Milan

Did you know?

A few things about Milan you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Milan

Milan Kundera

Franco-Czechoslovak poet and novelist (1929—2023)

Choose Milan and your child shares a first name with Milan Kundera, a Franco-Czechoslovak poet and novelist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Milan, like who?” Milan Kundera's Wikipedia article is available in 115 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Milan Kundera on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Elisa Cabot, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,205 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Milan, 1,418 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Milan would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMilan first shows up in US birth records in 1885, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 140 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2023, when it reached #230.
• 📈Then vs nowMilan is 14× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 16,920 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,205.
• 🚀TrendMilan has climbed 189 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #242. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedMilan is most popular in Florida, where it ranks #73, followed by Rhode Island (#155) and New Jersey (#169). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlMilan is given to both boys and girls: 80% of the 1,780 babies named Milan in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Slavic, Milan means “gracious, dear”.

About the name Milan

Milan is a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “gracious, dear”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-lan”. US birth records list Milan for boys from 1885 to 2025, in 122 of those 141 years. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked #230 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #242, with 1,418 babies. Of the 1,780 US babies named Milan in 2025, 20% were girls and 80% were boys.

Origin:English names