2000
#4,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Milburn
Derived from a place name meaning "mill stream" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,528 Americans carry the last name Milburn. That puts it at #4,626 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milburn 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 Milburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,192
Census rank
#4,626
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,437 bearers of the surname Milburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4626th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milburn
The surname Milburn is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning "mill" and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook". This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a mill on a stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from northern England and Scotland, where it was first established. One example is the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a Richard de Milleburn.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, where a Robert de Milburn is listed as holding lands in 1273. Additionally, the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, include a Robert de Milburn from Berwickshire, Scotland.
The Milburn name has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Milburn (c. 1545-1610), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northumberland in the late 16th century.
Another prominent individual was Ralph Milburn (1609-1698), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Brancepeth in County Durham. He published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, William Milburn (1734-1822) was a notable English architect who designed several buildings in Newcastle upon Tyne, including the Grade I listed Mansion House.
Moving into the 19th century, Joseph Milburn (1809-1868) was a British engineer and manufacturer who played a significant role in the development of early telegraph systems.
Finally, in the 20th century, George Milburn (1907-1966) was a British politician and Labour Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow Craigton from 1945 to 1959.
While the name has evolved over time with variations in spelling, such as Milbourne and Milburne, it has maintained its connection to its original meaning and geographical roots in northern England and southern Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Milburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Milburn 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 Milburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 5,986
- Black or African American11.7% · 867
- Two or more races3.8% · 283
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 232
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milburn
Milburn 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
#4,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,871
+117 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#4,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,437
-434 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,232 | 7,754 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,507 | 7,871 | 2.67 | +117 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #4,626 | 7,437 | 2.49 | -434 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 119 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 Milburn 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 | #4,507 | #4,626 | -2.6% |
| Count | 7,871 | 7,437 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.49 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milburn bearers went from 7,871 to 7,437 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,507 to #4,626.
FAQ
Milburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milburn?
Name Census estimates that about 8,528 living Americans carry the surname Milburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,192 residents.
How common is Milburn?
Milburn ranks #4,626 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,437 people with the surname Milburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Milburn.
Has Milburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milburn went from 7,871 recorded bearers to 7,437. That is a decrease of 434 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,507 to #4,626.
What does the Census say about the background of Milburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Milburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (5,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Milburn (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 Milburn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "mill stream" in Old English, referring to someone who 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 Milburn (2.49 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 last name Milburn?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Milburn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.