2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mihill
An anglicized surname derived from the Scottish Gaelic "MacAill" meaning "son of the breed" or "progeny of the herd".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Mihill. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mihill 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Mihill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mihill
The surname MIHILL has its origins in England, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "my" and "hill", referring to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a Roger Mihill is mentioned as a landowner. The name is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which list a John Myhill.
In the 15th century, the name was often spelled as "Myhill" or "Mihyll", reflecting the evolving pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524 record a Thomas Myhill, while the Lay Subsidies of Somerset in 1542 mention a William Mihyll.
As the name spread across England, it became associated with various place names that incorporated the word "hill", such as Millhill in Middlesex, or Mihill Farm in Gloucestershire. This further reinforced the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir John Mihill, a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in the 16th century, who lived from around 1520 to 1585. Another prominent figure was Richard Mihill, a wealthy merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, who was born in 1587 and died in 1657.
In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various parish records, including the baptism of Mary Mihill in St. Mary's Church, Warwick, in 1632. The same century also saw the birth of the philosopher and theologian William Mihill (1619-1684), who was known for his writings on religious tolerance.
As the name spread further, it became associated with various trades and professions. For example, the records of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London mention a Thomas Mihill, who was a master goldsmith in the late 17th century.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the MIHILL surname continued to be found across England, with various spellings such as "Mihell", "Mihille", and "Mihill". Notable individuals from this period include the explorer and naturalist John Mihill (1745-1823), who traveled extensively in the Americas and published several works on the flora and fauna of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mihill
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mihill 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 Mihill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mihill
Mihill 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 767 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-12 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 767 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 10,041 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 Mihill 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 | #144,141 | #154,182 | -7.0% |
| Count | 115 | 103 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mihill bearers went from 115 to 103 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,182.
FAQ
Mihill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mihill?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Mihill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Mihill?
Mihill ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Mihill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Mihill.
Has Mihill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mihill went from 115 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Mihill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Mihill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mihill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Mihill (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 Mihill mean?
An anglicized surname derived from the Scottish Gaelic "MacAill" meaning "son of the breed" or "progeny of the herd". 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 Mihill (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 last name Mihill?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Mihill on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.