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

Milk, 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 Milk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Milk in America

Milk is the 53072nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Milk surname appeared 390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Milk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Milk 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 Milk

The surname MILK is an English name with origins dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "milc," meaning milk. This word likely referred to someone who worked as a milkman or had a profession related to the dairy industry.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as "Milke." The earliest recorded instance of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1201, mentioning a person named William Milke.

During the 14th century, the MILK surname was also found in various tax records and court rolls across England. One notable example is from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mentioned a John Milke in 1348.

The name MILK was sometimes associated with certain place names, such as Milkhurst in Sussex, which may have derived from the Old English words "milc" and "hyrst" (meaning a wooded hill). This suggests that some MILK families may have originated from or resided in areas with similar place names.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname MILK. One of the earliest was John Milk (c. 1510-1585), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1580 until his death.

Another prominent figure was Richard Milk (1645-1712), an English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of London from 1689 to 1690. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1698 to 1700.

In the 19th century, Benjamin Milk (1822-1892) was an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

James Milk (1857-1934) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward for various clubs, including Rangers and Everton, in the late 19th century.

Finally, Harvey Milk (1930-1978) was an American politician and activist who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was tragically assassinated the following year, but his legacy as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights continues to inspire many.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Milk

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

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

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

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