2000
#8,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,592
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Millett
Derived from a place name meaning "mill head" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,125 Americans carry the last name Millett. That puts it at #8,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millett 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 Millett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,092
Census rank
#8,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,597 bearers of the surname Millett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millett
The surname Millett originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "millet," which refers to the cereal grain. This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have been involved in the cultivation or trade of millet.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is spelled "Milet." Over time, various spellings emerged, such as Millet, Millett, and Millette, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Millet, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 list a John Milet.
The Millett surname has been associated with several place names in England, such as Millett's Farm in Buckinghamshire and Millets Green in Hertfordshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of Millett families in those areas.
Several notable individuals have borne the Millett surname throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Millett (c. 1550-1589), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Southwark. Another was Francis Millett (1646-1708), an English clergyman and writer who authored several theological works.
In the 18th century, Thomas Millett (1720-1784) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London. Later, Roger Millett (1792-1867) served as a British Army officer and was involved in the Napoleonic Wars.
Moving into the 19th century, James Millett (1844-1927) was a renowned Australian pastoralist and politician who played a significant role in the early development of the cattle industry in Queensland.
As the surname spread across different regions, various branches of the Millett family emerged, each with their own unique histories and contributions to their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millett
Among Census respondents with the surname Millett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Millett 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 Millett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 3,148
- Black or African American4.5% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 140
- Two or more races3.1% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millett
Millett 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
#8,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,834
+242 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#8,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,597
-237 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,448 | 3,592 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,590 | 3,834 | 1.30 | +242 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #8,752 | 3,597 | 1.20 | -237 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 162 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 Millett 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 | #8,590 | #8,752 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,834 | 3,597 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.20 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millett bearers went from 3,834 to 3,597 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,590 to #8,752.
FAQ
Millett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,125 living Americans carry the surname Millett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,092 residents.
How common is Millett?
Millett ranks #8,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,597 people with the surname Millett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Millett.
Has Millett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millett went from 3,834 recorded bearers to 3,597. That is a decrease of 237 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,590 to #8,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Millett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Millett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (3,148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.5%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Millett (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 Millett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "mill head" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a mill. 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 Millett (1.20 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 Millett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Millett at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.