The McMillian surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,765 people carried this name — #3,043 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 25,100 people counted. That is up 7% from 11,012 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McMillian surname

Variant of McMillan.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McMillian» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, McMillian was counted together with McMillen: 91 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 526 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McMillen, McMellen, McMellens, McMillan, Mcmillan, Mcmillen, McMillian, McMillin, McMillion, Mcmillion, Macmillion, McMillon. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 45
Pennsylvania 16
South Carolina 13
Virginia 8
Massachusetts 4
New Hampshire 3
New York 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McMillian in American newspapers,
1901–1928.

Newspaper page from Northern Wisconsin Advertiser carrying the name McMillian
Northern Wisconsin Advertiser 1906-05-24
Newspaper page from The Webster Echo carrying the name McMillian
The Webster Echo 1901-08-30
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name McMillian
Evening Star 1928-12-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,328 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McMillian in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

346 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McMillian. The most, 56, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 133
Victoria 60
South Australia 53
Queensland 47
Western Australia 44
ACT (Canberra) 4
Tasmania 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McMillian.

Who carried it

People named McMillian,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jim McMillian
    Jim McMillian 1948–2016 · basketball player
  • Theodore McMillian
    Theodore McMillian 1919–2006 · lawyer
  • Walter McMillian 1941–2013

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McMillian,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States396 records

396 records of the McMillian name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 216
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 106
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 25
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 18
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 17
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James T. McMillian

    Born 1922 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Bragg; waiter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Cumberland Memorial Gardens, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert David McMillian

    Born 1946; from Dunn, North Carolina. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James McMillian

    Arrived at New York in 1863 aboard the Victory from Liverpool, aged 25; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 396 records for McMillian in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada36 records

36 records of the McMillian name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 29
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 5
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Richard Henry McMillian

    Buried in 1973 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 19.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Roderick McMillian

    Died 1944 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Sophia Grace McMillian

    Died 1907; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 36 records for McMillian in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia31 records

31 records of the McMillian name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 23
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William McMillian

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Minerva, arriving 1821; certificate of freedom 1829.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas McMillian

    Arrived in Queensland in 1926 aboard the Pakeha, aged 11.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Rita Mary McMillian

    Of Bentleigh, Victoria; died 1972.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for McMillian in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the McMillian name in New Zealand Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Willam McMillian

    Died 1957; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the McMillian name in the United Kingdom Scottish rolls of honour, First World War
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John McMillian

    Born 1894 at Glasgow; ploughman. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McMillian.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McMillian is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the McMillian volume
Scroll to Top