2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Milmine
A surname derived from a place named Milmine or a mill worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Milmine. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milmine 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Milmine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milmine, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milmine
The surname Milmine has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 14th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "muileann," meaning mill, and "mileadh," meaning knight or soldier. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a mill or a soldier who guarded a mill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The Ragman Rolls include the name "Milmyn" from around 1296, suggesting the name's existence during this period.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where it was spelled "Mylmyn" and "Mylmyne." These records indicate that the Milmine family held lands and properties in various parts of Scotland during this time.
The Milmine name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Milmine, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable Milmine was William Milmine, a 16th-century Scottish scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
In the 17th century, the Milmine family was prominent in the Scottish Borders region, with several members holding positions of authority and influence. One notable individual was Alexander Milmine, born in 1620, who served as the Provost of Jedburgh, a town in the Scottish Borders.
The 18th century saw the Milmine name spread beyond Scotland, with some members of the family settling in England and Ireland. One such individual was Robert Milmine, born in 1745, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in County Antrim, Ireland.
Throughout the 19th century, the Milmine surname continued to be found across Scotland, England, and Ireland. Notable individuals from this period include Sir James Milmine, a Scottish lawyer and judge born in 1810, and William Milmine, a Scottish-born American engineer and inventor born in 1855.
While the Milmine surname has a rich history and has been associated with notable individuals over the centuries, its origins and early development remain firmly rooted in the Scottish Gaelic language and the mill-related occupations and locations of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milmine
Among Census respondents with the surname Milmine, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Milmine 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 Milmine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 88
- Two or more races6.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milmine
Milmine 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 437 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-21 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 437 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 17,378 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 Milmine 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 | #138,304 | #155,682 | -12.6% |
| Count | 121 | 100 | -17.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milmine bearers went from 121 to 100 (-17.4% change). The surname moved down 17,378 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #155,682.
FAQ
Milmine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milmine?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Milmine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Milmine?
Milmine ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Milmine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Milmine.
Has Milmine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milmine went from 121 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 21 (-17.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Milmine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milmine, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Milmine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milmine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Milmine (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 Milmine mean?
A surname derived from a place named Milmine or a mill worker. 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 Milmine (0.03 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 last name Milmine?
Find out how many people have the last name Milmine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.