Milan

/ˈmɪ.lan/

The name Milan comes from the Slavic root mil, meaning “gracious,” “dear,” or “beloved,” with the masculine suffix -an.

US Rank

No. 231

Births

1,552

Peak Year

2023

The name therefore conveys the sense of “dear one” or “beloved.” The same root produces a large family of Slavic names, including Miloslav, Milena, Miro, and Bogumil.

The Proto-Slavic root *milÑ also underlies modern Czech and Polish words for “nice” and “dear.”

What the name Milan means

Milan has been in continuous use across Central and Southeastern Europe for over a thousand years.

Serbian and Bulgarian royal and noble families bore the name through the medieval period, including Milan Obrenović I (1854-1901), prince and later first king of modern Serbia, who ruled from 1868 to 1889.

Czech and Slovak writers, composers, and political leaders have used it consistently since the national revival movements of the 19th century.

The name shares its sound with the Italian city of Milan, although the 2 are etymologically unrelated.

The city name derives from the Latin Mediolanum, meaning “middle of the plain.” Despite the false cognate, the resonance with the fashion capital has subtly supported the name’s recent international spread, particularly in the United States.

In the United States, Milan entered the Social Security Administration top 1000 for boys in 2004 and has climbed rapidly since then, reaching inside the top 400 by 2020.

The rise coincided with Shakira and Gerard Pique’s decision to name their first son Milan in 2013, which gave the name global celebrity visibility. The name is also used for girls in the United States, though masculine usage predominates.

Contemporary bearers include Czech novelist Milan Kundera (1929-2023), author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Serbian footballer Milan Jovanović, and Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira.