2000
#11,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Millman
An occupational surname referring to someone who owned, operated, or worked in a mill, particularly a grain mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,753 Americans carry the last name Millman. That puts it at #12,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millman 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 Millman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,502
Census rank
#12,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,401 bearers of the surname Millman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millman
The surname MILLMAN is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning mill and "mann" meaning man or worker. It likely originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive occupational surname for someone who worked at a mill, either as a miller or a mill operator.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various English counties, such as Oxfordshire and Essex. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Richard le Millemann in Oxfordshire. The surname also appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285 as William le Myllman.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Milman, Millman, Milleman, and Myllman, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. These different spellings were often used interchangeably, even within the same family.
The surname MILLMAN has had a long and rich history, with several notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries. One of the earliest recorded figures was Sir John Milman (c. 1360-1432), a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V.
Another notable MILLMAN was Henry Hart Milman (1791-1868), an English historian and ecclesiastical writer who served as the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He is best known for his works on Christian history, including "History of Latin Christianity" and "History of the Jews."
In the 19th century, Robert Milman (1816-1876) was a prominent British lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Queen's Bench. He was also a member of the Privy Council and played a significant role in legal reforms during his time.
The name MILLMAN has also been associated with literary figures, such as Henry Milman (1779-1849), an English poet and dramatist who wrote several plays and contributed to the Quarterly Review. He is best known for his work "Samor, Lord of the Bright City," an epic poem based on British legend.
In more recent times, Howard Milman (1923-2012) was a respected British stage and film actor, known for his roles in productions such as "The Pianist" and "The Last Emperor." He had a long and distinguished career spanning over six decades in the entertainment industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millman
Among Census respondents with the surname Millman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Millman 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 Millman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,234
- Two or more races2.6% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millman
Millman 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
#11,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,688
+38 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 654 places
2020
#12,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,401
-287 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 692 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,009 | 2,650 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,663 | 2,688 | 0.91 | +38 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 654 places |
| 2020 | #12,355 | 2,401 | 0.80 | -287 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 692 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 Millman 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 | #11,663 | #12,355 | -5.9% |
| Count | 2,688 | 2,401 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.80 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millman bearers went from 2,688 to 2,401 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 692 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,663 to #12,355.
FAQ
Millman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,753 living Americans carry the surname Millman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,502 residents.
How common is Millman?
Millman ranks #12,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,401 people with the surname Millman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Millman.
Has Millman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millman went from 2,688 recorded bearers to 2,401. That is a decrease of 287 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,663 to #12,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Millman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Millman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Millman (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 Millman mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who owned, operated, or worked in a mill, particularly a grain 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 Millman (0.80 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 Americans have the surname Millman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.