Milan (

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

: Милан) is a common Slavic male name and less commonly, a Roman name. It is derived from the Slavic element ''mil'', with meanings kind, loving, and gracious. Milan was originally a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

for those whose

Slavic names Given names originating from the Slavic languages are most common in Slavic peoples, Slavic countries. The main types of Slavic names: * Two-base names, often ending in mir/měr (''Ostromir/měr'', ''Tihomir/měr'', ''Niemir, Němir/měr''), * ...

began with "Mil-". It is found in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia,

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, Croatia,

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, Slovenia,

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

, Bulgaria, Poland, and Hungary. It was in the top 5 names for boys born in Serbia in 2012. It was in the top 20 names for boys born in Slovakia in 2004. It was the eighth most popular name for boys born in the Netherlands in 2007, and seventh in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

in 2009. In Persian, Milan is also a given name, meaning "desire."

Eastern European origin and use

It originates from the

Old Slavic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic subgroup of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-Europea ...

word ''mil'', variant: ''mio'', i.e. "beloved", "pleasant", "dear" which is common at the beginning of many Slavic names. This is the same root in

Serbian names This article features the naming culture of personal names of ethnic Serbs and the Serbian language. Serbian names are rendered in the "Western name order" with the surname placed after the given name. "Eastern name order" may be used when mult ...

Miloslav Miloslav is a Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mil-'', "merciful" or "dear", and ''-slav'' ''glory''. Name variants * feminine form: Miloslava * diminutive form: Miloš * Polish: Miłosław/Miłosława * Czech fe ...

Milomir Milomir (, , sr-cyr, Миломир) is a Slavic masculine given name, a Slavic name derived from ''milo'' "love, to like" and ''mir'' "world, peace, prestige". It may refer to: * Milomir Kovac, Serbian-German veterinary surgeon * Milomir Marić ...

, Milica,

Milka Milka is a Swiss brand of chocolate confectionery. Originally made in Switzerland in 1901 by Chocolat Suchard, Suchard, it has been produced in Lörrach, Germany, from 1901. Since 2012 it has been owned by US-based company Mondelez International, ...

Miloš Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a mainly male Slavic given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, ...

Milutin Milutin () is a Serbian masculine given name of Slavic origin. The name may refer to: *Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (1253–1321), king of Serbia * Milutin Bojić (1892–1917), poet * Milutin Ivković (1906–1943), footballer *Milutin Milan ...

Miodrag Miodrag ( sr-Cyrl, Миодраг) is a South Slavic, for all purposes almost exclusively Serbian, masculine given name, derived from ''mio'' ("tender, cute") and '' drag'' ("dear, precious"), both common in Slavonic dithematic names. Notable p ...

Miomir Miomir ( sr-cyr, Миомир) is a Serbo-Croatian masculine given name of Slavic origin. Notable people with the name include: * Miomir Mugoša (born 1955), Montenegrin politician * Miomir Vukobratović (1931–2012), Serbian inventor * Miomir � ...

etc. most of which were first recorded in Serbian sources already in the pre- Nemanjić Age. According to the Czech calendar Milan's Day is on 18 June, Slovenian calendar: 11 September, 11 October, 12 November, Croatian calendar: 13 November, Slovak calendar: 27 November, Hungary: 19 May

Roman name

Milan is also a name used in

Romance-speaking Europe There are over 250 languages indigenous to Europe, and most belong to the Indo-European language family. Out of a demographics of Europe, total European population of 744 million as of 2018, some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European lang ...

owing to its

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

meaning of "eager and laborious". The people named like that are named after the Italian city by that name.

Other versions

Men's versions of the name: Milanek (diminutive), Miladin, Milad, Milanko, Milče, Milček, Milči, Milčo, Milušo,

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

, Milen, Milenko, Miletus, Mili, Milivoj, Milibor, Milidrag, Miligoj, Milija, Milijan, Milinko, Milislav, Milivoj, Milivoje, Milk, Milivojko, Miljan, Miljenko, Miljutin, Milko, Milodrag, Milogoj, Miloje, Milojko, Miloljub, Milomir, Milorad, Miloslav,

, Miłosz, Bogumił, Milovan, Milun, Milutin, Miňo, Mišo
Female versions of the name: , Milanka,

Milena Milena may refer to: * ''Milena'' (skipper), a genus of skippers in the family Hesperiidae * Milena, Sicily, a ''comune'' in the Province of Caltanissetta, Italy * Milena (given name), a popular female Slavic name * ''Milena'' (film), a 1991 ...

, Milica, Milijana, Miljanka, Milinka, Milislava, Milivoje, Milivojka, Mila, Miljana, Miljanka, Milka, Milojka, Milodraga, Milomirka, Milorad, Milosav, Milosavka, Miloslavka, Miloška, Milovana, Milovanka, Milunka

Family names derived from names

From the name of Milan and its variants a number of surnames were created. The most famous are: Milanović, Milanovac, Milanković, Miłosław, Milanić, Milač, Milavec, Miletić, Milić, Miljković, and others.

