Miller (surname)
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Word/name | Scottish |
| Meaning | derived from the occupation of a miller |
| Region of origin | Scottish, English |
The surname Miller is primarily of Scottish origin, from Orkney, Caithness, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire. The origin of the scottish name comes from a burn (rivulet) in glasgow namely the molindinar Mo-lynn-dine-are and the name has evolved over the years to molindar Mo-lynn-dar and to molinar mo-lynn-ar and to Millar and finally to miller. The reason for the changes are due to the people who recorded births and deaths and is linked because of the popular way of phonetic spelling writing as it is sounded. It derives from the occupation of miller. The name also denotes Italian, German, English and Spanish ancestry.
The name Miller also originates from some places in England, notably Dorset and western Lancashire.
The name Miller also originates from Northern Ireland, notably County Antrim. Irish immigrants coming to America changed it from Muilleoir to Miller.
The name has been carried throughout the world with Scottish and English emigrants.
In the English-speaking world, the surname "Miller" is also the result of anglicizing last names of Germanic descent. "Mahler," "Mueller," "Muller" and "Moeller" have all been rendered variously as "Miller." It is also the south German and Swiss form of Müller.
The American surname has absorbed many cognate surnames from other European languages, for example French Meunier, Dumoulin, Demoulins, and Moulin; German Mueller; Dutch Molenaar; Italian Molinaro; Spanish Molinero; Hungarian Molnár; Slavic Mlinar, etc.
Because of this cognate absorption, the surname "Miller" can denote ancestry of almost any European nation, mainly England, Scotland, Italy, Spain and Germany. For example: one may have the surname "Miller" and have complete Italian ancestry, even though the surname does not end in a vowel like most Italian surnames.
According to the 1990 US Census, Miller was the 7th most common surname in the United States by 1990, accounting for 0.424% of the population.[1]
Distribution of the surname Miller
- Distribution of the surname Miller in Great Britain, 1881
- Distribution of the surname Miller in Great Britain, 1998
See also
References
- ^ United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 2008-07-04.