2000
#8,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Millican
A locational surname referring to someone from Millom, Cumbria, England, derived from the Old English "myl" and "ham" meaning mill town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,025 Americans carry the last name Millican. That puts it at #8,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millican 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 Millican with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,156
Census rank
#8,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,510 bearers of the surname Millican in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millican, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millican
The surname Millican is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Milic," which is a diminutive form of the name "Miles." The name Milic was popular during the Middle Ages and was often associated with individuals who had a connection to the town of Milicent or Milston in Wiltshire, England.
The earliest known record of the Millican surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Milican." This suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Milikan," "Milican," and "Miliken," in records from counties like Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. These variations in spelling were common during that time period.
One notable figure with the Millican surname was Sir John Millican, a prominent English merchant and diplomat who lived in the 15th century. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1477.
In the 16th century, the Millican surname was associated with several notable individuals, including Robert Millican (c. 1510-1582), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.
During the 17th century, the Millican surname continued to appear in various parts of England. One example is Thomas Millican (1631-1703), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Brasted in Kent.
In the 18th century, the Millican surname gained prominence in Scotland, particularly in the Borders region. One notable figure from this era was William Millican (1731-1808), a Scottish poet and weaver who was known for his contributions to the literary tradition of the Borders.
Another notable individual with the Millican surname was John Millican (1819-1897), an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of Western Australia during the 19th century.
As the centuries progressed, the Millican surname continued to be represented in various fields, including literature, politics, and academia. Several place names in England, such as Millican's Green and Millican's Covert, are believed to be derived from this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millican
Among Census respondents with the surname Millican, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Millican 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 Millican surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,033
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 151
- Two or more races4.2% · 147
- Black or African American4.1% · 144
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millican
Millican 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
#8,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,779
+69 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#8,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,510
-269 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,221 | 3,710 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,690 | 3,779 | 1.28 | +69 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #8,946 | 3,510 | 1.17 | -269 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 256 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 Millican 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 | #8,690 | #8,946 | -2.9% |
| Count | 3,779 | 3,510 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.17 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millican bearers went from 3,779 to 3,510 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,690 to #8,946.
FAQ
Millican surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millican?
Name Census estimates that about 4,025 living Americans carry the surname Millican. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,156 residents.
How common is Millican?
Millican ranks #8,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,510 people with the surname Millican. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Millican.
Has Millican become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millican went from 3,779 recorded bearers to 3,510. That is a decrease of 269 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,690 to #8,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Millican?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millican, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Millican in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millican appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Millican (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 Millican mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Millom, Cumbria, England, derived from the Old English "myl" and "ham" meaning mill town. 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 Millican (1.17 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 Millican?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Millican at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.