2000
#12,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Milliner
An occupational surname for a hat maker or seller of women's hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,495 Americans carry the last name Milliner. That puts it at #13,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milliner 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 Milliner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,376
Census rank
#13,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,176 bearers of the surname Milliner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milliner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milliner
The surname MILLINER originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word 'milener', meaning a maker or seller of hats and other headgear.
This name was particularly common in the counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, where the milliners' trade flourished. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as 'le Milener'.
In the 14th century, the name is mentioned in the Gild Roll of Norwich, dated 1379, as 'Millenere'. This document provides evidence of the trade's presence in the city during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname is Robert Millener, who was born in Gloucester in 1412. He was a prominent hat maker and supplier to the royal court.
Another notable figure was John Milliner, a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from 1523 to 1597. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1586.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Millyner', as seen in the records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where a William Millyner was baptized in 1567.
During the 17th century, the surname was also found in the form 'Millner', as evidenced by the birth of Thomas Millner in Warwickshire in 1623.
A notable bearer of this name was Sir Christopher Milliner (1648-1719), a wealthy businessman and landowner from Somerset. He served as the High Sheriff of Somerset in 1687 and was knighted by King James II in 1688.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various parish records across England, such as the baptism of Mary Milliner in Wiltshire in 1758.
Throughout its history, the surname MILLINER has been associated with the hat-making trade and has been carried by individuals of varying prominence, from merchants and aldermen to landowners and knights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milliner
Among Census respondents with the surname Milliner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Milliner 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 Milliner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.7% · 995
- White45.1% · 982
- Two or more races6.0% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milliner
Milliner 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
#12,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
+224 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 103 places
2020
#13,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,176
-239 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,878 | 2,191 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,775 | 2,415 | 0.82 | +224 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 103 places |
| 2020 | #13,383 | 2,176 | 0.73 | -239 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 608 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 Milliner 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 | #12,775 | #13,383 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,415 | 2,176 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.73 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milliner bearers went from 2,415 to 2,176 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 608 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,775 to #13,383.
FAQ
Milliner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milliner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,495 living Americans carry the surname Milliner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,376 residents.
How common is Milliner?
Milliner ranks #13,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,176 people with the surname Milliner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Milliner.
Has Milliner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milliner went from 2,415 recorded bearers to 2,176. That is a decrease of 239 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,775 to #13,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Milliner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milliner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (45.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Milliner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.7% (995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milliner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.7%), White (45.1%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Milliner (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 Milliner mean?
An occupational surname for a hat maker or seller of women's hats. 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 Milliner (0.73 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 Milliner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.