NameCensus.

UK surname

Mills

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

In the 1881 census there were 38,788 people recorded with the Mills surname, ranking it #79 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 50,617, ranked #95, down from #79 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Stroud and Rochdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mills is 52,472 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.5%.

1881 census count

38,788

Ranked #79

Modern count

50,617

2016, ranked #95

Peak year

1999

52,472 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mills had 38,788 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #79 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 50,617 in 2016, ranked #95.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 48,878 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mills surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mills surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mills 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 25,603 #78
1861 historical 26,619 #75
1881 historical 38,788 #79
1891 historical 41,289 #77
1901 historical 47,240 #80
1911 historical 48,878 #75
1997 modern 50,405 #87
1998 modern 52,133 #87
1999 modern 52,472 #87
2000 modern 51,944 #87
2001 modern 50,700 #87
2002 modern 51,975 #86
2003 modern 50,666 #88
2004 modern 50,736 #88
2005 modern 49,752 #91
2006 modern 49,497 #92
2007 modern 49,835 #93
2008 modern 50,032 #93
2009 modern 51,363 #92
2010 modern 52,265 #92
2011 modern 51,598 #92
2012 modern 50,488 #92
2013 modern 51,452 #93
2014 modern 51,568 #95
2015 modern 50,989 #95
2016 modern 50,617 #95

Geography

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Where Mills' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes and Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Stroud, Rochdale and Dover. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 010 Powys
2 Stroud 006 Stroud
3 Rochdale 001 Rochdale
4 Powys 012 Powys
5 Dover 011 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mills

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mills

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mills, 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 Mills surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mills 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Mills is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mills is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mills 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 Mills 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 Mills, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mills families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mills 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. Lancashire leads with 6,493 Mills' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.44x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 6,493 1.44x
Middlesex 4,104 1.08x
Surrey 2,582 1.40x
Yorkshire 2,020 0.54x
Kent 2,003 1.55x
Staffordshire 1,684 1.32x
Gloucestershire 1,566 2.11x
Warwickshire 1,564 1.64x
Sussex 1,292 2.02x
Hampshire 1,279 1.65x
Suffolk 976 2.12x
Essex 897 1.20x
Devon 811 1.03x
Worcestershire 808 1.63x
Nottinghamshire 757 1.48x
Cheshire 707 0.85x
Durham 665 0.59x
Lanarkshire 565 0.46x
Northumberland 560 0.99x
Derbyshire 534 0.90x
Wiltshire 476 1.42x
Somerset 438 0.72x
Norfolk 419 0.72x
Leicestershire 387 0.92x
Berkshire 386 1.36x
Glamorgan 384 0.58x
Northamptonshire 377 1.06x
Cornwall 331 0.77x
Lincolnshire 287 0.47x
Montgomeryshire 269 3.10x
Dorset 215 0.86x
Buckinghamshire 204 0.89x
Midlothian 194 0.38x
Angus 189 0.54x
Oxfordshire 177 0.76x
Hertfordshire 175 0.67x
Monmouthshire 163 0.60x
Radnorshire 161 5.27x
Cambridgeshire 133 0.55x
Renfrewshire 128 0.44x
Bedfordshire 116 0.59x
Shropshire 103 0.31x
Herefordshire 99 0.64x
Huntingdonshire 98 1.30x
Ayrshire 91 0.32x
Cumberland 87 0.27x
Pembrokeshire 80 0.66x
Perthshire 73 0.43x
Roxburghshire 68 0.99x
Denbighshire 56 0.39x
Stirlingshire 56 0.40x
Fife 54 0.24x
Dunbartonshire 48 0.47x
Berwickshire 42 0.92x
Royal Navy 39 0.86x
Channel Islands 37 0.33x
Wigtownshire 36 0.72x
Dumfriesshire 33 0.39x
Brecknockshire 32 0.42x
Selkirkshire 32 0.93x
Carmarthenshire 28 0.18x
Kirkcudbrightshire 20 0.36x
Isle of Man 18 0.26x
Merionethshire 18 0.26x
Flintshire 17 0.17x
Rutland 17 0.61x
Caernarfonshire 14 0.09x
Argyllshire 12 0.11x
West Lothian 9 0.16x
Cardiganshire 8 0.09x
Inverness-shire 8 0.07x
Nairnshire 6 0.52x
Westmorland 5 0.06x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.01x
East Lothian 3 0.06x
Anglesey 2 0.03x
Orkney 2 0.05x
Sutherland 2 0.07x
Banffshire 1 0.01x
Buteshire 1 0.04x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.03x
Kinross-shire 1 0.10x
Peeblesshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oldham in Lancashire leads with 1,045 Mills' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.20x.

