unisex name
Miller
MIL-er
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 17,269
the United States
#369
2025 births
Miller is a unisex name of English origin, the occupational surname for someone who ground grain into flour. It comes from the Middle English mille and belongs to the same family of trade names as Baker, Cooper and Taylor that have moved into use as first names.
- Miller is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,392 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,382 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Miller over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 102 |
| 1890s | 98 |
| 1900s | 140 |
| 1910s | 546 |
| 1920s | 758 |
| 1930s | 536 |
| 1940s | 416 |
| 1950s | 402 |
| 1960s | 269 |
| 1970s | 233 |
| 1980s | 216 |
| 1990s | 598 |
| 2000s | 1,379 |
| 2010s | 3,072 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,170 |
What Miller means
Miller means one who works a mill, grinding grain into flour. In a medieval village the miller held one of the few pieces of heavy machinery for miles, which made the role both essential and, in the literature of the period, frequently suspected.
Where Miller comes from
Miller derives from the Middle English mille, from the Latin molina, and displaced the older English form millward. The lord of a manor generally owned the mill and required tenants to grind there for a fee, which made millers wealthy, unpopular, and a stock figure of medieval satire — Chaucer's miller in The Canterbury Tales is a thief with a thumb of gold. The same trade produced the German Müller and the Dutch Molenaar, and Miller is one of the most common surnames in the English-speaking world. First-name use is recent and follows the wider fashion for occupational surnames.
Miller in use
Miller reached its highest recorded use in 2025, the most recent year we hold, having first appeared in the records in 1880.
How popular is Miller?
In 2025, Miller was given to 1,392 babies in the United States, ranking #369 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Miller is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Miller
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Miller also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Miller over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Miller
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Miller in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Miller
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Miller — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Miller
What does the name Miller mean?
Miller means one who works a mill, grinding grain into flour. It began as an occupational surname.
Is Miller a boy's or a girl's name?
It is used for both, though more often for boys.
Is Miller a common name?
Miller is one of the most common surnames in English, but as a first name it is still uncommon and rising.
How popular is the name Miller?
In 2025, Miller was given to 1,392 babies in the United States, ranking #369 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Miller?
Miller has 2 syllables.
When was Miller most popular?
Miller peaked in 2025, when 1,392 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Miller?
Miller is usually shortened to Milly.
Is Miller a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Miller currently ranks #208 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.