Milly
Milly was the 1790th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1884, when it ranked 714th; the most babies were born in 2014 (129). Over the last ten years it has moved up 370 places. More babies were named Milly in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Millie) pet form of Mildred, Millicent, Emily, Amelia and others · English
- Rank in 2025
- #1,790 girls, up 87 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 113girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014129 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,347babies recorded
What does the name Milly mean?
Milly is a spelling of Millie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Millie's meaning and origin.
Millie is a pet form of several names, and Wiktionary lists Mildred, Millicent, Emily, Amelia and Camilla; Wikipedia gives a similar list. It is now also given as a full name. Its meaning depends on the parent name: Mildred, for example, is Old English for 'mild strength' according to DMNES, while Emily goes back to the Roman family name Aemilius. Families who choose Millie on its own often do not have a single source in mind.
mild (Old English, “mild, gentle (in Mildred)”)þrȳþ (Old English, “strength (in Mildred)”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Milly, Mildred, Millicent, Emily, Amelia, Camilla.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Millie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Millie', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mildred', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Milly popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,790 | 113 |
| 2020 | #1,877 | 103 |
| 2010 | #2,087 | 95 |
| 2000 | #4,045 | 31 |
| 1990 | #8,299 | 10 |
| 1980 | #7,185 | 9 |
| 1970 | #7,665 | 6 |
| 1960 | #2,792 | 20 |
| 1950 | #3,364 | 11 |
| 1940 | #3,135 | 9 |
| 1930 | #2,515 | 13 |
| 1920 | #2,235 | 17 |
| 1910 | #1,886 | 8 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,468 | 5 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Milly, counting every spelling?
Milly is a spelling of Millie, a name family that ranked #80 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,790 for Milly on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,611 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millie | 3,353 | #73 | 12,731 |
| Milly | 113 | #1,790 | 570 |
| Milli | 33 | #4,321 | 154 |
| Millee | 24 | #5,348 | 119 |
| Mili | 19 | #6,258 | 91 |
| Myleah | 15 | #7,387 | 67 |
| Mily | 9 | #10,646 | 60 |
| Mileah | 8 | #11,594 | 53 |
| Milee | 8 | #11,595 | 38 |
| Milea | 12 | #8,695 | 25 |
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 Milly?
113 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Milly (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Milly 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 74 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Milly.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Milly?
About 2,800 people born in the US named Milly are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 23. That makes Milly mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Milly by state
How common Milly was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 36 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 Milly: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Milly, they share its era and feel.
Milly is also a nickname for Mildred.
Questions about the name Milly
What does Milly mean?
Milly is a spelling of Millie, which means “pet form of Mildred, Millicent, Emily, Amelia and others” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Milly?
Milly was the 1790th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1884, when it ranked 714th; the most babies were born in 2014 (129). Over the last ten years it has moved up 370 places. More babies were named Milly in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Milly a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Milly in the US.
Where is Milly most popular?
In 2021–2025, Milly was most common in Utah (0.14 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Oklahoma.