NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Mila

A feminine name of Slavic origin meaning "gracious" or "dear one".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Mila is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Mila popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #46, with 953 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 1,133 births.

This profile covers 11,373 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 84% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 12,849 living people in the UK are called Mila. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Mila ranked #46 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 953 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 1,133 girls were registered as Mila.
  • Mila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #30 in 2024.
  • About 12,849 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mila as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#46

2024

Births in 2024

953

Latest year

Peak year

2021

1,133 births

Estimated living

12,849

2026

Meaning

What does Mila mean?

Mila is a feminine given name with roots traced back to various ancient languages and cultures. The name finds its origins in the Slavic languages, where it is derived from the word "milus" meaning "gracious" or "dear." It shares a similar etymology with the Latin word "miles," meaning "soldier."

In ancient Rome, Mila was used as a shortened form of the Roman name Camilla, which was derived from the Etruscan word "casmilus," meaning "attendant." The name Camilla is prominently featured in Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, where it refers to a brave warrior and huntress.

The name Mila also has connections to ancient Greek mythology. Miletos, an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, was named after Miletos, the son of the god Apollo and the nymph Areia. It is believed that the name Mila could have been a diminutive form of Miletos.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mila dates back to the 12th century, when Mila Petrovna, a Russian princess and the daughter of Petrok Muromsky, was mentioned in historical records.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mila. These include:

1. Mila of Parma (1324-1355), an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Ludovico II Gonzaga, the ruler of Mantua. 2. Mila Kunis (born 1983), an American actress known for her roles in films such as Black Swan and the television series That '70s Show. 3. Mila Gault (1910-2000), a French writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the French Resistance during World War II. 4. Mila Mulroney (born 1953), a Serbian-Canadian entrepreneur and the wife of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. 5. Mila Schön (1886-1968), an Italian fashion designer known for her elegant and sophisticated clothing designs.

While the name Mila has maintained its popularity across various cultures and time periods, its enduring appeal can be attributed to its lovely sound, rich historical heritage, and associations with grace, beauty, and strength.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Mila over time

The chart below shows babies named Mila registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Mila, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 953 births in 2024, compared with 1,133 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Mila
02835678501K199620102024

Decades

Mila by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mila was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #42 5,228 5
2010s #160 5,775 10
2000s #925 349 10
1990s #2687 21 4

Geography

Where Mila is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mila. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Mila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #30 in 2024.

Scotland
105
Northern Ireland
13

Across the UK

Mila in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#30 in 2024

21 years of NRS records, 1,275 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#150 in 2024

14 years of NISRA records, 257 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Mila

  • Mila Lieu

    actor

    actress

    2012-

Related

Names similar to Mila

FAQ

Mila: questions and answers

How popular is the name Mila in the UK right now?

In 2024, Mila was ranked #46 for girls in England and Wales, with 953 births registered.

When was Mila most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 1,133 babies registered as Mila in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Mila?

A feminine name of Slavic origin meaning "gracious" or "dear one".

How many people are called Mila in the UK?

A total of 11,373 babies have been registered as Mila across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,275 more in Scotland and 257 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Mila most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Mila ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #30 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.