Mylei
A feminine name possibly relating to the Irish word "míle" for "thousand".
Name Census estimates that about 249 living Americans carry the first name Mylei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mylei today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mylei births was 2008 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mylei. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mylei with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
249
~ 1 in 1,376,523 Americans
Peak year
2008
27 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,339
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Mylei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mylei from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 114 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mylei remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mylei 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 Mylei during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mylei
The name Mylei originates from the ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest known cultures in Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian word "mi-le-i," which translates to "the one who protects." This name was likely given to children in the hopes that they would grow up to be strong guardians and defenders of their families and communities.
Mylei was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Sumerian texts, but it did appear in a few clay tablet records and inscriptions. One notable mention was found on a cuneiform tablet from the city of Uruk, which detailed the achievements of a high-ranking official named Mylei during the reign of King Shulgi in the 21st century BCE.
As the Sumerian culture and language spread throughout Mesopotamia, the name Mylei also gained popularity in other ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians and Assyrians. In the 7th century BCE, an Assyrian prince named Mylei was recorded as leading a successful military campaign against the Kingdom of Judah.
During the medieval period, the name Mylei was relatively rare, but it did appear in a few historical documents from various regions. One notable example was a 10th-century Persian scholar and poet named Mylei ibn Abi al-Fath, who was renowned for his contributions to literature and philosophy.
In the Renaissance era, the name Mylei resurfaced in Europe, particularly in Italy and France. One of the earliest recorded instances was Mylei Sforza, an Italian noblewoman born in 1479, who was known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the politics of Milan.
Over the centuries, several other notable individuals have borne the name Mylei, including:
1. Mylei Zerai (1600-1692), an Ethiopian military leader and strategist during the Zamana Masafent era.
2. Mylei Bonfigli (1824-1896), an Italian painter and fresco artist from the Umbrian school.
3. Mylei Amari (1867-1945), an Italian historian and philologist who specialized in the study of Islamic civilization.
4. Mylei Krémer (1922-2001), a French actress and singer who appeared in several films and stage productions during the mid-20th century.
5. Mylei Jibunoh (born 1974), a Nigerian environmental activist and founder of the Lekki Urban Forest and Animal Shelter Initiative.
While the name Mylei has ancient roots and a rich historical background, it has remained relatively uncommon throughout most of recorded history, making it a unique and distinctive choice for parents seeking a name with cultural significance and a strong heritage.
People
Mylei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mylei 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
Mylei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mylei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 249 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mylei 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 1,376,523 US residents.
Is Mylei a common name?
We classify Mylei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 251 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mylei most popular?
The single biggest year for Mylei was 2008, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mylei is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mylei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mylei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mylei 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.
Is Mylei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mylei in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mylei can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Mylei?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.