2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Macmillin
Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Maoilín meaning "son of the tonsured one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Macmillin. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macmillin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Macmillin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macmillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macmillin
The surname MACMILLIN has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "millin," which could have been a personal name or a reference to a mill or mill worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage records from Scottish nobles during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The name appears as "Macmillane," indicating its early variations in spelling.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the MACMILLIN clan was primarily concentrated in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name is also associated with the Isle of Arran, where it is believed to have originated from a place called Millburn.
Notable historical figures bearing the MACMILLIN surname include Sir Duncan Macmillan (c. 1290-1350), a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another prominent individual was John Macmillan (1670-1753), a Scottish minister and founder of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
In the 16th century, the MACMILLIN name appears in the records of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, with references to individuals such as Patrick Macmillan, who was a vicar in the parish of Kilwinning in 1547.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MACMILLIN surname spread throughout Scotland and beyond, with individuals like Alexander Macmillan (1818-1896), a Scottish publisher and founder of the Macmillan publishing house in London. Other notable figures include William Macmillan (1870-1924), a Scottish artist known for his landscape paintings, and Chrystal Macmillan (1872-1937), a Scottish lawyer and suffragist.
Over the centuries, the MACMILLIN surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Macmillan, MacMillan, MacMullan, and McMullan, reflecting the fluidity of Scottish naming practices and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macmillin
Among Census respondents with the surname Macmillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Macmillin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Macmillin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 83
- Two or more races9.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macmillin
Macmillin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,970 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 4,970 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Macmillin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #156,005 | 3.1% |
| Count | 100 | 99 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macmillin bearers went from 100 to 99 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,970 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #156,005.
FAQ
Macmillin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macmillin?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Macmillin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Macmillin?
Macmillin ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Macmillin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Macmillin.
Has Macmillin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macmillin went from 100 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Macmillin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macmillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Macmillin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macmillin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Two or More Races (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Macmillin (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Macmillin mean?
Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Maoilín meaning "son of the tonsured one". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Macmillin (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Macmillin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.