The Millar surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,883 people carried this name — #5,086 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 42,900 people counted. That is up 12% from 6,168 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Millar surname

A surname originating as an occupation, a variant of Miller.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 166 births for the Millar name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 7,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Miller.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 133
Leinster 22
Munster 7
Connacht 4

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 747 people named Millar live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Río Negro.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Río Negro 305
Buenos Aires Province 200
Chubut 112
Neuquén 81
Santa Cruz 24
Mendoza 13
City of Buenos Aires 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 37 people named Millar.

Most of them — 21 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 21
Paris 5
Marne 4
Hauts-de-Seine 4
Oise 2
Val-de-Marne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

37 people named Millar live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 19
Vaud 6
Zurich 5
Lucerne 4
Obwalden 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

49 people named Millar are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 29
Finland (2026) 20

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland, 1880s

Millar was 30 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 333. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Found over the greater part of Scotland, but rare in the north.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 592 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Millar was recorded 220 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 87th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 418. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Millar was counted together with Miller: 2,225 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 12,694 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Miller, Milaw, Miler, Milla, Millar, Millare, Millers, Millir, Millor, Millr. 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

Pennsylvania 889
New York 356
Maryland 172
North Carolina 167
Virginia 152
Massachusetts 138
South Carolina 110
Connecticut 101
Vermont 40
New Hampshire 35
Maine 34
Rhode Island 31

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. 254 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Millar in American newspapers,
1907–1927.

Newspaper page from The Port Gibson Reveille carrying the name Millar
The Port Gibson Reveille 1907-06-13
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Millar
The Ronan Pioneer 1927-11-24
Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Millar
St. Tammany Farmer 1918-07-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 138,666 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Millar in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

83,951 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Millar. The most, 12,239, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 27,036
Victoria 20,795
New South Wales 16,573
Western Australia 6,771
South Australia 6,484
Tasmania 5,432
ACT (Canberra) 432
Northern Territory 91

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

Who carried it

People named Millar,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Duncan Millar d. 2022 · composer
  • Alick Millar d. 1912 · politician
  • Gregory Millar d. 2002 · conductor
  • William Millar d. 1776 · painter
  • William Millar d. 1838 · military leader
  • Robert Millar d. 1981 · rugby union player

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Millar,
in the records of 8 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 States1,448 records

1,448 records of the Millar name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 435
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 376
  • Other U.S. records 637
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles Millar

    Born 1913 in United Kingdom. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Upton Yaphank, New York; janitor. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1986, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lizzie Millar

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow and Londonderry, aged 20; servant. From Tyrone, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Peter Edmund Millar

    Born 1948; from Paramus, New Jersey. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,448 records for Millar in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia2,681 records

2,681 records of the Millar name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,318
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 487
  • Other Australian records 876
  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 Elizabeth Millar

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from London in 1850. Native of Longtown, Cumberland. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Janet Millar

    Died 1871 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 60. Will registered in Tasmania in 1871.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Millar

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Sorata, aged 59; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,681 records for Millar in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom332 records

332 records of the Millar name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 224
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 68
  • Other British records 40
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Linton Millar

    Born 1880 at Madras; medical practitioner. Died 1918. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sara Millar

    Died 1991, aged 50; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Millar

    Will proved in 1931; of Colwyn Bay, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 332 records for Millar in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). 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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada322 records

322 records of the Millar name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 114
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 64
  • Other Canadian records 144
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Millar

    Came to Ontario in 1877 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Southampton, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Craig Millar

    Buried in 1993 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 90.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Theodore L. Millar

    Died 1999, aged 85; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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

Showing 3 of 322 records for Millar in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands76 records

76 records of the Millar name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 41
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 25
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 10
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hannah Millar

    Married in 1872 in Rotterdam. Died 1917 in Rotterdam, aged 71.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Margareth Millar

    Born 1866 in Rotterdam. Married in 1895 in Alblasserdam. Died 1943 in Barneveld, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marij Millar

    Born 1844 in Delfshaven. Married in 1865 in Rotterdam. Died 1914 in Rotterdam, aged 69.

    Open Archives, Nationaal Archief Rijksarchief Zuid-Holland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 76 records for Millar in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand73 records

73 records of the Millar name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 49
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 9
  • Other New Zealand records 15
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Elizabeth Millar

    Died 1980, aged 57; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Millar

    Died 1893, aged 24; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Zelma Agnes Millar

    Died 1989, aged 77; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 73 records for Millar in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel 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).

France13 records

13 records of the Millar name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Solange Aimee Julia Millar

    Born 1914 in Reims; died 1975 in Reims (Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Henri Louis Millar

    Born 1903 in Compiègne; died 1981 in Compiègne (Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 13 records for Millar in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Norway4 records

4 records of the Millar name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record William S.k. Millar

    Census of 1910: Bispegate, Trondhjem; born 1907 in Trondhjem.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Signe Flor Millar

    Census of 1910: Bispegate, Trondhjem; born 1882 in Tanen Finmarken.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Millar in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Millar.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Millar.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Millar 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 Millar volume
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