So I love love love [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. I’m not big on using nns as first names but I honestly don’t know what mila originates from. What names are traditionally connected with mila? Can [name_f]Mila[/name_f] hold it’s wait by itself? Thanks so much.
I think [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is a name on its own, not a nickname. I definitely think it can hold its weight by itself. It’s currently #115 in the US so it’s well established as a name on its own. Plus there is the popular [name_f]Mila[/name_f] Kunis that makes the name more known.
I think [name_f]Mila[/name_f] by itself is beautiful. You could do a more complicated middle name if you wanted to.
If you’re set on having as a nickname you could do [name_f]Camilla[/name_f] or [name_f]Marilla[/name_f] as the full name.
Mila on it’s own is way more popular than Mila as a nn.
Since Mila is a diminutive of several names you have quite a few options, one of them would be Milena, which is actually the given name of actress Mila Kunis.
[name_f]Mila[/name_f] Kunis’s full name is [name_f]Melina[/name_f]. [name_f]Milla[/name_f] Jovovich was born [name_f]Milica[/name_f]. I am sure there a ton of ways to get a [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. 
Believe me when I say that I do not like nicknames as first names but I really think that [name_f]Mila[/name_f] would be absolutely be fine as a first name. It reminds me of the actress [name_f]Mila[/name_f] Kunis who seems so bubbly and full of personality, maybe that is why I like the name so much. But I understand the need to feel like you need a more substantial name. My husband and I have all but eliminated 4 letter names because we just didn’t feel like they were “enough.”
[name_f]Mil[/name_f] a is traditionally a nickname but is gaining in popularity as a given name due to [name_f]Mila[/name_f] Kunis. I wouldn’t say that it’s well established as a given name since it has only been in the top 1,000 since 2006. It is very trendy (rising from not in the top 1000 to 115 in less than 10 years).
It’s a diminutive of Slavic names that contained the element mil, meaning gracious, dear. [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f], [name_f]Milica[/name_f], and [name_f]Milena[/name_f] are some full forms with the nickname [name_f]Mila[/name_f].
Actually, [name_f]Milica[/name_f] and [name_f]Milena[/name_f] are nicknames for [name_f]Mila[/name_f], not other way around.
[name_f]Mila[/name_f] is not an element, it’s word. Means gentle, gracious, sweet, dear, etc… Therefore, [name_f]Milena[/name_f] and [name_f]Milica[/name_f] are “invented” names deriving from name [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. But [name_f]Milena[/name_f] and [name_f]Milica[/name_f] become established names thousands years ago, so it’s OK to called them names. [name_m]Just[/name_m], [name_f]Mila[/name_f] as a name is much older then [name_f]Milena[/name_f] or [name_f]Milica[/name_f].
[name_f]Milica[/name_f] and [name_f]Milena[/name_f] are not nicknames for [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. They are long forms that contain the element mil. [name_f]Milica[/name_f] is a diminutive of names that contain mila but not a nickname. [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f] literally means gracious, dear people. It combines lud- people and -mila gracious. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] isn’t directly related to [name_f]Mila[/name_f].
[name_f]Mil[/name_f]/mila is a name element. A name element is an etymological piece of an individual name. These elements come from a single word. [name_u]Bert[/name_u], [name_m]Fred[/name_m], adel, and mil and adel examples.
[name_f]Mil[/name_f] was a word long before it was a name. It was a nickname long before it was a name.
Word —> name element —> nickname —> name
The point is - [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is standalone name.
http://www.behindthename.com/name/milena
I love [name_f]Mila[/name_f]! It is a beautiful name. [name_f]Mila[/name_f] can definitely hold itself as a full name. I am not a fan of [name_f]Milena[/name_f], which is usually the full name for [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. Like shilo said, it is well established as its own name.
Is there really a need for bold font? Yes, [name_f]Mila[/name_f] can be a stand alone name. I never said it couldn’t be. The OP wanted to know where [name_f]Mila[/name_f] originated and I told her where it came from and what I knew about the name. Did I do something wrong, sorceress?
ETA: Or is it because I disagreed with the pp who said it was well established as a first name? :-/
[name_f]Mila[/name_f] is beautiful and works on its own.
Besides the other great suggestions, you could get clever and do anything starting with M as a first name and middle name ending with “a” or “la”. It’s a bit of a stretch, but [name_f]Jenna[/name_f] [name_m]Bush[/name_m] named her daughter after her two grandmothers, [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Barbara[/name_f], and calls her [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. I think it’s a sweet way to honor names without sacrificing that cute, fresh element.
Like it was already said, “mil” is an element (word root) of various Slavic words meaning “sweet”, “lovable”, “gentle” (the most exact meaning nowadays would be “cute”).
In [name_f]Russia[/name_f] and Ukraine, the most expected full form of [name_f]Mila[/name_f] would be [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f] or [name_f]Milana[/name_f]. In other Eastern European countries the full form would most likely be [name_f]Milica[/name_f] or [name_f]Milena[/name_f]. I also know [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] (here in [name_f]Russia[/name_f]) and heard of [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] (in Australia) who both go by [name_f]Mila[/name_f].
I think [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is great as a standalone name. If I had a daughter today, I’d certainly name her [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. However, if you worry it’s too short or “not enough”, you can choose from various full name options (there are certainly a lot more than I’ve listed).
Problem is that you said that [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is traditionally a nickname. While [name_f]Mila[/name_f] can be nickname, it actually ‘pure-blood’ name on it’s own. Traditionally a name of it’s own. [name_f]Milena[/name_f] may be called [name_f]Mila[/name_f] for short, but only because [name_f]Milena[/name_f] is ‘longer [name_f]Mila[/name_f]’. Like [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f]. Or [name_u]Jean[/name_u] and [name_f]Jeanette[/name_f]. Or [name_f]Maria[/name_f] and [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] You will not actually say [name_f]Maria[/name_f] is nickname for [name_f]Mariana[/name_f]?
It is actually [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Laura[/name_f] nn [name_f]Mila[/name_f]. One name beginning with an M, one name beginning with a L and she is named after both her grandmothers.
[name_f]Barbara[/name_f] is the name of [name_f]Jenna[/name_f]'s twin sister, they were both named after their grandmothers. So [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] is actually [name_f]Mila[/name_f]'s aunt and great-grandmother.
I’m sorry if you don’t agree that [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is traditionally a nickname for other names. It’s origins are based in Eastern Europe and from the research I have done on the name, it is traditionally a nickname for something longer and is rarely given as a full name. I don’t care if you agree with this or not. That said, I am done with this discussion because this conversation isn’t going anywhere.
[name_f]Maria[/name_f]/[name_f]Mariana[/name_f] and [name_u]Jean[/name_u]/[name_f]Jeanette[/name_f] are not the same.
Why do you think so? I really don’t want to start an argument or something, but I’m kind of confused and got to agree with these who say [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is rather a nickname.
I just googled old Slavic names and it says there were no standalone [name_f]Mila[/name_f] - it was used as a nickname for these names people mentioned above and also I’ve discovered there were forms of the full name like [name_f]Milada[/name_f], Milava and Umila.
Also as a Russian I have to say there’s no actual “mila” word, however “mil” is a root for various words.
Oh and also I think it’s interesting that the original form of the name was boys’ name, [name_u]Milan[/name_u] (MEE-lahn). At least that’s what I’ve read on a website dedicated to Slavic culture.
I’m Slavic and in my country, it’s more often a stand alone name, rather than nickname. [name_f]Mila[/name_f] is Serbo-Croatian word.