NameCensus.

UK surname

Miller

An occupational surname referring to someone who owned or worked in a grain mill.

In the 1881 census there were 53,567 people recorded with the Miller surname, ranking it #50 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 76,610, ranked #53, down from #50 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wick and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wick South, Caithness South and Wick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Miller is 78,042 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.0%.

1881 census count

53,567

Ranked #50

Modern count

76,610

2016, ranked #53

Peak year

2010

78,042 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Miller had 53,567 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #50 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 76,610 in 2016, ranked #53.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 66,747 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Miller surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Miller surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Miller 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 35,720 #52
1861 historical 38,788 #50
1881 historical 53,567 #50
1891 historical 58,264 #50
1901 historical 66,747 #50
1911 historical 53,805 #67
1997 modern 73,249 #53
1998 modern 75,913 #53
1999 modern 76,342 #53
2000 modern 76,296 #53
2001 modern 74,221 #53
2002 modern 75,816 #53
2003 modern 74,043 #53
2004 modern 74,014 #53
2005 modern 73,241 #53
2006 modern 73,365 #52
2007 modern 73,979 #52
2008 modern 74,428 #52
2009 modern 76,195 #52
2010 modern 78,042 #53
2011 modern 76,674 #53
2012 modern 75,332 #53
2013 modern 76,883 #53
2014 modern 77,534 #53
2015 modern 76,800 #53
2016 modern 76,610 #53

Geography

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Where Millers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wick, Govan Combination and Gateshead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wick South, Caithness South, Wick North, Caithness North East and Caithness North West. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Wick Caithness
3 London parishes London 3
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Gateshead Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wick South Highland
2 Caithness South Highland
3 Wick North Highland
4 Caithness North East Highland
5 Caithness North West Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Miller

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Miller

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Miller, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Miller surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Miller household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Miller is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Miller is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Miller falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Miller 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 Miller, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Miller

The surname Miller is an occupational name that originated in England and parts of Germany in the medieval period. It referred to a person who operated a grain mill, a vital profession at the time for processing grains into flour. The name is derived from the Old English "mylnere" or Middle English "millere," meaning one who worked at a mill.

The miller was an essential worker in medieval communities, as grains were a dietary staple. Mills were often built along rivers or streams to harness water power for grinding grain. The earliest recorded instance of the surname Miller appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In medieval England, the Miller surname was found in various regions, including Essex, Kent, and Lincolnshire. Some early bearers of the name include William le Milner, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Petrus le Millere, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1218.

Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century, featured a character known as the Miller, depicting the bawdy and boisterous nature often associated with those in the profession at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Miller throughout history include:

1. Philip Miller (1691-1771), a renowned English botanist and horticulturist who worked at the Chelsea Physic Garden. 2. Johann Martin Miller (1750-1814), a German poet and playwright known for his satirical works. 3. William Henry Miller (1789-1848), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 5th Governor of North Carolina. 4. Joaquin Miller (1837-1913), an American poet and frontier writer whose real name was Cincinnatus Heine Miller. 5. Henry Miller (1891-1980), an American writer known for his controversial novels, including "Tropic of Cancer" and "Tropic of Capricorn."

The Miller surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Millers Dale in Derbyshire, England, and Millersport, Ohio, in the United States, reflecting the historical importance of mills and those who operated them.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Miller families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Miller 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. Lanarkshire leads with 5,656 Millers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.35x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 5,656 3.35x
Middlesex 5,268 1.01x
Lancashire 4,989 0.80x
Surrey 2,762 1.08x
Durham 2,200 1.41x
Yorkshire 2,027 0.39x
Kent 1,839 1.03x
Midlothian 1,504 2.15x
Hampshire 1,445 1.35x
Northumberland 1,273 1.64x
Essex 1,229 1.19x
Caithness 1,200 16.77x
Ayrshire 1,157 2.96x
Sussex 1,081 1.23x
Devon 1,000 0.92x
Stirlingshire 915 4.75x
Cheshire 907 0.79x
Perthshire 862 3.67x
Dorset 832 2.43x
Norfolk 812 1.01x
Warwickshire 787 0.60x
Angus 777 1.60x
Staffordshire 718 0.41x
Renfrewshire 707 1.75x
Cambridgeshire 618 1.87x
Fife 600 1.94x
Northamptonshire 593 1.21x
Nottinghamshire 590 0.84x
Cumberland 576 1.28x
Suffolk 569 0.89x
Dunbartonshire 565 4.02x
Gloucestershire 543 0.53x
Lincolnshire 495 0.59x
Somerset 494 0.59x
Leicestershire 430 0.74x
Buckinghamshire 368 1.16x
Orkney 361 6.28x
Hertfordshire 330 0.92x
Glamorgan 307 0.34x
Aberdeenshire 267 0.55x
Berkshire 234 0.60x
Derbyshire 233 0.28x
Wiltshire 227 0.49x
Oxfordshire 221 0.68x
Roxburghshire 216 2.28x
West Lothian 203 2.58x
Berwickshire 179 2.83x
Buteshire 157 4.96x
Clackmannanshire 145 3.36x
Argyllshire 143 0.98x
Dumfriesshire 137 1.19x
Bedfordshire 134 0.50x
Morayshire 134 1.65x
Monmouthshire 120 0.32x
Worcestershire 109 0.16x
Cornwall 108 0.18x
East Lothian 103 1.49x
Pembrokeshire 93 0.56x
Channel Islands 82 0.53x
Royal Navy 76 1.22x
Kinross-shire 71 5.37x
Shropshire 69 0.15x
Ross-shire 67 0.47x
Westmorland 67 0.58x
Wigtownshire 57 0.82x
Selkirkshire 55 1.16x
Peeblesshire 54 2.20x
Inverness-shire 53 0.34x
Kirkcudbrightshire 48 0.63x
Banffshire 41 0.38x
Isle of Man 31 0.32x
Herefordshire 30 0.14x
Flintshire 29 0.21x
Brecknockshire 26 0.25x
Denbighshire 26 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 25 0.24x
Sutherland 21 0.52x
Carmarthenshire 20 0.09x
Shetland 19 0.36x
Caernarfonshire 15 0.07x
Nairnshire 15 0.94x
Kincardineshire 13 0.20x
Rutland 10 0.26x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.06x
Cardiganshire 4 0.03x
Anglesey 2 0.02x
Merionethshire 2 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 1,594 Millers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.73x.

