Explore the Family Name Mills
The meaning of Mills
1. English: variant of Mill 1, with excrescent -s added in post-medieval times. Compare Mullins, from a French equivalent of this name, and see also Milnes. 2. English: either a variant of Miles, a variant of Mill 2, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s, or Myhill, with post-medieval excrescent -s. 3. Irish: this is usually the English name, especially in Ulster, but elsewhere in Ireland it was also adopted for the Gaelic topographic byname, an Mhuilinn ‘of the mill’. 4. In some cases also an Americanized form of Serbian or Croatian Milić (see Milic) or of some other surname beginning with Mil-.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Mills in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Mills experienced a slight shift in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Mills was ranked the 165th most popular surname but slipped to the 182nd position by 2010, showing a decrease of 10.3%. Despite this drop in rank, the count of individuals with the surname Mills still increased by 2.73% over the decade, from 147,909 in 2000 to 151,942 in 2010. However, the proportion of the Mills surname per 100,000 people decreased by 6.06%, moving from 54.83 in 2000 to 51.51 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #165 | #182 | -10.3% |
| Count | 147,909 | 151,942 | 2.73% |
| Proportion per 100k | 54.83 | 51.51 | -6.06% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mills
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Mills surname. From 2000 to 2010, there was a marked increase in the percentage of Mills identified as Asian/Pacific Islander (27.50%), Hispanic (53.29%), and those identifying with two or more races (37.33%). The percentage of Mills who identified as Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native also saw minor increases of 4.23% and 3.80%, respectively. However, the majority of individuals with the Mills surname identified as White, though this group saw a small decrease of 2.76% over the decade, moving from 79.70% in 2000 to 77.50% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.7% | 77.5% | -2.76% |
| Black | 16.09% | 16.77% | 4.23% |
| Hispanic | 1.52% | 2.33% | 53.29% |
| Two or More Races | 1.5% | 2.06% | 37.33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.79% | 0.82% | 3.8% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.51% | 27.5% |
Mills ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Mills is British & Irish, which comprises 55.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.4%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.1% |
| French & German | 22.4% |
| Eastern European | 3.7% |
| Other | 18.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Mills
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Mills have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.60% |
What Mills haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Mills is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L2, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Brown, Taylor, Young, Thompson, White, Green, Hall, Miller, Martin.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Mills surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Mills have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Mills" Surname 44.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Mills" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Mills" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Mills" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Mills?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Mills are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition