2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Milstid
Plausibly a Scandinavian surname derived from a place name related to a mill stream or waterway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Milstid. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milstid 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Milstid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milstid, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milstid
The surname MILSTID has its origins in the northern regions of England, originating in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mil" meaning mile and "stid" meaning place, suggesting it may have referred to a specific location or landmark a certain distance away from a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where a William Milstid is mentioned as a landowner. It is possible that this individual took his name from a nearby geographical feature or settlement known as the "mile place".
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name such as Mylestede, Milstede, and Milstyde began to appear in various records across northern England, including the Yorkshire Charters and the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1301. This indicates that the name had become more widespread and established during this period.
In 1327, a John Milstid is recorded as a resident of the village of Eccleshill, near Bradford in West Yorkshire. This suggests that the name may have had a strong presence in this particular area, potentially due to a local landmark or place name.
Notable individuals bearing the MILSTID surname include:
1. Robert Milstid (c. 1380 - 1442), a landowner and minor noble from Yorkshire who served as a member of parliament for the borough of Scarborough in 1420.
2. Alice Milstid (c. 1415 - 1487), a wealthy widow from Lancashire who endowed a chantry chapel in the parish church of Wigan in 1465.
3. Thomas Milstid (c. 1520 - 1589), a scholar and clergyman who served as the headmaster of the prestigious King's School in Canterbury during the latter part of the 16th century.
4. Elizabeth Milstid (c. 1570 - 1632), a philanthropist and benefactor from Yorkshire who donated funds for the construction of a new almshouse in the town of Wakefield in 1628.
5. John Milstid (1645 - 1721), a merchant and alderman of the city of York who served as Lord Mayor in 1698.
While the surname MILSTID is not as common today as it once was, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in northern England, where it likely referred to a specific location or landmark associated with a distance of one mile.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milstid
Among Census respondents with the surname Milstid, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Milstid 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 Milstid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milstid
Milstid appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Milstid 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milstid bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Milstid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milstid?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Milstid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Milstid?
Milstid ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Milstid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Milstid.
Has Milstid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milstid went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Milstid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milstid, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Milstid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milstid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Milstid (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 Milstid mean?
Plausibly a Scandinavian surname derived from a place name related to a mill stream or waterway. 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 Milstid (0.04 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 Milstid?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.