Miles
Miles was the 44th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6,072 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 37th with 6,634 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 63 places. More babies were named Miles in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Meaning disputed · Old French, Germanic / Latin
Say it MYLZ /ˈmaɪlz/
- Rank in 2025
- #44 boys, up 15 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6,072boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20246,634 babies
- Total since 1880
- 123,225babies recorded
What does the name Miles mean?
Miles comes from the Old French name Milo, whose origin is unclear. Wiktionary suggests a Germanic element or a Slavic mil-, 'gracious'. DMNES derives Milo from a Germanic word for 'mild, generous'. DMNES treats Miles itself as Latin miles, 'soldier', and notes that the two names are often confused; Wiktionary calls the soldier link a folk association.
Milo (Old French / Latin records, “Milo”)mīles (Latin, “soldier (DMNES; folk etymology per Wiktionary)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. A scholarly source and a community dictionary disagree.
Other explanations you may read: From Latin miles 'soldier'.
See also: French names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Miles'
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Milo'
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (names.zip, yob*.txt), team3 computation
- Wikidata item Q6851298
- Wiktionary, entry 'Miles'
Miles popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 357 since 1927, 13 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #44 | 6,072 |
| 2020 | #59 | 5,300 |
| 2010 | #137 | 2,870 |
| 2000 | #257 | 1,305 |
| 1990 | #269 | 993 |
| 1980 | #490 | 298 |
| 1970 | #532 | 230 |
| 1960 | #442 | 331 |
| 1950 | #375 | 326 |
| 1940 | #472 | 150 |
| 1930 | #461 | 165 |
| 1920 | #390 | 231 |
| 1910 | #350 | 53 |
| 1900 | #280 | 55 |
| 1890 | #249 | 47 |
| 1880 | #217 | 54 |
How popular is Miles, counting every spelling?
Miles is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #15 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #44 for Miles on its own. Together these spellings went to 9,596 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles | 6,072 | #44 | 30,599 |
| Myles | 3,511 | #100 | 17,012 |
| Mylez | 13 | #6,694 | 69 |
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 Miles?
6,072 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Miles (1.68 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Miles born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 32. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Miles.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Miles?
About 111,800 people born in the US named Miles are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 5 and 22. That makes Miles 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.
Miles by state
How common Miles was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.1×), Vermont (2.7×), District of Columbia (2.6×), Maine (2.3×), Utah (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Miles: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Miles, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Miles · Sibling names for Miles
Questions about the name Miles
What does Miles mean?
The meaning of Miles is disputed: a scholarly source and a community dictionary disagree.
How popular is the name Miles?
Miles was the 44th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6,072 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 37th with 6,634 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 63 places. More babies were named Miles in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Miles a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Miles in the US.
Where is Miles most popular?
In 2021–2025, Miles was most common in Wyoming (10.89 per 1,000 boys), followed by Vermont and District of Columbia.