Mills
A masculine name derived from the Old English word for mill.
Name Census estimates that about 675 living Americans carry the first name Mills. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Mills today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mills births was 2024 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mills. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
675
~ 1 in 507,784 Americans
Peak year
2024
58 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,929
Tracked since 1882
Gender
Gender distribution for Mills
Mills leans heavily male at 88.7% of total registrations, but 111 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mills as a male name
- Ranked #2,929 in 2024
- 43 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (43 births)
Mills as a female name
- Ranked #7,455 in 2024
- 15 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (21 births)
Popularity
Mills: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mills from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 233 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mills by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mills during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mills' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. South Carolina, Georgia, Texas recorded the most babies named Mills, while Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mills
The name Mills originates from the Old English word "myln," which means "mill." This word was derived from the Latin "molina," meaning "mill." The name Mills likely emerged in the Middle Ages, referring to a person who lived near or worked at a mill, which was a crucial part of medieval life.
In the early medieval period, mills were typically watermills, used for grinding grain into flour. Millers were respected members of the community, as they played a vital role in providing food for the people. The name Mills may have been used as a descriptive surname, indicating a person's occupation or place of residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mills can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Milne" or "Milner," which were early variations of the modern spelling.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Mills. One of the most famous was Mills Olcott (1838-1907), an American philosopher, and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. He was instrumental in introducing the study of Eastern religions and philosophies to the Western world.
Another notable figure was Mills Bee Lane IV (1844-1904), an American businessman and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Citizens' National Bank of Los Angeles and played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure and institutions.
In the realm of literature, Mills Miller (1900-1965) was an American author and journalist, best known for his novel "The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories." He was a recipient of the O. Henry Memorial Award for his short stories.
The field of sports also had its share of notable Mills. Mills Lane (1937-2022) was an American professional boxer, judge, and referee. He was known for his no-nonsense approach and his famous catchphrase, "Let's get it on!"
Finally, Mills Benny (1880-1959) was an American architect and designer, renowned for his distinctive Arts and Crafts style. He designed several notable buildings in the Los Angeles area, including the Gamble House and the Blacker House.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Mills throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence across various walks of life.
People
Mills + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mills as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mills: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mills?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 675 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mills going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 507,784 US residents.
Is Mills a common name?
We classify Mills as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 984 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mills most popular?
The single biggest year for Mills was 2024, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mills is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mills a male name?
Yes, 88.7% of people registered as Mills in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.