Miles

Meaning of Miles

Miles is the English form of Milo, a name of Germanic origin, and it is identical in spelling to the Latin word miles, meaning “soldier.” Name dictionaries do not agree on which of these is the true source: some trace the name directly to the Latin word, while others explain it as a Norman French rendering of the older Germanic Milo. The usual stated meaning is “soldier,” but the etymology is not settled. The spelling Myles is a long-standing alternative.

The name is pronounced MYLZ, with a long i, so that it rhymes with smiles. American and British English pronounce it the same way.

Its best-known bearer is the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, whose recordings from the 1950s onward made him one of the most influential figures in modern music. Miles Standish, the military adviser to the Plymouth Colony, accounts for much of the name’s early American history, and the actor Miles Teller is a prominent contemporary namesake.

Miles has been recorded in American use since at least 1880, but its recent rise is steep. It ranked 257th in 2000, entered the top 50 for the first time in 2023, and stood at 44th in 2025, when 6,072 boys received the name. Its highest rank to date came a year earlier, at 37th.

Pronunciation

English

• Pronunced as mylz (/maɪlz/)

• Myles
• Milo
• Micah
• Niles
• Miller
• Millard