Updated May 24, 2023

Table of contents

Find Baby Names

Boy name origins & meanings

  • English : Merciful
  • German : A soldier
  • Irish : Servant

What does Miles mean and stand for?

The name Miles is of German and Irish origin and means "soldier or servant". It is also of English origin and means "merciful". It derives from the German name Milo, and was brought to England by the Normans.

Syllables: 1

Boy name variations

Myles

Myles

+ 6% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Milan

Milan

+ 15% this year
Neutral
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Milah

Milah

- 19% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Mila

Mila

+ 2% this year
Neutral
Common
READ MORE DETAILS

How Popular Is The Name Miles

Family name origins & meanings

  • English (of Norman origin) : via Old French from the Germanic personal name Milo, of unknown etymology. The name was introduced to England by the Normans in the form Miles (oblique case Milon). In English documents of the Middle Ages the name sometimes appears in the Latinized form Milo (genitive Milonis), although the normal Middle English form was Mile, so the final -s must usually represent the possessive ending, i.e. ‘son or servant of Mile’.
  • English : patronymic from the medieval personal name Mihel, an Old French contracted form of Michael.
  • English : occupational name for a servant or retainer, from Latin miles ‘soldier’, sometimes used as a technical term in this sense in medieval documents.
  • Irish (County Mayo) : when not the same as 1 or 3, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maolmhuire, Myles being used as the English equivalent of the Gaelic personal name Maol Muire (see Mullery).
  • Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) : unexplained.
  • Dutch : variant of Miels, a variant of Miele 3.
  • John Miles or Myles (c.1621–83), born probably in Herefordshire, England, was a pioneer American Baptist minister who emigrated to New England in 1662 and had a pastorate in Swansea, MA. Many of his descendants spell their name Myles.

Famous people who gave their babies this name

POpularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Miles has only recently become popular, making quite the jump in ranks after breaking the top 100 in 2018. Each year, Miles continues to increase, ranking 59 in 2020. Its brother spelling, Myles, is also rapidly increasing in popularity, but has not yet caught up.

However, it is the 13th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Isabella was at its peak popularity in July 2016.

Miles was the first person to translate The Bible into English. The great jazz musician Miles Davis is another popular namesake. Elisabeth Shue, Mayim Bialik, Larenz Tate, Joan Cusack and Lionel Ritchie have all chosen the name for their children. Miles has also been a popular name in literature, appearing in Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, and Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance.

Where is it Popular?

Miles was searched for most often in the following states:

Nicknames for Miles

  • Mi
  • Milo
  • Smiles

Pairs well with these middle names

 

 

People who like this name also like

 

Meaning and Origin of Miles