Place Total Index
Oldham 1,045 7.20x
Islington London 490 1.33x
Spotland 483 9.66x
Aston 442 1.68x
Birmingham 377 1.18x
Lambeth 368 1.11x
Camberwell 365 1.51x
St Pancras London 358 1.17x
Castleton 346 7.71x
Ashton Under Lyne 246 2.50x
Brighton 224 1.74x
Radcliffe 224 10.34x
Wuerdle Wardle 220 16.12x
Newington 219 1.56x
Portsea 215 1.41x
St Marylebone London 215 1.06x
Hackney London 212 1.00x
Kensington London 202 0.96x
Cheltenham 191 3.33x
Manchester 191 0.94x
Shoreditch London 189 1.15x
Bethnal Green London 183 1.11x
Battersea 177 1.27x
Walsall Foreign 176 2.66x
Heap 175 7.34x
Stoke Upon Trent 167 1.23x
Tipton 164 4.19x
Croydon 163 1.59x
Liverpool 154 0.56x
Leeds 151 0.71x
Paddington London 150 1.08x
St George Hanover 147 2.97x
Barony 144 0.46x
Saddleworth 143 4.94x
West Ham 138 0.84x
Nottingham St Mary 136 1.03x
Butterworth 134 12.23x
Toxteth Park 132 0.87x
Dudley 125 2.08x
West Bromwich 125 1.71x
Ecclesall Bierlow 124 1.62x
Southwark St George Martyr 123 1.61x
Wardleworth 123 4.79x
Deptford St Paul 122 1.22x
Chadderton 121 5.51x
Sedgley 120 2.53x
Govan 117 0.39x
Royton 117 8.51x
Glasgow 116 0.53x
Salford 115 0.87x
Sheffield 114 0.95x
Hammersmith London 112 1.20x
Bury 110 2.14x
Chelsea London 109 0.95x
Crompton 108 8.44x
Kingston On Thames 103 2.32x
Mere 102 26.80x
Wolverhampton 98 1.00x
Great Yarmouth 96 1.99x
Bermondsey 94 0.83x
Dundee 94 0.72x
Poplar London 94 1.31x
Fulham London 93 1.69x
Mile End Old Town 93 1.56x
Plumstead 91 2.11x
Bromley London 88 1.06x
Godalming 88 7.57x
Loughborough 88 4.62x
Hulme 87 0.93x
Llanidloes 87 13.52x
Brightside Bierlow 86 1.17x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 86 1.23x
Greenwich 86 1.43x
Clerkenwell London 83 0.93x
Southampton St Mary 83 1.70x
Everton 82 0.57x
Lavenham 82 33.98x
Horsham 78 6.29x
St George In East 78 3.03x
West Derby 75 0.57x
Chorlton On Medlock 74 1.04x
Clifton 74 1.97x
Stroud 72 4.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,541
Elizabeth 1,456
Sarah 1,422
Ann 741
Jane 722
Alice 656
Ellen 634
Eliza 615
Emma 571
Annie 487
Emily 442
Hannah 418
Martha 340
Margaret 295
Louisa 250
Maria 249
Harriet 243
Fanny 236
Florence 227
Edith 225
Charlotte 219
Ada 200
Caroline 197
Kate 195
Clara 179
Catherine 152
Susan 148
Lucy 144
Frances 138
Harriett 137
Rose 118
Anne 116
Amelia 103
Esther 102
Matilda 101
Agnes 99
Sophia 95
Isabella 84
Julia 80
Betty 79
Susannah 78
Elizth. 77
Rebecca 72
Lydia 65
Amy 64
Jessie 63
Minnie 60
Rosa 57
Ethel 56
Eleanor 55

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 2,142
John 2,072
George 1,322
James 1,271
Thomas 1,190
Charles 841
Henry 826
Joseph 625
Edward 439
Alfred 432
Robert 427
Frederick 369
Samuel 348
Arthur 342
Richard 316
Walter 297
Albert 284
Harry 216
Frank 190
David 165
Herbert 156
Ernest 143
Edwin 140
Francis 106
Benjamin 102
Wm. 98
Daniel 92
Fred 79
Thos. 74
Isaac 72
Abraham 64
Edmund 62
Mark 55
Stephen 53
Fredrick 47
Peter 46
Sidney 44
Tom 40
Fredk. 39
Geo. 36
Chas. 34
Alexander 32
Matthew 31
Horace 29
Jesse 29
Percy 29
Jas. 27
Job 27
Josiah 27
Robt. 26

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 Mills households.

FAQ

Mills surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mills surname in 1881?

In 1881, 38,788 people were recorded with the Mills surname. That placed it at #79 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mills surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 50,617 in 2016. That gives Mills a modern rank of #95.

What does the Mills surname mean?

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

What does the Mills map show?

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