seven reflections
Login
Miller Name Meaning, Origins & History

Miller

Pronunciation: MIL-ur

Meaning Miller Origin surnames Gender Unisex
BOYS RANK
#369
TREND
69
GIRLS RANK
#571
TREND
186
Peak Years
2025, 2024, 2023
Lowest Years
1887, 1884, 1883
Energy Archetype
Hardworking & Dutiful

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Miller in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Miller

  • More than 13 thousand babies named Miller: U.S. records list 13,933 babies given the name Miller from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 2,763 girls received the name Miller - about 1 girl for every 4 boys.

What Does the Name Miller Mean?

Miller is an occupational name meaning "one who grinds grain at a mill." It comes from Middle English miller and mellere, which descend from Old English mylnere, a word taken from Late Latin molinarius. Behind that lies Latin molina, "mill," and the earlier mola, "millstone," both related to the verb molere, "to grind." The name therefore describes a job - the person who ran a grain mill - rather than a place, a father, or a personal quality.

The same occupation produced similar but independently formed family names in other languages, including German Müller, Dutch Molenaar and Mulder, French Meunier, and Italian Molinari. Each belongs to its own language; the English, German, and Dutch words simply happen to share the same Latin root.

Miller Name History & Origins

Miller is found as a surname in England from the Middle Ages. Because a grain mill was one of the few village facilities that required a skilled operator, the occupational name arose independently in many communities rather than descending from a single ancestor. Surviving Middle English spellings include Meller, Mylner, and Milner; Milner survives today as a separate surname. The name is also long established in Scotland, and in North America many families of German descent changed Müller to Miller, while Dutch Molenaar and Mulder were sometimes rendered the same way. Occupational surnames of this kind were frequently translated rather than merely respelled when families moved between languages.

Geoffrey Chaucer gave a miller a prominent place among the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, and the character's tale turns on a miller's dishonest tricks. That is a literary use of the trade, not the origin of the name; the surname is older than Chaucer's late fourteenth-century poem.

As a first name, Miller is a transferred surname. Giving a child a family surname - often the mother's maiden name - as a first name has a long history in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States, and a first name of this kind usually preserves a family connection rather than referring to an actual miller. It is used mainly for boys, following the usual pattern for surnames adopted as men's given names, though it appears occasionally for girls and in middle-name position.

How Popular is the Name Miller?

Miller recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #369 in 2025.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore More Lists with Name Miller

Most Popular Boy Names That Start with M

See List of Most Popular Boy Names Starting with M

How the Name Miller Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.

You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.

✦ Miller's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Miller's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
Explore Insights & Tips

Name Search