Given name & surname
Mills
“one who lives near the mill”
Mills is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who lives near the mill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who lives near the mill.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mills through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,045
- 919 boys · 126 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 61 babies
- 2025
- 61
- #2,783 for boys · #7,382 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +64%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 46 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,783 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 43.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 15 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 703 as a first name in 2020; 145,448 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mills’s family of names
Mills has a related form in Miller. Mills has a related form in Mylls. In Greek usage, Mills as a surname is a transliteration of Μιλλς.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Mills
- Mills Watsonactorborn 1940
- Mills GodwinAmerican politician (1914-1999)
- Mills LaneAmerican judge, boxer, boxing referee1937–2022
- Mills GardnerAmerican politician1830–1910
- Mills DardenAlleged largest man in history1799–1857
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mills, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Aris
“the best” · “one who is superior”
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Collier
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“from the stag's ford”
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“resembling a jaybird”
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“a man from the north”
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Hyland
“high”
71% boys · 29% girls