Miller
Miller was the 369th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 864 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 460 places. More babies were named Miller in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning miller · English
Say it MIL-er /ˈmɪlər/
- Rank in 2025
- #369 boys, up 330 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 864boys
- Girls and boys
- 34% girls, 66% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025864 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,935babies recorded
What does the name Miller mean?
Miller is an English and Scottish occupational surname for someone who ran a grain mill. Harrison (1918) glosses it "corn-grinder" and derives it from Middle English millere, an assimilated form of milnere, from milne, "mill"; Dictionary.com gives the same history. It is one of the commonest surnames in Britain and the US, and is now used as a first name for boys and girls.
millere (Middle English, “miller”)milne (Middle English, “mill”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Milner, Mills, Muller.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Miller', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'MILLER', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'miller', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Miller popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #571 | #369 | 528 | 864 |
| 2020 | #1,523 | #699 | 140 | 365 |
| 2010 | #4,372 | #1,033 | 34 | 188 |
| 2000 | #7,443 | #1,482 | 14 | 83 |
| 1990 | #14,438 | #2,295 | 5 | 31 |
| 1980 | — | #3,053 | — | 15 |
| 1970 | — | #1,778 | — | 25 |
| 1960 | — | #1,650 | — | 25 |
| 1950 | — | #1,249 | — | 34 |
| 1940 | — | #964 | — | 45 |
| 1930 | #5,038 | #821 | 5 | 63 |
| 1920 | #4,783 | #709 | 6 | 84 |
| 1910 | — | #648 | — | 21 |
| 1900 | — | #691 | — | 14 |
| 1890 | — | #590 | — | 12 |
| 1880 | — | #787 | — | 7 |
How popular is Miller, counting every spelling?
Miller has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #382 for boys in 2025, against #369 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Rhys/Reece/Rhyse move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Miller?
864 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Miller (0.24 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Miller born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Miller.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Miller?
About 8,600 people born in the US named Miller are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 4 and 20. That makes Miller a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Miller by state
How common Miller was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (4.1×), Louisiana (3.0×), South Carolina (2.9×), Mississippi (2.7×), Georgia (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Miller: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Miller, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Miller · Sibling names for Miller
Questions about the name Miller
What does Miller mean?
Miller means “miller” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Miller?
Miller was the 369th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 864 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 460 places. More babies were named Miller in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Miller a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 34% girls, 66% boys given the name Miller in the US.
Where is Miller most popular?
In 2021–2025, Miller was most common in Alabama (1.45 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and South Carolina.