2000
#5,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Rare Last name
Millar
A Scottish occupational surname referring to someone who worked in a mill or was a miller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,414 Americans carry the last name Millar. That puts it at #5,218 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Millar 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 Millar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,231
Census rank
#5,218
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,465 bearers of the surname Millar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5218th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Millar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Millar
The surname Millar is of Scottish origin, derived from the occupation of a miller, one who operated a mill to grind grain. The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland, with various early spellings including Millare, Millar, and Myllar.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Millar, who was recorded in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish landholders who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror, suggesting its use in England as well.
The Millar surname is closely associated with the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the counties of Berwickshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire. In the 16th century, the name was prominent in the town of Jedburgh, where a family of Millars held influential positions as burgesses and merchants.
Notable individuals with the surname Millar throughout history include Andrew Millar (1707-1768), a Scottish bookseller and publisher in London who played a significant role in the literary world of the 18th century. He published works by authors such as Samuel Johnson, David Hume, and Edward Gibbon.
Another prominent figure was John Millar (1735-1801), a Scottish philosopher and legal scholar who was a professor at the University of Glasgow. His work "An Historical View of the English Government" was influential in the development of the theory of social progress.
In the realm of literature, Mark Millar (born 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer known for his work on titles such as "Kick-Ass," "Wanted," and "The Ultimates." His comics often explore themes of superheroes and vigilantism in a gritty, contemporary setting.
Andrew Millar (1870-1942) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan from 1935 to 1941. He was also a successful businessman and agriculturalist.
Lastly, John Millar (1886-1934) was a Scottish professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1912 and 1924. He was a pioneer in the development of golf courses and contributed significantly to the game's popularity in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Millar
Among Census respondents with the surname Millar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Millar 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 Millar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 5,612
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 261
- Two or more races3.9% · 249
- Black or African American3.3% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Millar
Millar 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
#5,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,883
+715 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 118 places
2020
#5,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,465
-418 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,204 | 6,168 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,086 | 6,883 | 2.33 | +715 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 118 places |
| 2020 | #5,218 | 6,465 | 2.16 | -418 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 132 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 Millar 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 | #5,086 | #5,218 | -2.6% |
| Count | 6,883 | 6,465 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.16 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Millar bearers went from 6,883 to 6,465 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,086 to #5,218.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Millar
FAQ
Millar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Millar?
Name Census estimates that about 7,414 living Americans carry the surname Millar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,231 residents.
How common is Millar?
Millar ranks #5,218 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.16 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 6,465 people with the surname Millar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.16 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 Millar.
Has Millar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Millar went from 6,883 recorded bearers to 6,465. That is a decrease of 418 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,086 to #5,218.
What does the Census say about the background of Millar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Millar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Millar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (5,612 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Millar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Millar (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 Millar mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to someone who worked in a mill or was a miller. 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 Millar (2.16 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 Millar?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Millar? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.