Mila

Mila meaning

Mila is an international girl's name of Slavic origin.

Dear, kind, gracious; Slavic mil-

Mila is a Slavic name from the root mil-, "dear". Vasmer's etymological dictionary gives Russian milyj as dear, kind and pleasing, Old Church Slavonic milъ as merciful, and Czech, Slovak and Polish milý and miły as dear and beloved, with relatives in Lithuanian meaning love. Vasmer even compares Sanskrit máyas, "delight", as a distant cousin. Mila is also a short form of longer names such as Ludmila, borne by St Ludmila of Bohemia, Milena and Camila. Name lists give it as "gracious" or "dear", which matches the source. It is said MEE-luh, the same as the Hindi word for "met" or "found".

Source: Max Vasmer, Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language (Russian ed. 1964-73) · entry милый (milyj) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Vasmer, милый (lexicography.online)

Famous namesakes

• St Ludmila of Bohemia, tenth-century martyr (full form of the name)
• Mila Kunis, American actress

Popularity abroad

• #43 United States, girls 2025 (down 10 from 33 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #40 England and Wales, girls 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Mila · Milla

Related names

Also meaning love

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