How common is the surname McMillan?

40,237 people in the United States had the surname McMillan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,673 Americans. It ranked 860th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named McMillan?

Edwin McMillan, American physicist (1907-1991), followed by Nate McMillan.

Where is the surname McMillan most common?

Wikidata records people named McMillan in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

How do you pronounce McMillan?

McMillan is /məkˈmɪlən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname McMillan getting more or less common?

More common. 38,896 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 40,237 in 2010, up 3.4%.

The surname McMillan

A Scottish Gaelic patronymic surname, carried by 40,237 people in the United States.

Pronounced /məkˈmɪlən/ 3 syllables Soundex M254

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McMillan is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Maoláin (“son of Maolán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive of maol (“bald, tonsured”). Cognate with Irish Mac Maoláin.

McMillan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 40,237 people named McMillan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,673 Americans. That is up 3.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 38,896.

#860

rank among US surnames

40,237

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.4%

change since 2000 (was #810)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#851	Crosby	40,563	7,612
#852	Fitzpatrick	40,449	7,633
#853	Donovan	40,410	7,640
#854	Mays	40,408	7,641
#855	Mahoney	40,397	7,643
#856	Valentine	40,395	7,643
#857	Raymond	40,275	7,666

Who is named McMillan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

68% of people named McMillan identified as white (not Hispanic), 26% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 68%
Black (not Hispanic) 26%
Two or more races 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McMillans

18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Edwin McMillan
American physicist (1907-1991)
Nate McMillan
American basketball player-coach, born 1964
Terry McMillan
American author, born 1951
Robert S. McMillan
American astronomer, born 1950
Kenneth McMillan
American actor (1932-1989)
Kathy McMillan
American long jumper, born 1957
William McMillan
American sport shooter (1929-2000)
Samuel J. R. McMillan
American politician (1826–1897)
James McMillan
American politician (1838–1902)
Tetairoa McMillan
American football player (born 2003)
Thomas S. McMillan
Baseball player and coach, lawyer, politician (1888-1939)
Glenn McMillan
Brasilian-Australian actor, born 1984

Notable McMillans come mostly from the United States (16), Australia (1) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McMillan

McMillan has the Soundex code M254, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M254.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McMillan come from?: Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Maoláin (“son of Maolán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive of maol (“bald, tonsured”). Cognate with Irish Mac Maoláin.
How common is the surname McMillan?: 40,237 people in the United States had the surname McMillan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,673 Americans. It ranked 860th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McMillan?: In the 2010 Census, 68% of people named McMillan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 26% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named McMillan?: Edwin McMillan, American physicist (1907-1991), followed by Nate McMillan.
Where is the surname McMillan most common?: Wikidata records people named McMillan in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
How do you pronounce McMillan?: McMillan is /məkˈmɪlən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is McMillan?: McMillan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McMillan getting more or less common?: More common. 38,896 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 40,237 in 2010, up 3.4%.