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For years I've been claiming on this site that Milo wouldn't work as a name in South Africa because of a malted chocolate drink, popular with children: you mix a spoonful into a glass of hot or cold milk, give it a stir, and there's your association with the name. But now I know a six-year-old Milo who is beautiful, cheerful, highly intelligent and displays great empathy for someone his age. I still associate it with the drink, though. And it was a delivery-room inspiration: the parents, grandparents, whoever had all been dicussing names and narrowing them down to Jesse and, I forget the other one, also a J name: Jared maybe? And the mother, from her hospital bed, said "Milo!".

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Here, it's pronounced MY-low. Sort of close to Miles, which I prefer but not enough to use.

Hi !!!

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I like Milo and here in Italy is pronounced as where you live.

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Previously I used to link it with the main character in 'Atlantis' (2001) by Disney. However since 2010s the name increased in popularity here as well so currently it's just a very pretty name.

Thanks everyone

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I don't share your associations with the name (movie, actor, drink etc). I'm living in Sweden, so it wouldn't be a problem with those associations here.
I used to dislike Milo, but it has grown on me. I think it sounds quite cute now and if baby brother looks anything like his older brother, it would be a perfect match. I still have a huge list of names though and Milo is not my top choice, so we'll see.

This is a bit obscure, but my first association is a character from a cartoon called Pepper Ann. It’s one of my favorite cartoons. I like it for a pet.

Hmm...I feel like this is the slightly quirky name parents use when they want something cute and bookish, but don't want something TOO out there. It's fine. It ends in the -o sound, which people like. It's becoming forgettable, though. It used to stand out for me more and now it's just THERE, like a glass of lowfat milk on a table. Meh.

(I'm American, and we generally pronounce it mie-lo.)

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I feel like circa 2000 it would have been perceived as a hip artsy name, though that impression is probably coming from Pepper Ann (it's a cartoon, Milo was her BFF and was smart/creative/laidback). It was also used for a fictional Renaissance genius in the show Alias around that time.

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After that, for a while, I think it came across to me as try-hard, as opposed to just using Miles / Myles, or it seemed like people were reaching for a European sounding name maybe, just to be fashionable. Now it seems more standard to me, about like Matteo and Luka would. It's popular currently, and it seems pleasant enough...I always thought Myles seemed friendly, and I still primarily think of Milo as a variant of that.

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A couple unpleasant associations I have with it are Milo Yiannopoulos and Boris Johnson (it's his son's name), but it's used often enough that they're not strong associations.

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I think with the mee-lo pronunciation, I'd prefer Milan (I guess that'd just seem more familiar to me?) to it. Also it'd remind me more of Mila than "mie-lo" does. Mila has been very popular in the US recently, and I don't dislike it.

This message was edited 11/12/2021, 1:01 PM

I pronounce it My-low like the I sound, it's such a cutesy name, and its perfect for a boy with almost white hair and ocean blueish-green eyes

I grew up watching Milo and Otis, and I also had an orange cat that I named Milo after the movie, so I can really only associate it with a cat.

There’s been a really strange hipster trend for short boys’ names ending in -o where I’m from. I know a little Milo, an Arlo, a Cosmo and a Hugo. None of their family backgrounds would suggest that these are cultural choices. All but one of the moms is the type to try and make it as an influencer. So that does colour my feelings a bit.

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Apart from that, names ending in -o were mostly relegated to pets for a very long time in my part of the world, so it’s hard to shake the idea that “Milo” is a dog or a cat.

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Overall though, it’s not a bad name. It has a nice sound, historical context, and would age fairly well. I prefer Miles, but Milo is okay.

Meaning soldier, or gracious?
If it's pronounced MEE-lo, it's alright. Makes me think Slavic
I think MY-lo seems childish. MEE-lo less so, but I still feel like it lacks gravity.

I say My-low. I really like this name.
The first Milo I knew was from Fish Hooks, I forgot about that Milo and Otis movie. It didn't leave a big impression on me. I also think of Milo Manheim, the actor.
I like it better than Miles, but I like that name as well.