2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Milter
A possible occupational name for someone engaged in milling or grinding grains or cereals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Milter. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milter 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 Milter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Milter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milter
The surname Milter is of English origin, first appearing in historical records during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Middle English word "milter," which referred to a person who worked at a mill or milled grain for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a certain William le Milter is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century, primarily in the counties of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
In the 13th century, variants of the name such as "Multer" and "Mylter" appeared in various documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, which lists a John le Multer among the residents of the county.
The Milter surname is closely tied to the occupational history of England, particularly in rural areas where mills were essential for grinding grains and other agricultural products. Many early bearers of the name likely worked directly in these mills or were involved in related trades.
One notable historical figure bearing the Milter surname was Sir John Milter, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Nottinghamshire during the 14th century. He is mentioned in the Lincolnshire Feet of Fines from 1346 as having acquired a significant parcel of land in the village of Brant Broughton.
In the 15th century, the Milter name appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Thomas Milter is recorded as a taxpayer in the village of Appleton. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its initial core areas and was becoming more widespread throughout northern England.
Another individual of note was William Milter, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of York during the early 16th century. He is mentioned in the York Civic Records of 1510 as having played an active role in the city's governance and trade affairs.
As the centuries progressed, the Milter surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with documented instances in parish records, wills, and other historical documents from counties such as Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milter
Among Census respondents with the surname Milter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Milter 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 Milter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 108
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milter
Milter 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 7,346 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 Milter 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 | #149,395 | #142,049 | 4.9% |
| Count | 110 | 120 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milter bearers went from 110 to 120 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 7,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,049.
FAQ
Milter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milter?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Milter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Milter?
Milter ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Milter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Milter.
Has Milter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milter went from 110 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 10 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Milter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Milter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Black (1.7%). 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 Milter (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 Milter mean?
A possible occupational name for someone engaged in milling or grinding grains or cereals. 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 Milter (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 last name Milter?
Find out how common the surname Milter is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.