2000
#2,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.28
Uncommon Last name
Milam
An English occupational surname referring to a mill worker or operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,910 Americans carry the last name Milam. That puts it at #3,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,550 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milam 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 Milam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,550
Census rank
#3,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,258 bearers of the surname Milam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milam, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milam
The surname Milam is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest records dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "myl" or "mil," which refer to a mill or a mill-stream, and "ham," meaning a homestead or village. Consequently, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a mill or a hamlet centered around a mill.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Milam can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mileham" in reference to a settlement in Norfolk. This suggests that the name had already become established as a place name and potentially a surname by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Milam family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. Historical records from this period include references to individuals such as Robert de Mileham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings, including Milham, Millam, and Milam. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Milham, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Norfolk in the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Milam family spread to other parts of England, with some members establishing themselves in the county of Yorkshire. One influential figure from this period was Robert Milam, who served as the Lord Mayor of York in 1587.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Milam. These include Benjamin C. Milam (1788-1835), a celebrated soldier and leader in the Texas Revolution, and John Milam (1752-1838), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.
Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Milam County in Texas, which was named after Benjamin C. Milam, and the town of Milam in West Virginia, named after Samuel Milam, an early settler in the area.
While the surname Milam is relatively uncommon today, it continues to hold a rich historical legacy, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in England and reflecting the influence of various bearers of the name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milam
Among Census respondents with the surname Milam, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Milam 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 Milam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 9,290
- Black or African American8.0% · 899
- Two or more races4.2% · 471
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 456
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milam
Milam 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
#3,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,787
+233 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#3,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,258
-529 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,852 | 11,554 | 4.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,038 | 11,787 | 4.00 | +233 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #3,120 | 11,258 | 3.77 | -529 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 82 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 Milam 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 | #3,038 | #3,120 | -2.7% |
| Count | 11,787 | 11,258 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.00 | 3.77 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milam bearers went from 11,787 to 11,258 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,038 to #3,120.
FAQ
Milam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milam?
Name Census estimates that about 12,910 living Americans carry the surname Milam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,550 residents.
How common is Milam?
Milam ranks #3,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,258 people with the surname Milam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Milam.
Has Milam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milam went from 11,787 recorded bearers to 11,258. That is a decrease of 529 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,038 to #3,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Milam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milam, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Milam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (9,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Milam (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 Milam mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a mill worker or operator. 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 Milam (3.77 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 Americans have the surname Milam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.