People

Czechs and Slovaks

Milan Baroš Milan Baroš (; born 28 October 1981) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. In 2005, he was part of the Liverpool team which won the UEFA Champions League. He went on to win Ligue 1 with Lyon in 2007, the FA Cup w ...

(born 1981), Czech footballer *

Milan Ftáčnik Milan Ftáčnik (30 October 1956 – 13 May 2021) was a Slovak politician, Minister of Education of the Slovak Republic from 1998 to 2002 and Mayor of Bratislava from 2010 to 2014. Prior to this he was also Mayor of Petržalka from 2006 to 20 ...

(1956–2021), Slovak politician * Milan Havel (born 1994), Czech footballer *

Milan Hejduk Milan Hejduk (; born February 14, 1976) is a Czech–American former professional ice hockey forward. Nicknamed "the Duke", he spent his entire 14-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Colorado Avalanche and retired holding the recor ...

(born 1976), Czech ice hockey player *

Milan Hodža Milan Hodža (1 February 1878 – 27 June 1944) was a Slovak politician and journalist, serving from 1935 to 1938 as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. As a proponent of regional integration, he was known for his attempts to establish a demo ...

(1878–1944), Slovak politician, Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia * Milan Karlíček (born 1981), Czech ice hockey player * Milan Karvaš (1932–2024), Slovak chemist *

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

(1929–2023), Czech writer *

Milan Máčala Milan Máčala (born 4 August 1943) is a Czech football coach who coached various clubs in the Czech Republic and the Middle East. He has previously coached in the area with the national teams of Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwai ...

(born 1943), Czech football coach *

Milan Machovec Milan Machovec (23 August 1925 – 15 January 2003) was a Czech philosopher. He lectured at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, Charles University in Prague in 1950–1970, in the first half of the Czechoslovak communist era. Machovec is ...

(1925–2003), Czech philosopher *

Milan Michálek Milan Michálek (; ; born 7 December 1984) is a Czech former professional ice hockey left winger who most recently played under contract to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted sixth overall by the San Jose ...

(born 1984), Czech ice hockey player * Milan Rúfus (1928–2009), Slovak poet *

Milan Šašik Milan Šašik, CM (17 September 1952 – 14 July 2020) was a Ruthenian Catholic hierarch from Slovakia who served as Bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo from 2010 until his death in 2020. Biography He was born on 17 September 1952 in Lehota, ...

(1952–2020), Slovak bishop *

Milan Škriniar Milan Škriniar (born 11 February 1995) is a Slovak professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain FC, Paris Saint-Germain and Captain (association football), captains the Slovakia na ...

(born 1995), Slovak footballer *

Milan Rastislav Štefánik Milan Rastislav Štefánik (; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. ...

(1880–1917), Slovak politician and astronomer *

Milan Šufflay Milan Šufflay (8 November 1879 – 19 February 1931) was a Croatian historian and politician. He was one of the founders of Albanology and the author of the first Croatian science fiction novel. As a Croatian nationalist, he was persecuted in ...

(1879–1931), Croatian historian and politician * Milan Urbáni (1944–2024), Slovak politician * Milan Vaclavik (1928–2007), Slovak military general and defense minister

South Slavs

Milan I of Serbia Milan Obrenović IV ( sr-cyr, Милан Обреновић, Milan Obrenović; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901) reigned as the Prince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, when he became King of Serbia, a title he held until his abdica ...

(1854–1901), Prince of Serbia and later King of Serbia *

Milan Aleksić Milan Aleksić ( sr-cyr, Милан Алексић; born 13 May 1986) is a Serbian water polo center back who plays for Partizan and the Serbia men's national water polo team. He is a 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion and a 2012 Olympic bronze me ...

(born 1986), Serbian water polo player * Milan Balažic (born 1958), Slovene politician and diplomat * Milan Biševac (born 1983), Serbian footballer *

Milan Begović Milan Begović (; January 19, 1876 – May 13, 1948) was a Croatian novelist, playwright, translator, and lyricist. Biography Begović was born in Vrlika, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1876, the so ...

(1876–1948), Croatian writer *

Milan Jovanović (strongman) Milan Jovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Јовановић; born February 5, 1970) is a former WPA and GPC world powerlifting champion and a strongman competitor. He is sometimes known by the nickname Ribcracker. He is also a writer and blogger. Sp ...

(born 1970), Serbian powerlifter *

Milan Jovanović (footballer, born 1981) Milan Jovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Јовановић; born 18 April 1981) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a forward or winger. He began his career with FK Vojvodina and had brief spells at Shakhtar Donetsk ...

, Serbian footballer *

Milan Jovanović (footballer, born July 1983) Milan Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Јовановић, ; born 21 July 1983), also known locally as ''Mrva'', is a Montenegro, Montenegrin retired Association football, footballer. In international competition he has represented Monte ...

