Girl's name
Milena
Say it mih-LAY-nuh
Slavic origin dear, kind
3 syllables
Where Milena is loved, common and rare
Common across Poland and three more places. Rare in Switzerland, four German cities, Austria and 11 more places.
1 in 5,282 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Poland 42ndSwitzerland 109thAustria 122nd
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 21 of the 40 official lists, among them Poland (42nd), Switzerland (109th) and Austria (122nd).
Show all 21 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 42nd 2025 | 838 | 1 in 143 |
| Hungary as Miléna | 83rd 2025 | 126 | rank only |
| Switzerland | 109th 2025 | 66 | 1 in 515 |
| Austria | 122nd 2025 | 52 | 1 in 687 |
| Cologne city | 122nd 2023 | 10 | about 1 in 614 |
| Munich city | 124th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 419 |
| Berlin city | 140th 2023 | 23 | about 1 in 631 |
| The Netherlands | 297th 2025 | 48 | about 1 in 1,271 |
| Norway | 315th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 1,981 |
| Italy | 342nd 2024 | 44 | 1 in 4,072 |
| Ontario province | 372nd 2024 | 34 | about 1 in 1,602 |
| Quebec province | 467th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 2,600 |
| Catalonia region | 526th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 3,854 |
| France | 553rd 2025 | 140 | 1 in 2,049 |
| Sweden | 558th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 4,017 |
| Ireland | 718th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 5,282 |
| Israel מילנה | 864th 2024 | 7 | about 1 in 11,211 |
| England and Wales | 922nd 2025 | 38 | 1 in 6,665 |
| Rostock city | 62nd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 328 |
| Leipzig city | 95th 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 437 |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Slovenia.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Belügyminisztérium, Nyilvántartások (kormany.hu) (Hungary); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Milena is a Slavic name, ultimately from the Proto-Slavic word meaning 'dear, kind'. It is used widely across central and eastern Europe.
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Three syllables, said mih-LAY-nuh, with the stress in the middle. Mila is the obvious short form. Miléna is a French spelling, and Milana, Mylène and Milina are related names.
It is used in about twenty regions. Poland ranks it among the top 50, and it is also used in Hungary and Switzerland. In English-speaking countries it appears in smaller numbers, mostly in Ontario, Quebec and Ireland. French records put its peak around 2016, and today it is rising and falling in similar numbers of regions, which suggests a settled, well-established name rather than a passing trend.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- mih-LAY-nuh, 3 syllables
- Meaning
dear, kind
- Origin
- Slavic
- Other spellings
- Mila
- Milana
- Mylène
- Milina
- Milenia
- Mylene
- Amáta
Counted together here: Miléna.
Etymology
From Slavic, ultimately from Proto-Slavic *mìlъ (“dear, kind”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 4 of 18 regions, falling in 5.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 485 | 433 | 467 | 480 | 525 | 581 | 574 | 794 | 855 | 922 |
| Scotland | 502 | 409 | 376 | 544 | 396 | 760 | 630 | |||
| Ireland | 359 | 324 | 299 | 421 | 355 | 661 | 559 | 445 | 504 | 718 |
| Ontario | 339 | 288 | 469 | 341 | 343 | 336 | 376 | 384 | 372 | |
| British Columbia | 345 | 675 | 586 | 561 | 667 | 646 | ||||
| Quebec | 730 | 561 | 475 | 715 | 411 | 637 | 534 | 403 | 545 | 467 |
| France | 630 | 569 | 653 | 675 | 667 | 603 | 651 | 648 | 669 | 553 |
| The Netherlands | 269 | 234 | 272 | 278 | 268 | 266 | 343 | 285 | 297 | |
| Austria | 108 | 135 | 120 | 109 | 101 | 103 | 104 | 119 | 131 | 122 |
| Switzerland | 83 | 95 | 124 | 82 | 94 | 140 | 85 | 97 | 131 | 109 |
| Berlin | 94 | 121 | 97 | 95 | 116 | 137 | 136 | 140 | ||
| Munich | 142 | 180 | 158 | 149 | 142 | 87 | 227 | 116 | 170 | 124 |
| Cologne | 116 | 143 | 171 | 80 | 134 | 170 | 183 | 122 | ||
| Bonn | 119 | 67 | 114 | 131 | 168 | 110 | 99 | 176 | 362 | 173 |
| Leipzig | 85 | 149 | 84 | 186 | 116 | 89 | 98 | 50 | 75 | 95 |
| Rostock | 143 | 84 | 90 | 82 | 105 | 158 | 62 | |||
| Norway | 302 | 338 | 237 | 326 | 349 | 353 | 388 | 263 | 364 | 315 |
| Sweden | 456 | 380 | 582 | 727 | 925 | 650 | 558 | |||
| Catalonia | 404 | 327 | 534 | 407 | 373 | 395 | 610 | 520 | 349 | 526 |
| Italy | 242 | 259 | 237 | 258 | 231 | 258 | 299 | 342 | ||
| Poland | 25 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 40 | 42 |
| Hungary | 83 | |||||||||
| Moscow | 60 | |||||||||
