Milena
Milena was the 950th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 271 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 678th with 428 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 192 places. More babies were named Milena in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning dear, kind (Slavic) · Slavic
Say it mih-LAY-nuh /mɪˈleɪnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #950 girls, down 121 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 271girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2019428 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,749babies recorded
What does the name Milena mean?
Milena is a Slavic girls' name, the feminine of Milan, built on the Slavic root mil-, dear or kind, as Wiktionary explains. It is used across the Slavic world and in Italian, where Wiktionary derives it from an Old East Slavic word for dear or sweet. Wiktionary's Polish entry gives the same Old East Slavic source. Milena has been used in the US since 1918.
*mìlъ (Proto-Slavic, “dear, kind”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only.
Related names: Milan, Mila, Milana, Ludmila.
See also: Slavic names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Milena' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Milena' (Italian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Milena popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #950 | 271 |
| 2020 | #829 | 330 |
| 2010 | #1,251 | 192 |
| 2000 | #1,586 | 112 |
| 1990 | #4,079 | 25 |
| 1980 | #3,801 | 21 |
| 1970 | #3,669 | 17 |
| 1960 | #4,665 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Milena, counting every spelling?
Milena is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #717 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #950 for Milena on its own. Together these spellings went to 394 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milena | 271 | #950 | 1,753 |
| Mileena | 98 | #1,974 | 568 |
| Mylena | 13 | #8,201 | 39 |
| Milenna | 12 | #8,696 | 39 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Milena?
271 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Milena (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Milena born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 31 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Milena.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Milena?
About 7,600 people born in the US named Milena are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 19. That makes Milena a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Milena by state
How common Milena was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Illinois (2.1×), Massachusetts (1.9×), New Jersey (1.9×), Florida (1.8×), Arizona (1.6×). In 21 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Milena: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Milena, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Milena · Sibling names for Milena
Questions about the name Milena
What does Milena mean?
Milena means “dear, kind (Slavic)” (Slavic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Milena?
Milena was the 950th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 271 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 678th with 428 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 192 places. More babies were named Milena in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Milena a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Milena in the US.
Where is Milena most popular?
In 2021–2025, Milena was most common in Illinois (0.46 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and New Jersey.