, Montenegrin footballer * Milan Jovanović (footballer, born October 1983), Serbian footballer * Milan Jovanović (handballer) (born 1998), Serbian handball player * Milan Kangrga (1923–2008), Croatian philosopher * Milan Komar (1921–2006), Slovene-Argentine philosopher *

Milan Kučan Milan Kučan (; born 14 January 1941) is a Slovenian former politician who served as the first President of Slovenia from 1991 to 2002. Before being president of Slovenia, he was the 13th President of Slovenia#Socialist Republic of Slovenia, Pres ...

(born 1941), President of Slovenia *

Milan Mačvan Milan Mačvan (; born 16 November 1989) is a Serbian politician and former professional basketball player serving as the deputy mayor of Šabac since 19 January 2024. Standing at , he played at the power forward position. He also represented the ...

(born 1989), Serbian basketball player *

Milan Mladenović Milan Mladenović ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Младеновић; 21 September 1958 – 5 November 1994) was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as the frontman of the Yugoslav art rock band Ekatarina Velika. Early life Born to Serb father S ...

(1958–1994), Serbian musician *

Milan Nedić Milan Nedić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Недић; 2 September 1878 – 4 February 1946) was a Yugoslav and Serbian army general and politician who served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and minister of war in the ...

(1878–1946), Prime Minister of Nazi-occupied Serbia * Milan Obrenović II (1819–1839), Prince of Serbia * Milan Pogačnik (born 1946), Slovenian politician *

Milan Rapaić Milan Rapaić (born 16 August 1973) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He primary played as an attacking midfielder or winger. International career He made his debut for Croatia in an April 1994 friendly ma ...

(born 1973), Croatian footballer *

Milan Rešetar Milan Rešetar (February 1, 1860 – January 14, 1942) was a linguist, historian and literary critic from Dubrovnik. Biography Rešetar was born in Dubrovnik. After the gymnasium in Dubrovnik, he studied classical philology and Slavic languages ...

(1860–1942), Serbian linguist and historian *

Milan Ristovski Milan Ristovski ( Macedonian: Милан Ристовски; born 8 April 1998) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bohemians 1905. Club career Ristovski began his career with his hometown club Rabotnički Skopj ...

(born 1998), Macedonian footballer *

Milan Stanković Milan Stanković ( sr-cyrl, Милан Станковић; born 9 September 1987) is a Serbian singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a finalist on '' Zvezde Granda'' in 2007. Moreover, Stanković acquired wider fame by representing Serbia ...

(born 1987), Serbian singer *

Milan Vidmar Milan Vidmar (; 22 June 1885 – 9 October 1962) was a Slovenian electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist, and writer. He was among the top dozen chess players in the world from 1910 to 1930 and in 1950, was among the inaugural recip ...

(1885–1962), Slovene engineer, chess player and philosopher

Other

Milan (art director) Milan Fernandez ( – 15 October 2023), often cited simply as Milan, was an Indian film art director. He is best known in the Tamil film industry for his films such as ''Billa'' (2007), ''Velayutham'' (2011) and ''Vedalam'' (2015). Early life M ...

(–2023), Indian film art director * Milan Acquaah (born 1997), American basketball player *

Milán Füst Milán Füst (17 July 1888, Budapest – 26 July 1967, Budapest) was a Hungary, Hungarian writer, poet and playwright. Biography Early in life, his family lived on Dohány utca in the 7th district of Budapest. In 1908 he met the writer Ernő Os ...

(1888–1967), Hungarian writer * Milan Jayathilaka (born 1981), Sri Lankan politician *

Milan Luthria Milan Arjun Luthria is an Indian film director who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He is best known as the director of Ajay Devgan ''Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' (2010). Personal life Milan is the biological son of Raj Khosla. He was born o ...

(born 1968), Indian film director *

Milan Lucic Milan Lucic (; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played major junior career with the Vancouver ...

(born 1988), Canadian hockey player *

Milan Puskar Milan "Mike" Puškar (September 8, 1934 – October 7, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist from Morgantown, West Virginia. Biography Puskar was born in Vintondale, Pennsylvania, to ethnic Serbian parents from Kordun. He graduate ...

(1934–2011), American entrepreneur * Milan the Leather Boy (1941–1971), American record producer and songwriter

Fictional characters

*Milan Hendrickx, a recurring character in the Belgian series ''

wtFOCK ''WtFOCK'' (stylised as ''wtFOCK'', pronounced as wha-teh-fock) is a Flemish teen drama web series broadcast by Play4 that follows the lives of teenagers in Antwerp. Broadcast was then taken over by Belgian streaming services Play More, , and in ...

Notes

External links

{{given name Masculine given names Czech masculine given names Serbian masculine given names Croatian masculine given names Macedonian masculine given names Slovene masculine given names Bosnian masculine given names Bulgarian masculine given names Hungarian masculine given names Polish masculine given names Slovak masculine given names German masculine given names Dutch masculine given names Slavic masculine given names Swedish masculine given names