Boy · Norman French (origin uncertain) · International
Miles
MilesSay it MYLZ
- Meaning today
- Soldier, merciful
- Original meaning
- "of uncertain origin; often linked with Latin miles, "soldier"" Lewis & Short
- Say it
- MYLZ
- Other spellings
- Myles
Miles
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Miles meaning
Miles is an international boy's name of Norman French origin (origin uncertain).
Meaning today
Soldier, merciful
Original Norman French (origin uncertain) meaning
"of uncertain origin; often linked with Latin miles, "soldier""
Source: Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary (1879), via Logeion · entry miles · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Miles came to England with the Normans and is related to the Continental name Milo. Its origin is genuinely uncertain. Baby-name lists usually give 'soldier', from Latin miles, which Lewis & Short define as a soldier, a foot soldier or, in Christian Latin, a servant of God struggling against sin; others give 'merciful', from a Slavic element mil-, 'gracious'. Neither link is confirmed in a reference work, so both are best read as traditional associations. The spelling Myles is the same name. Well-known bearers include the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It is said MYLZ, like the unit of distance.
References: Lewis & Short, miles (via Logeion) · Wikipedia, Miles (given name)
Famous namesakes
- Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter
- Miles Franklin, Australian author
Popularity abroad
- #44 United States, boys 2025 (down 7 from 37 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #114 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Miles · Myles