Meaning of the nameMilena
Milena is a female name linked to the Slavic element milŭ, 'dear, gracious', and also explained as a hypocorism of Maria Elena.
Meaning
“dear, gracious (from the Slavic element milŭ)”
Source: Behind the Name: Milena · Behind the Name: Milan · Wiktionary: Milena
- People (2022)
- 199,909
- Rank in Brazil
- #163
- Median age
- 19 years
- 2010 Census
- 159,042
- people
Milena in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Milena, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 2000s (61,418 people).
198,919 women 990 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Milena is most common
States with the highest share of people named Milena in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Rio de Janeiro 0.127%
- Paraná 0.123%
- Bahia 0.122%
- Sergipe 0.118%
- Espírito Santo 0.116%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 43,536 | 0.098% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 20,436 | 0.127% |
| Bahia | 17,270 | 0.122% |
| Minas Gerais | 15,411 | 0.075% |
| Paraná | 14,054 | 0.123% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 11,200 | 0.103% |
| Pernambuco | 8,587 | 0.095% |
| Santa Catarina | 8,057 | 0.106% |
| Pará | 7,386 | 0.091% |
| Maranhão | 6,380 | 0.094% |
| Ceará | 6,192 | 0.070% |
| Goiás | 6,150 | 0.087% |
| Espírito Santo | 4,440 | 0.116% |
| Amazonas | 3,693 | 0.094% |
| Mato Grosso | 3,533 | 0.097% |
| Paraíba | 3,443 | 0.087% |
| Alagoas | 2,995 | 0.096% |
| Distrito Federal | 2,845 | 0.101% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 2,692 | 0.098% |
| Sergipe | 2,607 | 0.118% |
| Piauí | 2,419 | 0.074% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 2,282 | 0.069% |
| Tocantins | 1,639 | 0.108% |
| Rondônia | 1,007 | 0.064% |
| Acre | 613 | 0.074% |
| Amapá | 542 | 0.074% |
| Roraima | 500 | 0.079% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Milena
There are two explanations for Milena. Behind the Name gives it as the feminine form of Milan, a name built on the Slavic element milŭ, 'gracious, dear', and Wiktionary (English entry) traces it to Proto-Slavic *mìlъ, 'dear, kind'. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil, citing Machado (1981), gives it as coming from French Milène or Italian Milena, a hypocorism of Maria Elena or Maria Madalena, and Behind the Name also records that in Italy the name can be read as a combination of Maria and Elena. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 199,909 people named Milena, almost always women, with a median age of 19; proportionally, the name is most common in Rio de Janeiro.
This is the traditional spelling, with I and a single L, and the most recorded in the group; it has the most records among women born in the 2000s.
Other spellings of Milena
Sources
- Behind the Name: Milena · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: Milan · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Milena · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Milena · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · origin
Questions about the name Milena
What does the name Milena mean?
Milena means “dear, gracious (from the Slavic element milŭ)”, according to Behind the Name and Wiktionary.
How many people are named Milena in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 199,909 people with the first name Milena, which ranks it number 163 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 2000s.
Is Milena a boy's or a girl's name?
Milena is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 198,919 women and 990 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Milena?
Milena is a name of Slavic, Italian and French origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Milena most common?
Proportionally, in Rio de Janeiro: 0.127% of the state's population is named Milena (20,436 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Milena?
Millena, Mylena and Myllena. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
Names that also mean kindness
See allMore names of Slavic origin
See all- Vera♀Faith, in Russian336,367 people
- Sônia♀Russian diminutive form of Sofia, 'wisdom'323,710 people
- Lara♀Russian short form of Larisa, a name possibly taken from the Greek…281,125 people
- Vânia♀Russian diminutive of Ivan, a form of João ('God is gracious')124,864 people
- Nádia♀Hope46,845 people
- Tamara♀Form of Tamar, 'date palm'44,519 people
- Ivanete♀Ivan ('Yahweh is gracious') with the diminutive suffix -ete40,303 people
- Olga♀Form of Helga, 'holy'37,461 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Milena with a source. See the methodology.