The name Mila is derived from the Slavic element milŭ, meaning "gracious" or "dear." Though common on its own, Mila can also be a shortened form or nickname of Emilia, Milena, Ludmila, Camila or other names ending or starting with -mila. It first appeared in the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 for girl names in 2006 and was a top-200 girl's name by 2011. Mila has now been inside the top-50 every year since 2016 and peaked in 2018 when it ranked 14th in the nation. It's also the name soccer player Jack Grealish gave his daughter Mila Rose, born in 2024, and the nickname "Today" host Jenna Bush Hager gave her daughter Margaret Laura.
