Miles (given name)

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Miles
A fictionalized Myles Standish is a character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1858 poem The Courtship of Miles Standish.
Pronunciation/ˈmaɪlz/
GenderMasculine
Language(s)English via Norman French
Origin
MeaningLatin soldier; Persian brave, Slavic gracious
Other names
Related namesMilo, Myles
Myles Coverdale produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English in 1535.
Jazz instrumentalist Miles Davis.

Miles or Myles /ˈmaɪlz/ is a Norman French masculine given name of uncertain meaning. It might have been a changed diminutive of the name Michael that was influenced by miles, the Latin word for a soldier, because of associations with Archangel Michael, the Roman Catholic patron saint of the military. Milo, the variant of the name used most often during the medieval era, might also have been influenced by the Slavic word element -mil, meaning gracious. Myles is a variant spelling in English.[1] In Ireland, the name was used as an English substitute for Irish language names such as Maolra,[2] or Maolmhuire, both meaning devoted to Mary, Maolmhorda, meaning servant of the great, and Maolruanaí, meaning servant of the champion. Development of the name might also have been influenced by the Persian name Mylas, meaning brave. The original name of Miles (bishop of Susa), an Orthodox Christian saint, was Mylas. The name has been in regular use in the Anglosphere since the 1500s. It was popularized in England by Myles Coverdale, who produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English in 1535. In the United States, the name became well-known due to Myles Standish, a soldier who arrived on Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims in 1620. American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a popular 1858 poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish, in which the fictionalized Standish is rejected by Priscilla Mullins, who chooses John Alden as her husband instead. Miles and Myles were both more commonly used in the United States than in the United Kingdom by the 1800s due to usage by Irish immigrants to the United States and the influence of Miles Standish. There was an increase in usage from the mid- to late 20th century associated with jazz instrumentalist Miles Davis and with the popularity of fictional characters such as Star Trek character Miles O'Brien, Myles Mitchell, a character on the 1990s American television series Moesha, Miles Edgeworth, a character from the Ace Attorney video game franchise, and fictional Marvel Comics superhero Miles Morales.[3]

People with the name[edit]

Fictional[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 352. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  3. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (9 November 2023). "Cleveland Evans: Spider, 'servant' or Standish, Miles' popularity defies time". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
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