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Milly as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Milly

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The baby name Milly is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MIL-ee (IPA: /ˈmɪli/).

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: MIL-ee (IPA: /ˈmɪli/)

What is the meaning of the name Milly ?

The baby name Milly is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MIL-ee (IPA: /ˈmɪli/).

Milly is in Origin.

Pronounced MIL-ee, Milly is an English nickname-turned-given name. It developed as a pet form of several names: Mildred (Old English milde “gentle” + thryth “strength”), Millicent (via Old French Melisende from Germanic amal “work, industrious” + swinth “strength”), and, by extension, Camilla (Latin camillus “acolyte”), Emilia/Emily (from Aemilia “rival”), and Amelia (from Germanic amal “work”). Consequently, its meanings range from “gentle strength” to “industrious” or “rival,” depending on the source name.

Used in Britain since the 18th–19th centuries as a cozy household diminutive, Milly began standing alone more often in the late 20th century. The spelling Millie now ranks higher in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, while Milly remains the sleeker variant; it’s rarer in North America. Literary bearers include Milly Theale (Henry James) and Milly Bloom (James Joyce). Variants: Millie, Milli, Mili; formal counterparts: Mildred, Millicent, Camilla, Emilia, Amelia, Emily.

Milly has the following similar or variant Names

Milly – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2022 #1 — 935
FJ 0 #6 1 374
FJ Girls 0 #7 3 583
BI Girls 0 #32 2 726
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
PR 0 #53 3 1,497
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
TW 0 #98 6 4,523
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
PR Girls 0 #111 52 3,171
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
BW Girls 0 #123 26 4,216
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
RS Girls 0 #136 2 1,651
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
Sweden Girls 2022 #140 40 1,568
BW Boys 0 #140 10 4,685
MT Girls 0 #149 5 3,773
LU Girls 0 #163 23 4,850
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
SI Girls 0 #175 3 2,769
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
NA Girls 0 #208 17 7,146
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
GR Girls 0 #233 10 6,293
MO Girls 0 #233 19 7,056
TW Girls 0 #242 35 8,139
GH 0 #243 6 5,396
JP Girls 0 #243 9 6,592
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
NA Boys 0 #250 4 6,830
EC Girls 0 #254 5 3,650
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
JM Girls 0 #270 9 7,507
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
Canada Girls 2024 #281 5 2,795
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
SG 0 #281 2 11,010
CN Girls 0 #285 65 8,829
GH Girls 0 #291 34 6,973
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
PE 0 #300 11 6,350
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
DK Girls 0 #325 5 7,429
CZ Girls 0 #329 13 5,378
KZ Girls 0 #329 4 5,862
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
BR 0 #333 13 5,969
HK 0 #334 15 8,483
GT 0 #335 4 5,948
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
QA Girls 0 #336 8 15,378
MU Girls 0 #339 13 8,539
MY 0 #350 5 12,352
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
GH Boys 0 #357 5 8,138
OM Girls 0 #359 38 15,987
NL 0 #376 16 2,481
France Girls 2021 #394 12 3,185
BD Girls 0 #400 7 8,413
MX 0 #402 12 8,339
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
ZA 0 #421 27 14,421
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
CL 0 #431 4 6,867
PA Girls 0 #445 37 9,861
GT Girls 0 #451 55 7,500
PT Girls 0 #466 6 7,952
CO 0 #469 12 7,768
RU Girls 0 #479 20 11,913
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
IT Girls 0 #485 1,955 9,415
UY Girls 0 #498 13 6,731
HK Girls 0 #499 117 16,104
CR Girls 0 #502 31 11,342
KW Girls 0 #503 13 19,177
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
CM Girls 0 #514 27 11,671
IR Girls 0 #516 15 8,334
IQ Girls 0 #521 5 11,303
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
AE Girls 0 #529 25 20,968
PS Girls 0 #541 7 10,981
BH 0 #544 10 17,937
ZA Girls 0 #546 827 25,928
SG Girls 0 #554 33 18,916
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
BR Girls 0 #569 436 12,708
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
AR Girls 0 #585 15 8,289
BO Girls 0 #598 14 9,488
IL Girls 0 #599 19 11,648
IT 0 #606 109 4,183
IN Girls 0 #621 11 13,121
LB 0 #688 3 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #696 2 13,071
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
Finland Girls 2026 #729 10 3,895
PE Girls 0 #736 211 14,861
SG Boys 0 #736 4 17,960
NG Girls 0 #737 50 15,093
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
CL Girls 0 #755 97 14,098
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
NL Girls 0 #770 186 5,933
BR Boys 0 #779 7 12,213
United States Girls 2024 #805 112 8,487
Germany Girls 0 #805 34 4,949
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
SA Girls 0 #884 52 25,931
MY Girls 0 #911 84 24,821
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
NG Boys 0 #924 28 16,906
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
CO Girls 0 #938 141 16,140
Spain Girls 0 #947 37 5,561
CO Boys 0 #980 2 15,656
EG Girls 0 #1,003 7 14,742
MX Girls 0 #1,012 172 17,781
MX Boys 0 #1,030 4 16,355
DZ 0 #1,109 68 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,110 69 25,619
AE Boys 0 #1,142 2 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,178 5 25,439
MA 0 #1,192 8 20,986
TR 0 #1,199 13 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,431 41 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,605 10 28,008

Milly is popular in 81 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Scotland, United Kingdom
United States
Ireland
Switzerland

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People also ask about Milly

Milly is predominantly a girl's name.
Milly is a 2 syllable name, pronounced MIL-ee (IPA: /ˈmɪli/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Millie, Milli, Mili, Milley and Millye.
Yes, very popular — Milly ranked #1 in Ireland in 2022, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Milly ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2022).
Milly's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2012 to #1 in 2022 in Ireland.