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

Millet, 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 Millet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Millet in America

Millet is the 7207th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Millet surname appeared 4,631 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Millet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Millet 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 Millet

The surname Millet has its origins in France, derived from the Old French word "millet," meaning a type of cereal grain. This surname likely originated in the Normandy region of northern France during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the Millet surname can be found in medieval French records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable early reference is in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Vignory, a medieval cartulary from the Haute-Marne region of northeastern France, which mentions individuals with the surname Millet.

In the 14th century, the Millet surname appears in the renowned Domesday Book, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had established themselves in England by the late 11th century.

The Millet surname has been associated with several notable historical figures throughout the centuries. Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a renowned French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school of art. His works depicting peasant life and rural landscapes are celebrated for their realism and poetic sensitivity.

Another prominent individual with the Millet surname was Amédée Millet (1819-1891), a French architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings in Paris, including the Opéra Comique and the Hôtel de Ville.

In the realm of literature, Richard Millet (born 1953) is a contemporary French writer and essayist known for his philosophical and metaphysical works, including the novel "L'Opprobre" (The Opprobrium).

The Millet surname has also been associated with figures in the field of science. Jean-François Millet (1642-1679) was a French botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and the cultivation of ornamental plants.

Another noteworthy individual bearing the Millet surname was Paul-Frédéric Millet (1912-1987), a French physicist and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of nuclear energy and the construction of the first French nuclear reactor.

While the Millet surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. Today, individuals with the surname Millet can be found in various countries, carrying on the legacy of this historically significant French name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Millet

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

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

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

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