NameCensus.

UK surname

Mifflin

An Old English place name meaning "milltown" or a habitational name for someone from any of several places so named.

In the 1881 census there were 62 people recorded with the Mifflin surname, ranking it #24,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 197, ranked #19,777, up from #24,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stoke Prior, Humber, Sheffield and Rugeley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Herefordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mifflin is 215 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 217.7%.

1881 census count

62

Ranked #24,843

Modern count

197

2016, ranked #19,777

Peak year

2013

215 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mifflin had 62 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 197 in 2016, ranked #19,777.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 137 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mifflin surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mifflin surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mifflin surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mifflin over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 30 #27,891
1861 historical 38 #29,216
1881 historical 62 #24,843
1891 historical 92 #25,109
1901 historical 121 #20,444
1911 historical 137 #18,880
1997 modern 143 #21,761
1998 modern 204 #17,896
1999 modern 203 #18,081
2000 modern 194 #18,554
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 201 #18,236
2003 modern 191 #18,628
2004 modern 193 #18,622
2005 modern 187 #18,924
2006 modern 184 #19,254
2007 modern 192 #18,975
2008 modern 186 #19,524
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 202 #19,154
2012 modern 208 #18,720
2013 modern 215 #18,598
2014 modern 214 #18,825
2015 modern 201 #19,494
2016 modern 197 #19,777

Geography

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Where Mifflins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stoke Prior, Humber, Sheffield, Rugeley, Newcastle-under Lyne and Bristol City: St James. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Herefordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Stoke Prior, Humber Herefordshire
2 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Rugeley Staffordshire
4 Newcastle-under Lyne Staffordshire
5 Bristol City: St James Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Herefordshire 002 Herefordshire, County of
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 006 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Herefordshire 003 Herefordshire, County of
4 Herefordshire 021 Herefordshire, County of
5 Newcastle-under-Lyme 014 Newcastle-under-Lyme

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mifflin

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mifflin surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mifflin

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mifflin, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Mifflin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mifflin household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mifflin is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mifflin is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mifflin falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mifflin is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mifflin, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mifflin

The surname Mifflin has its origins in the region of Metz, France, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mefflin," which means "one who is wasteful or extravagant." This term likely originated from the Latin word "minufacere," meaning "to lessen or diminish."

The name Mifflin first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, when it was recorded as "Mefflin" in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vincent de Metz, a manuscript containing charters and deeds related to the Abbey of Saint-Vincent in Metz.

In the 13th century, the surname was also found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England, compiled by order of William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that families bearing the name Mifflin had migrated to England by that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mifflin was Thomas Mifflin, born in 1744 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a prominent American merchant, soldier, and politician, serving as the first Governor of Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1799.

Another notable figure was Samuel W. Mifflin, born in 1776 in Philadelphia, who was a lawyer and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1807 to 1813.

In the 19th century, George Mifflin Dallas, born in 1792 in Philadelphia, was a prominent politician and diplomat, serving as the 11th Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk from 1845 to 1849.

The name Mifflin is also associated with several place names, such as Mifflin County in Pennsylvania, named after Thomas Mifflin, and the town of Mifflinburg, also in Pennsylvania.

Another individual of note was John H. Mifflin, born in 1833 in Philadelphia, who was a Civil War veteran and served as a United States Congressman from Pennsylvania from 1879 to 1881.

While the surname Mifflin is not as common today as it once was, it remains an important part of American history, with its roots tracing back to medieval France and its subsequent migration to England and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mifflin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mifflin surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Staffordshire leads with 20 Mifflins recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.80x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 20 9.80x
Herefordshire 16 64.52x
Gloucestershire 9 7.59x
Yorkshire 8 1.33x
Wiltshire 5 9.35x
Berkshire 2 4.41x
Somerset 2 2.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newcastle Under Lyme in Staffordshire leads with 13 Mifflins recorded in 1881 and an index of 360.11x.

Place Total Index
Newcastle Under Lyme 13 360.11x
Leominster Out 11 4782.61x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 65.63x
Rugeley 6 410.96x
Bristol St James In 5 287.36x
Docklow 4 10000.00x
Swindon 4 96.39x
Portishead 2 277.78x
Wantage 2 277.78x
Winchcomb 2 338.98x
Bristol St Augustine 1 52.36x
Cricklade St Sampson 1 400.00x
Hatherton 1 1111.11x
Leominster 1 97.09x
Stapleton 1 44.44x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mifflin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mifflin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 7
Charles 2
Joseph 2
Samson 2
William 2
Albert 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Geo.Henry 1
George 1
Henry 1
Infant 1
James 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1
Wm.Lowe 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mifflin households.

FAQ

Mifflin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mifflin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 62 people were recorded with the Mifflin surname. That placed it at #24,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mifflin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 197 in 2016. That gives Mifflin a modern rank of #19,777.

What does the Mifflin surname mean?

An Old English place name meaning "milltown" or a habitational name for someone from any of several places so named.

What does the Mifflin map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mifflin bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.