| Israel | 575 | 706 | 711 | 723 | 646 | 677 | 893 | 1040 | 864 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 922 | 38 | 15.0 |
| 2024 | 855 | 43 | 16.7 |
| 2023 | 794 | 45 | 17.5 |
| 2022 | 574 | 68 | 25.8 |
| 2021 | 581 | 67 | 24.4 |
| 2020 | 525 | 76 | 28.3 |
| 2019 | 480 | 86 | 30.7 |
| 2018 | 467 | 92 | 31.9 |
| 2017 | 433 | 101 | 33.8 |
| 2016 | 485 | 89 | 29.0 |
| 2015 | 467 | 93 | 30.2 |
| 2014 | 393 | 112 | 36.5 |
| 2013 | 401 | 106 | 34.4 |
| 2012 | 458 | 98 | 30.4 |
| 2011 | 562 | 72 | 22.4 |
| 2010 | 531 | 75 | 23.4 |
| 2009 | 614 | 61 | 19.5 |
| 2008 | 580 | 65 | 20.6 |
| 2007 | 1102 | 26 | 8.5 |
| 2006 | 1052 | 26 | 8.7 |
| 2005 | 1343 | 17 | 5.9 |
| 2004 | 1252 | 18 | 6.3 |
| 2003 | 1383 | 15 | 5.4 |
| 2002 | 1784 | 10 | 3.7 |
| 2001 | 1617 | 11 | 4.1 |
| 2000 | 1475 | 12 | 4.4 |
| 1999 | 2444 | 6 | 2.1 |
| 1998 | 3142 | 4 | 1.4 |
| 1997 | 2738 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 1996 | 2683 | 5 | 1.7 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Milena in France since 1925 were born in or after 2009. First recorded in 1927. Her peak year there: 2016, at 49.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Milena per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2016 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Milena
1 in 606 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 3,725 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena. Same first letter as Milena.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Maryam.
1 in 2,222 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 2,236 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Milena.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Lili.
1 in 1,583 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Milena.
1 in 1,760 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Milena.
Middle names for Milena
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Milena Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials MC
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Milena Sophie
3-2 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Milena Grace
3-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Milena Olivia
3-4 beats · initials MO · Milena slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables. Milena slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Milena Ruby
3-2 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Milena Rose
3-1 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Milena Mia
3-2 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 173 in Northern Ireland
Milena Nora
3-2 beats · initials MN
Changes the beat after Milena: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
Same style as Milena
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,111 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 2,236 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 852 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 2,222 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
92% alike: moves with Milena across countries and decades.
Famous people named Milena
Milena Dravić, Milena Jesenská, Milena Miconi, Milena Pavlović-Barili, Milena Rudnytska, Milena of Montenegro, Milena Vukotic and Milena Canonero.
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Serbian actress (1940-2018)
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Czech journalist, writer, editor and translator (1896-1944)
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Italian actress and model (born 1971)
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Serbian artist and poet (1909-1945)
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Ukrainian women's rights activist, politician and writer (1892-1976)
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Queen consort of Montenegro 1847 to 1923
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Italian actress (born 1935)
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Italian costume designer born 1949
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Milena
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Milena?
Her best rank is No. 42 in Poland in 2025, about 1 in 143 girls. She is in the published lists of 21 of our 40 regions.
What does Milena mean?
Wiktionary glosses Milena as "dear, kind".
How do you pronounce Milena?
mih-LAY-nuh, with 3 syllables.
Is Milena getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 4 of 18 regions, falling in 5.
Which sister names go with Milena?
The deck's top five sisters for Milena: Zahra, Chiara, Mariam, Natalia and Lilia. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.