Find out how popular the last name Milburn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Milburn.

Milburn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Milburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Milburn in America

Milburn is the 4507th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Milburn surname appeared 7,871 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Milburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Milburn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Milburn

The surname Milburn is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning "mill" and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook". This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a mill on a stream or brook.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from northern England and Scotland, where it was first established. One example is the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a Richard de Milleburn.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, where a Robert de Milburn is listed as holding lands in 1273. Additionally, the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, include a Robert de Milburn from Berwickshire, Scotland.

The Milburn name has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Milburn (c. 1545-1610), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northumberland in the late 16th century.

Another prominent individual was Ralph Milburn (1609-1698), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Brancepeth in County Durham. He published several religious works during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, William Milburn (1734-1822) was a notable English architect who designed several buildings in Newcastle upon Tyne, including the Grade I listed Mansion House.

Moving into the 19th century, Joseph Milburn (1809-1868) was a British engineer and manufacturer who played a significant role in the development of early telegraph systems.

Finally, in the 20th century, George Milburn (1907-1966) was a British politician and Labour Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow Craigton from 1945 to 1959.

While the name has evolved over time with variations in spelling, such as Milbourne and Milburne, it has maintained its connection to its original meaning and geographical roots in northern England and southern Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Milburn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Milburn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Milburn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Milburn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Milburn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Milburn, please contact us.

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