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

Milby, 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 Milby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Milby in America

Milby is the 15692nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Milby surname appeared 1,859 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Milby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Milby 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 Milby

The surname MILBY is of English origin, arising in the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Milby, which was likely a small village or hamlet. The name Milby itself is thought to have derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning "mill" and "by" meaning "a farmstead or village."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MILBY can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire, a legal record dating back to 1208, where a John de Milby is mentioned. The Feet of Fines were documents recording the transfer of land ownership, indicating that individuals with the MILBY surname were landowners in Yorkshire during this time.

In the 13th century, the name MILBY appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records of landowners and tenants in various English counties. This suggests that the MILBY surname had spread to other parts of the country by this period.

A notable individual bearing the MILBY surname was Sir John Milby (1540-1612), who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1593 and 1601. He was also a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in the county.

Another early record of the MILBY name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls for Nottinghamshire in 1524, where a Richard Milby is listed as a taxpayer. This indicates that the surname had established itself in different regions of England by the 16th century.

In the 17th century, a John Milby (1615-1683) was a notable Puritan clergyman and author, known for his sermons and religious writings. He served as a minister in various parishes in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

The MILBY surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Milby in Lincolnshire and Milby Hill in Northumberland. These locations may have been named after early settlers with the MILBY surname or vice versa.

Throughout history, variations in spelling have occurred, such as Milbye, Mylby, and Mylbie. However, the MILBY spelling has remained the most common form of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Milby

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

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 Milby 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 Milby 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 Milby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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