2000
#165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,909
First available Census row
Per 100,000 54.83
Common Last name
Mills
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked in or owned a mill, such as a grain mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 166,789 Americans carry the last name Mills. That puts it at #187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 48.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mills 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 Mills with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
167K
1 in 2,055
Census rank
#187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
48.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
145K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 145,448 bearers of the surname Mills in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 48.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mills, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mills
The surname MILLS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "mylne" or "mulne," meaning a mill or a building equipped with machinery for grinding grain into flour. This occupational surname was originally given to individuals who worked in or owned a mill.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MILLS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It includes entries such as "Aluric de Milles" in Cambridgeshire and "Robert de Molendinis" in Norfolk, which translates to "Robert of the Mills."
In the 12th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as "del Mulne," "de la Mulne," and "atte Mulne," reflecting the Old English and Anglo-Norman influences on the language during that period. These variations often indicated a person's association with a particular mill or their occupation as a miller.
One notable early bearer of the surname was John Mills, a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1376. Another individual of historical significance was Walter Mills, a renowned English clergyman and theologian who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname MILLS became more widespread and appeared in various forms, such as "Millis," "Mylles," and "Millys." It was also associated with certain place names, like Milltown or Millbrook, which further contributed to the surname's development.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was John Mills, an English author and playwright born in 1670 and best known for his work "The Mustapha" (1709). Around the same time, another prominent individual was John Mills III, an English-born American engineer and surveyor who played a significant role in the early development of Philadelphia (1738-1823).
In the 19th century, the surname gained further prominence with individuals like Charles Mills, an English-American entrepreneur and founder of Mills & Gibb, a successful shipping company (1788-1863), and John Stuart Mill, the influential English philosopher, political economist, and civil servant (1806-1873).
Throughout history, the surname MILLS has been borne by numerous individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations associated with this occupational surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mills
Among Census respondents with the surname Mills, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mills 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 Mills surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 108,457
- Black or African American16.5% · 23,949
- Two or more races4.2% · 6,149
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,797
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 931
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mills
Mills 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
#182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151,942
+4,033 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 51.51
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145,448
-6,494 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 48.66
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #165 | 147,909 | 54.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #182 | 151,942 | 51.51 | +4,033 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #187 | 145,448 | 48.66 | -6,494 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5 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 Mills 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 | #182 | #187 | -2.7% |
| Count | 151,942 | 145,448 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 51.51 | 48.66 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mills bearers went from 151,942 to 145,448 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #182 to #187.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mills
FAQ
Mills surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mills?
Name Census estimates that about 166,789 living Americans carry the surname Mills. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,055 residents.
How common is Mills?
Mills ranks #187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 48.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 145,448 people with the surname Mills. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (166,789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 48.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 48.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Mills.
Has Mills become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mills went from 151,942 recorded bearers to 145,448. That is a decrease of 6,494 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #182 to #187.
What does the Census say about the background of Mills?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mills, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mills in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (108,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mills appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (16.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mills (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 Mills mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked in or owned a mill, such as a grain 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 Mills (48.66 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 Mills?
Want to know how many people are called Mills? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.