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

Mills, 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 Mills surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mills in America

Mills is the 182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mills surname appeared 151,942 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 52 people would have the surname Mills.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mills 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 Mills

The surname MILLS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "mylne" or "mulne," meaning a mill or a building equipped with machinery for grinding grain into flour. This occupational surname was originally given to individuals who worked in or owned a mill.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname MILLS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It includes entries such as "Aluric de Milles" in Cambridgeshire and "Robert de Molendinis" in Norfolk, which translates to "Robert of the Mills."

In the 12th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as "del Mulne," "de la Mulne," and "atte Mulne," reflecting the Old English and Anglo-Norman influences on the language during that period. These variations often indicated a person's association with a particular mill or their occupation as a miller.

One notable early bearer of the surname was John Mills, a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1376. Another individual of historical significance was Walter Mills, a renowned English clergyman and theologian who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname MILLS became more widespread and appeared in various forms, such as "Millis," "Mylles," and "Millys." It was also associated with certain place names, like Milltown or Millbrook, which further contributed to the surname's development.

In the 18th century, a notable figure was John Mills, an English author and playwright born in 1670 and best known for his work "The Mustapha" (1709). Around the same time, another prominent individual was John Mills III, an English-born American engineer and surveyor who played a significant role in the early development of Philadelphia (1738-1823).

In the 19th century, the surname gained further prominence with individuals like Charles Mills, an English-American entrepreneur and founder of Mills & Gibb, a successful shipping company (1788-1863), and John Stuart Mill, the influential English philosopher, political economist, and civil servant (1806-1873).

Throughout history, the surname MILLS has been borne by numerous individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations associated with this occupational surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mills

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

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

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

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