Fun Facts About the Name Milena
- More than 7 thousand babies named Milena: U.S. records list 7,746 babies given the name Milena from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Milena Mean?
Milena is a Slavic feminine name meaning "dear," "kind," or "gracious." It is built on the Slavic root mil-, from the Proto-Slavic adjective milъ, "dear, beloved," which also underlies Russian милый (mily, "dear, sweet") and Polish miły ("kind, nice"). The related noun milost means "mercy" or "grace," which is why the name is commonly rendered as "gracious." A feminine ending in -ena, common in Czech and other Slavic names, was added to the root. The looser translation "beloved" or "love" that sometimes appears is a poetic reading of the same root rather than a separate origin. Milena is not related to the Greek Melina or Melanie, which come from different Greek words.
Milena Name History & Origins
Milena belongs to a group of Slavic names formed on mil-, among them the male name Milan and the feminine names Milada, Milica, and Mila. In Czech and Slovak usage Milena stands as a name in its own right rather than only as a nickname. It is used in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia, and it also appears in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, and from there in Latin America.
The root mil- is old and widespread in Slavic: Old Church Slavonic uses milъ for "dear." Czech and Slovak calendars, which assign a name day to most given names, include Milena. In the twentieth century the name reached a wider international audience through Milena Jesenská (1896 - 1944), a Czech journalist, translator, and resistance member whose correspondence with Franz Kafka was published after her death as Letters to Milena. That is the name of a real person appearing in a famous book, not a name created for literature.
How Popular is the Name Milena?
Milena recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Its best rank was #678 in 2019.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #950 | 271 | 0.0169% |
| 2024 | #786 | 358 | 0.0222% |
| 2023 | #701 | 409 | 0.0255% |
| 2022 | #773 | 368 | 0.0225% |
| 2021 | #810 | 345 | 0.0210% |
| 2020 | #827 | 330 | 0.0204% |
| 2019 | #678 | 428 | 0.0255% |
| 2018 | #805 | 338 | 0.0199% |
| 2017 | #837 | 325 | 0.0188% |
| 2016 | #704 | 407 | 0.0230% |
| 2015 | #758 | 372 | 0.0208% |
| 2014 | #797 | 353 | 0.0198% |
| 2013 | #843 | 311 | 0.0177% |
| 2012 | #971 | 262 | 0.0149% |
| 2011 | #1,074 | 230 | 0.0131% |
| 2010 | #1,251 | 192 | 0.0108% |
| 2009 | #1,312 | 185 | 0.0101% |
| 2008 | #1,502 | 156 | 0.0083% |
| 2007 | #1,307 | 187 | 0.0097% |
| 2006 | #1,476 | 150 | 0.0079% |
| 2005 | #1,629 | 124 | 0.0067% |
| 2004 | #1,599 | 123 | 0.0067% |
| 2003 | #1,839 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 2002 | #1,961 | 90 | 0.0050% |
| 2001 | #1,531 | 122 | 0.0068% |
| 2000 | #1,586 | 112 | 0.0062% |
| 1999 | #2,298 | 65 | 0.0037% |
| 1998 | #2,233 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 1997 | #2,685 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 1996 | #2,581 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1995 | #2,769 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1994 | #2,785 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1993 | #2,865 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 1992 | #3,074 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1991 | #2,972 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #4,079 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1989 | #4,986 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #3,654 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #4,080 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #3,724 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1985 | #3,058 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1984 | #3,681 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1983 | #3,504 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1982 | #2,682 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 1981 | #3,953 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1980 | #3,801 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1979 | #3,624 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #4,386 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #3,137 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1976 | #3,061 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1975 | #3,718 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1974 | #3,178 | 22 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #2,544 | 29 | 0.0020% |
| 1972 | #2,206 | 35 | 0.0023% |
| 1971 | #3,029 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1970 | #3,669 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1969 | #3,413 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1968 | #4,150 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #3,598 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1966 | #5,137 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #4,120 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #3,827 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1963 | #4,446 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,665 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,903 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #6,721 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1957 | #5,224 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #5,749 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #5,001 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1952 | #5,350 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #2,602 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1946 | #3,372 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1924 | #4,861 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #5,349 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Milena Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Milena's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Milena's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.