← All names

Milly

Girl name · 422 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Milly: 422 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 39 births in 2009.

Milly began life as a cheerful nickname, typically a short form of Millicent (from the Old German *Amalasuintha*, meaning “strong in work”) or Camilla (Latin for “attendant” or “priestess”), and sometimes of Emily. The name gained independent popularity in the 20th century, helped along by famously sunny bearers such as Australian actress Milly Alcock, star of *House of the Dragon*, and Milly Shapiro, the Broadway and film actor from *Hereditary*. There is no major place directly named after a Milly, but the root “Amal-” appears in the name of the Amalienborg palace in Copenhagen. A charming note: Milly’s buoyant sound made it a favourite for fictional characters, from the plucky Milly-Molly-Mandy to the chic Milly the Model in Victorian comics, giving the name a timeless, approachable warmth that still feels fresh today.