2000
#13,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,095
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Milby
A locational surname derived from a place named "Milby" in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,368 Americans carry the last name Milby. That puts it at #13,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milby 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 Milby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,744
Census rank
#13,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,065 bearers of the surname Milby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milby, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milby
Among Census respondents with the surname Milby, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Milby 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 Milby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,937
- Two or more races3.1% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 35
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milby
Milby 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
#15,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,859
-236 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 2,348 places
2020
#13,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,065
+206 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 1,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,344 | 2,095 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,692 | 1,859 | 0.63 | -236 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 2,348 places |
| 2020 | #13,983 | 2,065 | 0.69 | +206 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,709 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 Milby 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 | #15,692 | #13,983 | 10.9% |
| Count | 1,859 | 2,065 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.69 | 9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milby bearers went from 1,859 to 2,065 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 1,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,692 to #13,983.
FAQ
Milby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,368 living Americans carry the surname Milby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,744 residents.
How common is Milby?
Milby ranks #13,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,065 people with the surname Milby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Milby.
Has Milby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milby went from 1,859 recorded bearers to 2,065. That is an increase of 206 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,692 to #13,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Milby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milby, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Milby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,937 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Milby (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 Milby mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named "Milby" in England. 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 Milby (0.69 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 Milby?
See how many people have the surname Milby on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.