form of the Arabic Mila or Slavic Milena meaning "gracious," and as a modern respelling of Mila — with no agreement between them.
- Myla is a name of Disputed origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 1,646 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,309 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Myla over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 45 |
| 1920s | 89 |
| 1930s | 91 |
| 1940s | 120 |
| 1950s | 225 |
| 1960s | 222 |
| 1970s | 254 |
| 1980s | 221 |
| 1990s | 428 |
| 2000s | 2,744 |
| 2010s | 8,942 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,753 |
What Myla means
Myla has no single meaning. The readings in circulation are merciful, from Miles, gracious or dear, from the Slavic mil, and simply a variant spelling of Mila with no independent sense.
Where Myla comes from
Three explanations compete and none is documented. The first treats Myla as a feminine of Miles, an old Germanic name of uncertain meaning that reference works often gloss as merciful — though that gloss is itself unproven. The second connects it to the Slavic root mil, meaning dear or gracious, behind Milena, Ludmila and Mila. The third, and most likely for modern bearers, is that Myla is simply Mila respelled with a y, part of the same wave that produced Kayla, Lyla and Myah. Our records show it appearing in 1913 but effectively unused until the 2000s.
Myla in use
Our data shows Myla peaking in 2023 and still rising, at 94 in England and Wales. Its curve is characteristic of a sound becoming fashionable rather than a name being revived: Myla, Mila, Lyla, Layla and Isla all climbed together, sharing a shape rather than an etymology.
How popular is Myla?
In 2025, Myla was given to 1,436 babies in the United States, ranking #210 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Myla 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.
Names that peaked alongside Myla
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Myla also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Myla over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Myla
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Myla 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 Myla
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Myla — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Myla
What does the name Myla mean?
There is no agreed meaning. It is variously read as merciful, from Miles, or gracious, from the Slavic mil.
Is Myla the same as Mila?
For most modern bearers, effectively yes — Myla is a y-respelling of Mila, which has a documented Slavic root.
Is Myla a new name?
Nearly. Our records show it from 1913 but essentially unused until the 2000s.
How popular is the name Myla?
In 2025, Myla was given to 1,436 babies in the United States, ranking #210 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Myla a girl's or a boy's name?
Myla is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Myla?
Myla has 2 syllables.
When was Myla most popular?
Myla peaked in 2023, when 1,646 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Myla?
Myla is usually shortened to My.
Is Myla a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Myla currently ranks #70 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.