2000
#12,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Millis
Derived from the Gaelic "O'Maoilios," meaning "descendant of a devotee of Jesus," or from a place name meaning "mill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,352 Americans carry the last name Millis. That puts it at #14,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millis 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 Millis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,729
Census rank
#14,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,051 bearers of the surname Millis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millis
Among Census respondents with the surname Millis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Millis 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 Millis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,841
- Black or African American3.1% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 62
- Two or more races2.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millis
Millis 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
#13,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,358
+89 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#14,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
-307 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,039 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,524 | 2,269 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,023 | 2,358 | 0.80 | +89 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #14,062 | 2,051 | 0.69 | -307 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 1,039 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 Millis 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 | #13,023 | #14,062 | -8.0% |
| Count | 2,358 | 2,051 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.69 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millis bearers went from 2,358 to 2,051 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 1,039 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,023 to #14,062.
FAQ
Millis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millis?
Name Census estimates that about 2,352 living Americans carry the surname Millis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,729 residents.
How common is Millis?
Millis ranks #14,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,051 people with the surname Millis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Millis.
Has Millis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millis went from 2,358 recorded bearers to 2,051. That is a decrease of 307 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,023 to #14,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Millis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Millis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Black (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Millis (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 Millis mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "O'Maoilios," meaning "descendant of a devotee of Jesus," or from a place name meaning "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 Millis (0.69 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 surname Millis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.