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Miller Family History

Miller Name Meaning

English and Scottish: occupational name for a miller. The standard modern vocabulary word represents the northern Middle English term miller an agent derivative of mille ‘mill’ reinforced by Old Norse mylnari (see Milner ). In southern western and central England Millward (literally ‘mill keeper’) was the usual term. In North America the surname Miller has absorbed many cognate surnames from other languages for example German Müller (see Mueller ) Dutch Mulder and Molenaar French Meunier Italian Molinaro Spanish Molinero Hungarian Molnár (see Molnar ) Slovenian Croatian and Serbian Mlinar Polish Młynarz or Młynarczyk (see Mlynarczyk ). Miller (including in the senses below) is the seventh most frequent surname in the US. South German Swiss German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Müller ‘miller’ (see Mueller ) and in North America also an altered form of this. This form of the surname is also found in other European countries notably in Poland Denmark France (mainly Alsace and Lorraine) and Czechia; compare 3 below. Americanized form of Polish Czech Croatian Serbian and Slovenian Miler ‘miller’ a surname of German origin.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Meller, Millen, Milner, Tiller, Maller, Diller, Biller, Millet, Miler

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Where is the Miller family from?

You can see how Miller families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Miller family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Miller families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 3,256 Miller families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 23% of all the recorded Miller's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Miller families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Miller surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Miller ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Miller. 13% of Miller men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Miller women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Miller were Truck Driver and Maid. .

View Census Data for Miller | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    13%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%
  • Maid
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Miller family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6 million census records available for the last name Miller. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Miller census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 588,000 immigration records available for the last name Miller. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 1 million military records available for the last name Miller. For the veterans among your Miller ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Miller lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Miller life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Miller in 1940 was 43, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Miller

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