NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Milo

A masculine name derived from the Slavic element "mil" meaning "mercy" or "grace".

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.

Milo is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Milo popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #96, with 567 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 720 births.

This profile covers 9,555 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 79% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 10,033 living people in the UK are called Milo. 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

  • Milo ranked #96 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 567 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 720 boys were registered as Milo.
  • Milo ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #164 in 2024.
  • About 10,033 living people in the UK are estimated to have Milo as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#96

2024

Births in 2024

567

Latest year

Peak year

2020

720 births

Estimated living

10,033

2026

Meaning

What does Milo mean?

The name Milo has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "mild," meaning "gentle" or "merciful." The name was initially used as a nickname or byname before becoming a given name in its own right.

In ancient Greek mythology, Milo was the name of a legendary athlete from the city of Croton in southern Italy. He was renowned for his exceptional strength and was said to have carried a bull on his shoulders for several miles. The name may have been adopted by the Greeks as a reflection of his mild and gentle nature, despite his immense physical prowess.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Milo can be found in the writings of the ancient Roman historian Livy. He mentions a Roman consul named Milo who lived in the 2nd century BC. This suggests that the name had spread from its Germanic origins to the Roman world at an early stage.

During the Middle Ages, the name Milo was relatively uncommon but can be found in various historical records and documents. One notable figure was Milo of Nanteuil, a French nobleman who lived in the 11th century and played a significant role in the First Crusade.

In more recent times, several famous individuals have borne the name Milo. Milo Ândjelković (1891-1964) was a Serbian painter and one of the pioneers of modern art in the Balkans. Milo Manara (born 1945) is an Italian comic book writer and artist known for his erotic and surreal works.

Another notable bearer of the name was Milo Yiannopoulos (born 1984), a controversial British political commentator and polemicist. Milo Ventimiglia (born 1977) is an American actor best known for his roles in the television series "Gilmore Girls" and "This Is Us."

Finally, Milo Aukerman (born 1963) is an American musician and singer, best recognized as the lead vocalist of the punk rock band The Descedents.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Milo over time

The chart below shows babies named Milo 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 Milo, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 567 births in 2024, compared with 720 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Milo
0180360540720199620102024

Decades

Milo by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Milo 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 #87 3,234 5
2010s #139 4,346 10
2000s #264 1,514 10
1990s #254 461 4

Geography

Where Milo is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Milo. 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.

Milo ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #164 in 2024.

Scotland
26
Northern Ireland
13

Across the UK

Milo in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#169 in 2024

25 years of NRS records, 412 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#164 in 2024

17 years of NISRA records, 129 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Milo

  • Milo Beimers

    association football player

    Association football goalkeeper of Northern Ireland U-16 and Canada U-17

    2008-

  • Milo Murray

    basketball player

    German basketball player (born 2007)

    2007-

  • Milo Parker

    actor; child actor; film actor

    British actor

    2002-

  • Milo Barton

    association football player

    British footballer

    1998-

  • Milo Edwards

    comedian; podcaster

    British stand-up comic

    1993-

  • Milo Hiscox

    (born 1987)

    1987-

  • Milo Yiannopoulos

    writer; journalist; blogger

    British political commentator

    1984-

  • Milo Thomas Berkeley

    basketball player

    (born 1983)

    1983-

Related

Names similar to Milo

FAQ

Milo: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Milo was ranked #96 for boys in England and Wales, with 567 births registered.

When was Milo most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 720 babies registered as Milo in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Milo?

A masculine name derived from the Slavic element "mil" meaning "mercy" or "grace".

How many people are called Milo in the UK?

A total of 9,555 babies have been registered as Milo across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 412 more in Scotland and 129 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Milo most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Milo ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #164 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.