Place Total Index
Barony 1,594 3.73x
Govan 1,368 3.27x
Glasgow 996 3.32x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 672 2.39x
Wick 600 25.95x
Lambeth 513 1.13x
Islington London 458 0.90x
Dundee 421 2.33x
Portsea 401 1.91x
Hackney London 337 1.15x
St Pancras London 334 0.79x
Preston 322 1.94x
Liverpool 311 0.83x
Newington 310 1.61x
Gateshead 293 2.52x
Old Monkland 289 4.31x
Kensington London 277 0.95x
West Ham 277 1.22x
Camberwell 274 0.82x
Bethnal Green London 270 1.19x
Birmingham 254 0.58x
St Marylebone London 248 0.89x
Nottingham St Mary 245 1.34x
Shoreditch London 245 1.08x
Westoe 243 2.76x
Bishopwearmouth 240 1.80x
Falkirk 236 5.23x
Mile End Old Town 230 2.79x
Everton 220 1.11x
Battersea 218 1.13x
Toxteth Park 218 1.04x
Brighton 215 1.21x
Aston 207 0.57x
Paddington London 198 1.03x
Deptford St Paul 184 1.34x
Southwark St George Martyr 183 1.74x
Blackburn 176 1.07x
Bermondsey 172 1.11x
West Derby 172 0.95x
South Leith 166 2.11x
Kilsyth 164 13.34x
Chelsea London 161 1.02x
Latheron 160 13.36x
Lewisham 158 1.66x
Ashton Under Lyne 148 1.09x
Thurso 147 13.17x
Bothwell 142 3.10x
Leeds 140 0.48x
Stoke Upon Trent 139 0.74x
Croydon 138 0.98x
St George Hanover 135 1.98x
West Greenock 133 1.83x
New Monkland 132 2.64x
Hammersmith London 131 1.02x
Ardrossan 130 9.60x
Liff Benvie 128 1.74x
Bromley London 125 1.09x
Limehouse London 125 2.18x
Stronsay Eday 125 33.24x
Great Bolton 122 1.49x
Hamilton 122 2.59x
Kilmarnock 121 2.60x
Cambusnethan 120 3.20x
Rutherglen 119 4.80x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 115 1.27x
Maryhill 115 3.48x
Ramsgate 115 3.95x
Tottenham 115 1.38x
Clerkenwell London 113 0.92x
Hulme 113 0.87x
Manchester 113 0.41x
Poplar London 113 1.15x
St George In East 110 3.09x
St Ninians 110 5.76x
Elswick 108 1.74x
Barrow In Furness 105 1.24x
Kirkintilloch 104 5.45x
Warrington 101 1.37x
Birkenhead 100 1.09x
Eastbourne 100 2.47x
Great Grimsby 100 1.89x
Bow London 96 1.44x
Holy Trinity 95 0.76x
Great Yarmouth 94 1.41x
Bedlington 93 3.58x
Dalserf 93 5.51x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 93 1.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,442
Elizabeth 1,498
Sarah 1,185
Jane 800
Ann 689
Ellen 584
Eliza 556
Alice 539
Margaret 525
Annie 512
Emma 478
Emily 416
Hannah 306
Louisa 288
Martha 278
Harriet 242
Isabella 235
Charlotte 231
Maria 214
Florence 210
Catherine 206
Edith 193
Agnes 192
Caroline 190
Ada 183
Fanny 181
Kate 175
Susan 151
Frances 138
Clara 137
Anne 132
Lucy 124
Amelia 122
Harriett 113
Rose 109
Jessie 101
Rebecca 96
Julia 85
Eleanor 81
Matilda 80
Elizth. 74
Sophia 72
Susannah 72
Esther 71
Amy 70
Ethel 69
Minnie 68
Gertrude 64
Maud 64
Ruth 63

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 2,323
John 2,251
James 1,308
George 1,274
Thomas 1,202
Henry 823
Charles 694
Robert 657
Joseph 569
Alfred 400
Edward 350
Frederick 343
Arthur 320
Walter 283
Richard 277
Samuel 250
Albert 230
Harry 214
David 192
Frank 169
Ernest 140
Herbert 132
Wm. 113
Francis 106
Alexander 104
Edwin 104
Benjamin 94
Isaac 88
Peter 76
Fred 73
Thos. 72
Stephen 58
Andrew 54
Geo. 54
Chas. 47
Daniel 47
Percy 44
Jacob 42
Tom 42
Hugh 41
Mark 37
Edmund 36
Fredk. 36
Matthew 36
Sidney 36
Fredrick 35
Christopher 34
Philip 32
Robt. 31
Ralph 29

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 Miller households.

FAQ

Miller surname: questions and answers

How common was the Miller surname in 1881?

In 1881, 53,567 people were recorded with the Miller surname. That placed it at #50 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Miller surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 76,610 in 2016. That gives Miller a modern rank of #53.

What does the Miller surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who owned or worked in a grain mill.

What does the Miller map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Miller 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.