2000
#79,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Millier
A surname derived from the French word for "thousand", possibly indicating an ancestor with a large estate or wealth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 474 Americans carry the last name Millier. That puts it at #53,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 723,110 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millier 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 Millier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
474
1 in 723,110
Census rank
#53,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
413
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 413 bearers of the surname Millier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millier
The surname MILLIER is of French origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "miller" or "millier", which means "one who operates a mill". The name was likely adopted by someone who worked as a miller or lived near a mill.
The earliest recorded instances of the MILLIER surname can be found in various French records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the name appears in the rolls of the Taille, a tax record maintained by French authorities during this time.
In the 15th century, the MILLIER surname is mentioned in the records of the city of Amiens, located in northern France. A notable individual bearing this name was Jean MILLIER, who was born in Amiens around 1420 and served as a merchant and alderman in the city.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the MILLIER name spread to other regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany. During this period, the name also appeared in various spellings, such as "Millière" and "Milière".
One notable individual from this era was René MILLIER (1545-1618), a French philosopher and writer who was born in Normandy. He was known for his works on natural philosophy and his advocacy of the experimental method.
In the 18th century, the MILLIER surname gained prominence in the region of Champagne, located in northeastern France. One individual of note was Pierre MILLIER (1720-1789), a landowner and vintner who was involved in the wine trade in the city of Reims.
As the name spread beyond France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and the New World. In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing the MILLIER surname was Joseph MILLIER (1807-1872), a German-born artist and lithographer who immigrated to the United States and worked in New York City.
Another notable individual was Émile MILLIER (1860-1923), a French explorer and writer who traveled extensively in Africa and Asia. His writings documented his adventures and observations of various cultures and landscapes.
Throughout its history, the MILLIER surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artisans, landowners, and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millier
Among Census respondents with the surname Millier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Millier 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 Millier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 325
- Black or African American14.3% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 15
- Two or more races2.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millier
Millier 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
#95,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
-33 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 16,561 places
2020
#53,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 413
+223 bearers (+117.4%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 41,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,394 | 223 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,955 | 190 | 0.06 | -33 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 16,561 places |
| 2020 | #53,969 | 413 | 0.14 | +223 bearers (+117.4%) | Up 41,986 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 Millier 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 | #95,955 | #53,969 | 43.8% |
| Count | 190 | 413 | 117.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.14 | 130.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millier bearers went from 190 to 413 (+117.4% change). The surname moved up 41,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,955 to #53,969.
FAQ
Millier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millier?
Name Census estimates that about 474 living Americans carry the surname Millier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 723,110 residents.
How common is Millier?
Millier ranks #53,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 413 people with the surname Millier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (474), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Millier.
Has Millier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millier went from 190 recorded bearers to 413. That is an increase of 223 (+117.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #95,955 to #53,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Millier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Millier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (14.3%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Millier (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 Millier mean?
A surname derived from the French word for "thousand", possibly indicating an ancestor with a large estate or wealth. 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 Millier (0.14 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 share the surname Millier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.