Milan

♂ Boy

Pronounced mih-LAN /mɪˈlæn/High

Meaning: Gracious; dear; beloved; from Slavic mil (grace, favor, dear)High

In 30 seconds: A Slavic name meaning 'gracious' or 'dear,' also the name of Italy's famous fashion capital. A rising unisex name in the United States with strong pan-cultural associations.

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Origin HighSlavic

MeaningGracious; dear; beloved; from Slavic mil (grace, favor, dear)

U.S. rank (2025)#242 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births1,418 boys (0.08% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2024

Total births (all-time)≈ 18,598

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Milan as a given name comes from the South Slavic and Czech/Slovak name Milan, derived from the Slavic element mil ('grace, favor, dear, gracious'). It has been a popular male given name in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, and other Slavic countries. The coincidence with the famous Italian city gives the name additional glamour.

Milan began appearing on U.S. birth records in the 2000s, increasingly for both boys and girls. It received a celebrity boost when Shakira and Gerard Piqué named their son Milan Piqué Mebarak in 2013. It is now a top-300 name in the United States, used for both sexes but slightly more for boys.

Did you know? Milan, Italy (Italian: Milano), is named from the Celtic Mediolanum ('place in the middle of the plain') — a completely different etymology from the Slavic personal name Milan.

Variations

MilánMílan

Nicknames

MilMilo

Famous Bearers

★Milan Kundera (1929–2023)
Czech-French novelist, author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
★Milan Piqué Mebarak (b. 2013)
Son of Shakira and Gerard Piqué, whose birth helped boost the name in the U.S.

If you like Milan…

Luca— Italian-Slavic origin name with the same Continental sophistication

Leo— short, classic international name with the same warm Latin feel

Nico— crisp two-syllable European name with the same cosmopolitan edge

Mylan— a similarly popular pick

Ivaan— shares Milan's Slavic roots

Explore names like Milan

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Milan mean?

Milan means 'gracious' or 'dear, beloved,' from the Slavic element mil. It is unrelated to the Italian city of the same name.

How do you pronounce Milan?

The given name Milan is pronounced mih-LAN (/mɪˈlæn/) — two syllables with stress on the second.

Is Milan a boy or girl name?

Milan is used for both boys and girls, but is listed here as a boy's name per the input. It is also a top girls' name in the U.S.

How popular is Milan?

Milan has been rising in the U.S. since the 2010s and is now a top-300 name for both sexes.