Miller (surname)


Miller and Millar are surnames of English, German, Irish, Scottish or Yiddish origin.
Miller is a common surname in: the United States, Bahamas, Falkland Islands, Cayman Islands and Canada, Jamaica, Scotland, New Zealand and Australia.

History

There are two homonymous forms of Miller, one that began as an occupational surname for a miller and another that began as a toponymic surname for people from a locale in Glasgow. Miller of the occupational origin may also be translated from many cognate surnames from other European languages, such as Mueller, Müller, Mühler, Moller, Möller, Møller, Myller, and others. There is also a form in the early English linguistics as Milleiir.
The standard modern word represents the northern Middle English term, an agent derivative of mille 'mill', reinforced by Old Norse mylnari. In southern, western, and central England, Millward was the usual term.
The name Miller also has a history in Northern Ireland, notably County Antrim where many migrants from Northern England and Scotland settled in the 17th century Ulster plantations.
In 2020, Miller was the 24th most common surname on the birth, death and marriage registers in Scotland; Millar is 75th.

In the United States

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Miller was the 7th most common surname in the United States, the number of occurrences was 1,161,437.
In 2007, about 1 in every 25 Americans were named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller or Davis. Miller was the seventh most common surname.
The surname Miller in the United States can also be the result of anglicization of:
Miller is also the third most common surname among Jews in the United States, from the Yiddish cognate of Müller, which would be Miller or Milner.
Miller is also the most common surname in the Amish, originating from Müller in Switzerland.