Milay

Popular in Azerbaijan, Milay is a name of uncertain origin. It may relate to the similar to the name Nilay, meaning "moon of the Nile". In that case, it could be comprised of the Turkish element ay, meaning "moon" and "Mil" which could refer to the Turkish province of Milas (or similar).

It may even be viewed as a mix of Arabic names such as Kamil ("perfect, complete"), Jamil ("beautiful, handsome"), or Ramil ("magic, divination") with the ay element, or a blend of the Turkish mil referring to a shaft, a tree, or axis, giving it meanings such as "moon axis".

With this Anglicized spelling there is the possibility it is a variation of Millay, an occupational surname deriving from French that means "grower or seller of millet" or perhaps from the Russian term of affection, Milaya meaning "sweetheart" or "darling". It also coincides with the Malagasy word for "need" and an Urdu word for "found".

Pronounced mee-LYE.

As of October 2026, Milay ranked #10670 for girls in US births in 2005 SSA.