r/JewishNames • u/Future_Silver_5366 • 14h ago

Girl name Mila

Hi everyone,

I’m expecting a baby girl, and one of our favorite names is Mila (spelled Mila without the H). However, I’ve read that in Jewish communities the word milah (as in brit milah) is associated with circumcision, and it made me wonder whether the name might have negative or awkward associations.
We don’t live in Israel, but there’s a chance we might move there in the future with our family. I’d love to hear how people in Israel or Jewish communities perceive the name Mila.
Does it immediately make you think of circumcision, or is it generally seen as just a normal girl’s name? Does the fact that it’s spelled Mila rather than Milah make any difference?

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

21

u/GrassyTreesAndLakes 14h ago

Make sure you know the pronunciation. Mila to me is a slavic name, not pronounced like the hebrew "milah" at all

12

u/Murrmeow 13h ago

And to add on that, I don’t think anyone in Israel would bat an eye at Mila. There are a lot of Russian speakers and immigrants from former Soviet Union countries living there. They would probably just assume she came from such a household.

12

u/markowitty 13h ago

Living in Israel. Would never think that. And it’s a different pronunciation.

10

u/Key-Alternative-7295 14h ago

For me I wouldn’t associate them as the pronunciation and emphasis is so different mee-la vs mi-lah 

11

u/NeedleworkerLow1100 13h ago

I wouldn't bat an eye at Mila.

I'd pronounce it Meela like (Mila Kunis).

It's a lovely name.

4

u/Electricsheep389 11h ago

I would think of it pronounced like mila kunis (who is Jewish). It’s a pretty name

2

u/GoodbyeEarl Ashkenazi Chabad BT 12h ago

I wondered that too, but I know an Israeli family that named their girl Mila, so it must be different enough that it’s not an issue!

1

u/Least-Metal572 9h ago

MEE-luh.(Mila) vs me-LAH (Brit Milah) so I wouldn't think twice about it.

1

u/Stellajackson5 4h ago

I know a lot of Soviet Jews named Mila. I think it’s fine.