2000
#48,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 407
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Milloy
A surname derived from the Old French 'milloi' meaning a miller or grinder of grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 533 Americans carry the last name Milloy. That puts it at #48,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 643,066 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milloy 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 Milloy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
533
1 in 643,066
Census rank
#48,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
465
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 465 bearers of the surname Milloy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milloy
The surname Milloy is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "molloy" or "moloy," meaning "a bare hill or summit." This suggests that the name was originally associated with those who lived on or near a barren hilltop or elevated area.
One of the earliest documented references to the Milloy name can be found in the Scottish Borders region, where the family is thought to have originated. In the 16th century, records show that a branch of the Milloy clan had settled in the area around Roxburghshire and Dumfriesshire.
During the 17th century, the Milloy surname began to spread across Scotland, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was John Milloy, a Scottish minister and theologian born in 1642, who served as the minister of Pencaitland Parish Church in East Lothian.
In the 18th century, the Milloy name gained prominence with the birth of Robert Milloy (1735-1809), a renowned Scottish architect and surveyor. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the old College of Edinburgh and the North Bridge.
As the Milloy family continued to grow and disperse throughout the United Kingdom, some members migrated to other parts of the world, including North America. One notable figure was William Milloy (1826-1892), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1887.
Another significant individual bearing the Milloy surname was Sir Frederick Milloy (1867-1952), a British military officer who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Throughout its history, the Milloy surname has been associated with various spellings and variations, including Molloy, Mullay, and Mulloy, reflecting the diverse regional dialects and linguistic influences encountered by the family over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milloy
Among Census respondents with the surname Milloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Milloy 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 Milloy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.9% · 339
- Black or African American17.2% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 25
- Two or more races3.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milloy
Milloy 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
#51,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 400
-7 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,276 places
2020
#48,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
+65 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,964 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,665 | 407 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,941 | 400 | 0.14 | -7 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,276 places |
| 2020 | #48,977 | 465 | 0.16 | +65 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 2,964 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 Milloy 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 | #51,941 | #48,977 | 5.7% |
| Count | 400 | 465 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.16 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milloy bearers went from 400 to 465 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 2,964 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,941 to #48,977.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Milloy
FAQ
Milloy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milloy?
Name Census estimates that about 533 living Americans carry the surname Milloy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 643,066 residents.
How common is Milloy?
Milloy ranks #48,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 465 people with the surname Milloy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Milloy.
Has Milloy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milloy went from 400 recorded bearers to 465. That is an increase of 65 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #51,941 to #48,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Milloy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Milloy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.9% (339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milloy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.9%), Black (17.2%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Milloy (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 Milloy mean?
A surname derived from the Old French 'milloi' meaning a miller or grinder of grain. 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 Milloy (0.16 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 surname Milloy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.