2000
#3,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.80
Uncommon Last name
Mcmillen
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a son of a miller or mill worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,335 Americans carry the last name Mcmillen. That puts it at #3,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmillen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcmillen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,239
Census rank
#3,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,885 bearers of the surname Mcmillen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmillen
The surname MCMILLEN has its roots in Scotland, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Mhaolain," which translates to "son of the tonsured one" or "son of the servant/devotee." This suggests that the name may have been initially borne by the descendants of a religious figure or someone associated with the church.
The earliest known records of the name appear in various Scottish charters and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For instance, a charter from the reign of King Alexander III, dated around 1249, mentions a "Gillemor MacMolane" as a witness. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
In the 16th century, the MCMILLEN name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles, indicating a strong presence in these areas. The surname also has connections to the MacMillan clan, with some historical accounts suggesting that the two names may have shared a common ancestry or been used interchangeably.
One notable figure bearing the MCMILLEN name was John McMillen (c. 1670-1753), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who immigrated to Ireland and later played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in America. He is recognized as one of the founders of the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1706.
Another historical figure of note was Samuel McMillen (1742-1804), an American soldier and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He later became a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States House of Representatives.
In the 19th century, James McMillen (1838-1902) was a prominent American businessman and banker from Ohio. He founded the Ohio National Bank and served as its president for several years, contributing to the state's economic development.
Across the Atlantic, John McMillen (1855-1936) was a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia and played a role in the development of the state's mining industry.
Additionally, Edward McMillen (1886-1973) was an American artist and educator known for his landscape paintings and his contributions to the art scene in New Mexico, where he taught at the University of New Mexico.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the MCMILLEN surname throughout history, contributing to various fields and leaving their mark in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmillen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmillen 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 Mcmillen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 8,915
- Two or more races3.5% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 303
- Black or African American2.0% · 195
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmillen
Mcmillen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,371
+127 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#3,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,885
-486 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,205 | 10,244 | 3.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,444 | 10,371 | 3.52 | +127 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #3,522 | 9,885 | 3.31 | -486 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 78 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 Mcmillen 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 | #3,444 | #3,522 | -2.3% |
| Count | 10,371 | 9,885 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.52 | 3.31 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmillen bearers went from 10,371 to 9,885 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,444 to #3,522.
FAQ
Mcmillen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmillen?
Name Census estimates that about 11,335 living Americans carry the surname Mcmillen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,239 residents.
How common is Mcmillen?
Mcmillen ranks #3,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,885 people with the surname Mcmillen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcmillen.
Has Mcmillen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmillen went from 10,371 recorded bearers to 9,885. That is a decrease of 486 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,444 to #3,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmillen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mcmillen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (8,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmillen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mcmillen (2000, 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 Mcmillen mean?
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a son of a miller or mill worker. 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 Mcmillen (3.31 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 common is the surname Mcmillen?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mcmillen is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.