Miles
Boy name · English · Gaelic · German · Greek · Latin · Russian
Meaningpossibly gracious · Germanic
- US rank
- #44
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #37 in 2024
6,072 babies were named Miles in the US in 2025. It has climbed 15 places in five years.
Nicknames & spellings
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1927–2025
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Miles you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Miles
Miles Davis
American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)
Choose Miles and your child shares a first name with Miles Davis, an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Miles, like who?” Miles Davis's Wikipedia article is available in 99 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Miles Davis on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Tom Palumbo from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 281 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Miles, 6,072 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Miles.
- HistoryMiles has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Miless, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 2024, when it reached #37.
- Then vs nowMiles is 5.3× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,505 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 281.
- Where it's lovedMiles is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #11, followed by Montana (#12) and Nebraska (#13). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Germanic, Miles means “possibly gracious”. Our records link it to English, Gaelic and German roots.
- OriginMiles is the #3 most popular Gaelic boy name in the US. That's out of 297 Gaelic boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Miles
Miles is a boy name of English, Gaelic and German origin meaning “possibly gracious”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-les”. US birth records list Miles for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked #37 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #44, with 6,072 babies.
Origin:English namesGaelic namesGerman namesGreek namesLatin namesRussian names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 2.2 | 447,761 girls |
| 1970s | 0.3 | 2,941,176 girls |
| 1980s | 1.9 | 537,634 girls |
| 1990s | 1.2 | 833,333 girls |
| 2000s | 3.0 | 328,947 girls |
| 2010s | 7.6 | 131,406 girls |
| 2020s | 10 | 96,308 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 382 | 2,617 boys |
| 1890s | 388 | 2,577 boys |
| 1900s | 307 | 3,254 boys |
| 1910s | 236 | 4,240 boys |
| 1920s | 212 | 4,714 boys |
| 1930s | 157 | 6,365 boys |
| 1940s | 132 | 7,567 boys |
| 1950s | 157 | 6,351 boys |
| 1960s | 146 | 6,863 boys |
| 1970s | 136 | 7,368 boys |
| 1980s | 304 | 3,294 boys |
| 1990s | 504 | 1,985 boys |
| 2000s | 889 | 1,125 boys |
| 2010s | 1,952 | 512 boys |
| 2020s | 3,466 | 289 boys |
Other spellings of Miles
More English boy names
- Boy name: Oliver · olive tree
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
Questions about the name Miles
What does the name Miles mean?
Miles means “possibly gracious” in Germanic.
What is the origin of the name Miles?
Miles has English, Gaelic, German, Greek, Latin, Russian roots in our records. Other English names include Oliver, Henry, James.
Is Miles a boy or girl name?
Miles is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Miles?
Miles ranked #44 for US boys in 2025, given to 6,072 babies. Its best year was 2024 (#37).