Milka
A feminine given name of Slavic origin meaning "gracious" or "dear".
Name Census estimates that about 494 living Americans carry the first name Milka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Milka today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Milka births was 2001 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Milka. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
494
~ 1 in 693,835 Americans
Peak year
2001
24 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,985
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Milka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Milka from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 167 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Milka remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Milka by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Milka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Milkas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Milka
The name Milka has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Serbo-Croatian and Bulgarian regions. It is a diminutive form of the name Milica, which is derived from the Slavic root "mil," meaning "gracious" or "dear." The name Milka is believed to have emerged as a popular name during the Middle Ages in the Balkan region.
In the 14th century, the name Milka gained prominence with the birth of Milka Grbić, a Serbian noblewoman who lived from around 1335 to 1405. She was the daughter of the Serbian prince Jovan Grbić and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Serbian Despotate during that period.
Another notable figure with the name Milka was Milka Ternina (1863-1941), a Bulgarian writer and feminist activist. She was one of the pioneers of the women's rights movement in Bulgaria and worked tirelessly to promote women's education and suffrage.
In the realm of literature, the name Milka appears in the works of renowned Serbian author Ivo Andrić. His novel "The Bridge on the Drina" features a character named Milka, who represents the resilience and strength of the Serbian people during the Ottoman occupation.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Milka in modern times was Milka Planinc (1924-2010), a prominent Slovenian politician who served as the first female Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1982 to 1986. She was a respected leader and played a crucial role in the country's political landscape during the transitional period leading up to the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
Another notable figure was Milka Trnina (1863-1941), a Bulgarian writer and feminist activist who was instrumental in promoting women's rights and education in Bulgaria during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She founded the first high school for girls in Sofia and was a pioneering figure in the Bulgarian women's movement.
While the name Milka has its origins in the Slavic regions, it has gained recognition and popularity in various parts of the world due to cultural exchanges and migrations. The name continues to carry the connotations of grace, kindness, and endearment, reflecting its Slavic roots.
People
Milka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Milka as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Milka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Milka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 494 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Milka going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 693,835 US residents.
Is Milka a common name?
We classify Milka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 509 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Milka most popular?
The single biggest year for Milka was 2001, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Milka is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Milka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Milka in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.