2000
#6,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,490
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Millsap
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked at or lived near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,096 Americans carry the last name Millsap. That puts it at #7,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millsap 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.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,259
Census rank
#7,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,444 bearers of the surname Millsap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millsap, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millsap
The surname Millsap has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning mill and "hop" meaning a small valley or hollow. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a mill in a small valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1208, where it appears as "de Milnehop". This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Milnehop".
During the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms such as "Milnehope" and "Mylnhope" in medieval records from counties like Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spellings of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Millsap include William Millsap (born around 1580), who was listed in the parish records of St. Olave, Hart Street, London in 1611. Another early bearer was John Millsap, born in 1620 in Oxfordshire, who later emigrated to Virginia, USA, in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, Thomas Millsap (1725-1799) was a prominent figure in North Carolina, serving as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War. His son, Jacob Millsap (1760-1838), was a farmer and landowner in the same state.
Moving into the 19th century, Samuel Millsap (1810-1892) was a Baptist minister and educator from Tennessee, who helped establish several schools and churches in the region. His contemporary, George W. Millsap (1818-1899), was a businessman and civic leader in Missouri.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Millsap has a rich history spanning several centuries, with roots firmly planted in medieval England and a presence that eventually spread to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millsap
Among Census respondents with the surname Millsap, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Millsap 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 Millsap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 3,265
- Black or African American17.0% · 755
- Two or more races4.5% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millsap
Millsap 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
#7,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,685
+195 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#7,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,444
-241 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,896 | 4,490 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,138 | 4,685 | 1.59 | +195 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #7,239 | 4,444 | 1.49 | -241 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 101 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 Millsap 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 | #7,138 | #7,239 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,685 | 4,444 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.49 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millsap bearers went from 4,685 to 4,444 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,138 to #7,239.
FAQ
Millsap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millsap?
Name Census estimates that about 5,096 living Americans carry the surname Millsap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,259 residents.
How common is Millsap?
Millsap ranks #7,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,444 people with the surname Millsap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Millsap.
Has Millsap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millsap went from 4,685 recorded bearers to 4,444. That is a decrease of 241 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,138 to #7,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Millsap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millsap, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Millsap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (3,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millsap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Millsap (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 Millsap mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked at or lived near a 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 Millsap (1.49 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 Millsap?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.