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

Miller, 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 Miller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Miller in America

Miller is the 7th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Miller surname appeared 1,161,437 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 394 people would have the surname Miller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Miller 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 Miller

The surname Miller is an occupational name that originated in England and parts of Germany in the medieval period. It referred to a person who operated a grain mill, a vital profession at the time for processing grains into flour. The name is derived from the Old English "mylnere" or Middle English "millere," meaning one who worked at a mill.

The miller was an essential worker in medieval communities, as grains were a dietary staple. Mills were often built along rivers or streams to harness water power for grinding grain. The earliest recorded instance of the surname Miller appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In medieval England, the Miller surname was found in various regions, including Essex, Kent, and Lincolnshire. Some early bearers of the name include William le Milner, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Petrus le Millere, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1218.

Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century, featured a character known as the Miller, depicting the bawdy and boisterous nature often associated with those in the profession at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Miller throughout history include:

1. Philip Miller (1691-1771), a renowned English botanist and horticulturist who worked at the Chelsea Physic Garden.
2. Johann Martin Miller (1750-1814), a German poet and playwright known for his satirical works.
3. William Henry Miller (1789-1848), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 5th Governor of North Carolina.
4. Joaquin Miller (1837-1913), an American poet and frontier writer whose real name was Cincinnatus Heine Miller.
5. Henry Miller (1891-1980), an American writer known for his controversial novels, including "Tropic of Cancer" and "Tropic of Capricorn."

The Miller surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Millers Dale in Derbyshire, England, and Millersport, Ohio, in the United States, reflecting the historical importance of mills and those who operated them.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Miller

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

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

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

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