Milne
A surname originally used for someone who lived by a mill, especially in Scotland and northern England.
The #5,555 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,336 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Milne comes from Middle English forms such as milne and myln(e), meaning “mill,” from Old English mylen/myln and ultimately Latin molina, also “mill.” In surname use, it usually identified someone who lived at or by a mill, with early forms like atte Milne meaning “at the mill.” The related names Milner and Mills come from the same root, though Milner more often refers to the occupation of miller.
History
The name is well established in medieval English records, and the form Milne is especially common in Scotland and northern England. Some sources also note a Milne clan or sept in Roxburghshire. In later centuries the surname spread more widely through Britain and to countries of settlement overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical record glosses a related form as “Alexander of the Golden Mill,” showing how surnames from mills could be very literal and descriptive.
From the historical record
“MILNE (Eng.) One living at or by a Corn- Mill [M.E. miln(e, metn{e, myln{e, O.K. myl{e)n, a mill] Thomas atte Milne. — Cal. Inq. P.M. John atte Melne. — Hund. Rolls. As don [do] these rokkes or these milne stones. — Chaucer, Trail. & Cris., ii. 1384.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Milne
- A. A. Milne (1882–1956)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.