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

Millis, 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 Millis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Millis in America

Millis is the 13023rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Millis surname appeared 2,358 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Millis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Millis 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 Millis

The surname Millis is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "mylen" and "hyll," which together translate to "mill hill." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers likely resided near a windmill or watermill situated on a hill. The name can be traced back to the medieval period, with records showing various spellings such as Millhills, Millis, and Myllys.

One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Millehilla in Essex. This entry indicates that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Sir John de Millys, a knight who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. Records from this period also mention a Robert de Millis, who was a landowner in Wiltshire.

During the 16th century, the surname Millis gained prominence with the birth of Richard Millis (1510-1578), a prominent merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1569. Another notable bearer was Sir Thomas Millis (1550-1626), a member of parliament and landowner in Hertfordshire.

In the 17th century, the name was associated with the Millis family of Warwickshire, who owned substantial estates in the region. One of their members, William Millis (1625-1698), was a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on historical and theological topics.

The 18th century saw the birth of Sir John Millis (1715-1793), a distinguished naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He was knighted for his bravery and military achievements.

As the name spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas and other English-speaking regions through migration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Millis

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

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

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

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