Last month, we discussed Milo. Today we turn our attention to his buttoned-down brother.
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Miles as Name of the Day.
For many parents, Miles strikes exactly the right note between unusual and familiar. He sounds smart, stylish and perfectly appropriate for a small child or a grown man. It is easy to see why Miles is catching on.
That’s the hitch – Miles is catching on. He might sound like an antique revival, but both Miles and variant Myles are currently at their most popular. In 2008, Miles came in at #167 while Myles charted at #266. Combined, he is about as popular as Patrick, Oliver or Oscar.
Miles’ meaning is debated. He could link to the Slavic element mil – gracious, the name Michael or an occupational surname for those in service.
Most often you’ll hear Miles connected to the Latin mil – solider. In theater of Ancient Rome, Miles Glorious was the standard name for any boastful soldier. Roman writer Plautus titled a play Miles Glorious circa 200 BC. Many centuries later, Stephen Sondheim borrowed the name for a character in 1962′s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
No one suggests that Miles shares origins with the Old English mil – the source of our word mile – but perhaps the shared sound lends Miles some of his adventurous spirit.
The name’s earliest use was probably in Greek myth. Myles was the son of Lelex, and inherited the throne of Laconia from his dad. His granddaughter, Sparta, is said to have inspired the name of the city.
The name first appears in English after the Norman invasion. It seems likely that the legendary Myles and the Norman Milo or Mile are not connected.
Famous bearers of the name include:
- Captain Myles Standish, the capable military adviser to Plymouth Colony;
- The first complete translation of the Bible into English was completed by Miles Coverdale in the sixteenth century;
- During World War II, Miles Browning was a highly decorated US Naval officer, remembered for his service during the Battle of Midway;
- More recently, jazz great Miles Davis – born Miles Dewey Davis III – is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and mentor to many other twentieth century musicians.
Today’s parents might also think of one of several fictional Miles, including:
- In Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel Tuck Everlasting, Miles is a member of the Tuck family, brother to Jesse;
- Macauley Culkin’s character from 1989 comedy Uncle Buck;
- Star Trek character Miles O’Brien, who claims descent from the High Kings of Ireland;
- Lost’s Miles Straume, introduced in the show’s fourth season. His name is said to be inspired by word maelstrom – a whirlpool;
- Paul Giamatti’s character, frustrated writer and wine snob from 2004 movie Sideways.
Miles is also worn as a surname, with even more possible origins attached, including use as an Anglicization of the Gaelic Mullery or Dutch Miels, among others.
Miles is really handsome, though I must admit, he does sound just a tad bit pretentious at times, still, a nice name….on someone else.
Miles is okay – I tend to prefer the spunkier sound alike, Milo. Since you mentioned two of our three contender names (Oliver and Oscar… the other was George), I thought I’d mention that our son, Oliver George, arrived yesterday and we finally put the name on the BC today.
Congratulations! What a handsome name!
Congratulations JNE! Wonderful name choice.
Congratulations! I’m so excited for you.
Congratulations!
Congratulations! Oliver George is such a handsome name.
Congratulations!! Handsome name for sure
Congrats!
Miles feels sloppy coming out of my mouth, if that makes any sense at all. It’s a nice name, and I like the way it looks. I prefer Milo though, it seems more lively.
It’s okay enough. It seems a bit drab with a slightly comical aspect to it but it would go down far better in NZ over Milo, that’s for certain.
Myles was the boyfriend of a close HS friend of mine. We used to call him MY-oothe because another girl we knew had a major lithp and that’s how she pronounced it. He was a big jerk. I can’t say I like the name at all! However, I appreciate the Y spelling. It distances the name from the word “miles”.
Congratulations JNE! Oliver George is such a handsome name.
I love Miles. We had it on our list for a while. It was my #2 boys’ names (right after Julius). We eventually took it off because my husband didn’t like it. (He preferred Milo, which I wasn’t as fond of, and after we argued the Miles/Milo thing for a while, the name kind of lost its lustre.)
Anyway, this one is definitely catching on in my area. A church friend of mine has said her next son will probably be called Miles William. (Her first son is Ethan.) And another woman from the same church just gave birth a few days ago to Miles Alexander. Her older daughter is called Piper. Piper and Miles… pretty cute, huh?
I LOVE Piper & have since I was a little girl. It’s such a spunky. I wouldn’t of minded being named Piper
I’ve always liked Miles, he’s a very easy going, summery day type of fellow to me. It wouldn’t have ever been an option for us though, as our last name begins with an S.
Sarah, me too! That “s” has ruled out many a name. My personal heartbreak is that I’ll never name a daughter Iris.
Well, at least I’m in good company, I love the name Iris too.
Milo is a form of milkshake powder where I live & Miles reminds me of ‘piles’ the medical symptom
I can get past both those things, though neither name is really my style or grabs me.
Ok, kill me already, but I think I was the only one not cringing about the name “Miley”, because I thought it was the feminine form of Miles (I wouldn´t be surprised if there started to be a wave of he-Mileys, or boys called Miles nicknamed “Miley”).
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