Millar
A Scottish form of Miller, originally meaning someone who worked at or kept a mill.
The #5,086 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,856 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Millar is generally understood as a Scottish spelling and pronunciation variant of Miller. The core idea comes from Middle English and earlier forms meaning a mill worker or mill-keeper, ultimately from the word for a mill. Some older writers also connected the name with an assimilated form of Millward, but the occupational sense "at the mill" is the main explanation.
History
The surname is common in Scotland and Ulster, and historical sources treat it as the Scottish form of Miller. In Scottish records it appears alongside Miller and related mill-based surnames such as Milligan and Milliken. The name also shows up in English sources, but its strongest association remains Scottish usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1901 Irish onomastic study lists Millar among established surnames in Ireland, reflecting its long presence there as well as in Scotland.
From the historical record
“(Fr.) MILLAR for Millen, q.v. MILLARD (Fr.) Jhe French Mille (v. Mill (Fr.) + the dim. suff. -ard [Teut. hard] (Eng.) an assim. form of Mil I ward, q.v. MILLBANK (Ens;.) Dweller at the Mill-Bank [v. under Mill and Bank] M|LLBOURN(E (Eng.) Dweller at the Mill-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)