Explore the Family Name Milestone

The meaning of Milestone

English (Yorkshire): topographic name from Middle English milestone ‘milestone’. History: The film director Lewis Milestone (1895–1980) was of Jewish origin, born as Lev Milstein in Chisinau, Moldova. He adopted the name by which he was to become famous after coming to the US in 1914.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Milestone in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Milestone saw a slight decrease in popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the surname Milestone fell from 109,915 in 2000 to 116,201 in 2010, marking a 5.72% drop. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of people with this surname marginally increased by 0.67%, from 149 in 2000 to 150 in 2010. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the surname Milestone declined by 16.67%, moving from 0.06 in 2000 to 0.05 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#109,915#116,201-5.72%
Count1491500.67%
Proportion per 100k0.060.05-16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Milestone

As for the ethnicity associated with the surname Milestone, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that it is predominantly linked to the White ethnic group. In 2000, 93.96% of those bearing the surname identified as White, and this figure slightly increased to 94% in 2010. Over the same period, a small portion of individuals with the last name Milestone identified as Hispanic, with their percentage slightly decreasing from 3.36% in 2000 to 3.33% in 2010. There were no recorded instances of the surname being associated with Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities, or those identifying with two or more races.

20002010Change
White93.96%94%0.04%
Hispanic3.36%3.33%-0.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%