MILLINGTON
The surname Millington is of English origin and is a locational name derived from the Old English words mylen meaning “mill” and tun meaning “farm” or “settlement”. The combination mylen‑tun therefore denotes a settlement that was characterised by the presence of a mill.
Two separate place‑names in the Domesday Book of 1086 are recorded as giving rise to the surname. In Cheshire the settlement appears as Mulintune (later Mellitone), while in the East Riding of Yorkshire it is listed as Milleton. Both entries are understood by scholars to refer to the same descriptive meaning: a farmstead with a mill.
The earliest recorded spelling of the family name is found in the Fine Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1206, where a witness is described as Peter de Milington. Subsequent medieval documents record individuals such as John Millington of Millington near Bowdon in the Wills Records of East Cheshire circa 1530.
An eminent member of the family was Sir Thomas Millington (1628 – 1704), who served as a professor of natural philosophy at Oxford from 1675, a court physician, and who was knighted in 1680. His life demonstrates the social mobility that was possible for bearing the name during the early modern period.
The heraldic description most commonly associated with the Millington name is a silver shield bearing a black two‑headed eagle displayed, a bull’s head erased as the crest, and the motto Virtutis proemium honor which translates as “Honour is the reward of virtue”. This crest and motto have been recorded in multiple pedigrees belonging to the family.
Variations of the surname observed in historical records and modern usage include Milliton, Millitton, Melington, Millingtun, Myllington, and Mylington. Such differences reflect regional pronunciation and the occasional transcription error that was common when names were recorded by hand in the early centuries.
In contemporary times, the surname Millington remains most frequently found in England, particularly in the areas around Cheshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is considerably less common than some other English locational surnames but continues to be represented in other English‑speaking countries, including Australia, the United States, and Canada, where it has spread as a result of emigration. Despite this expansion, the name’s highest concentration persists in its places of origin.
Typical given names associated with the Millington surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Helen
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Millington in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 9,530 people named Millington in the UK. That makes it the 973rd most common surname in Britain. Around 146 in a million people in Britain are named Millington.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Millington
- Ernest Millington - Soldier and politician (1916 to 2009)
- Tony Millington - Association football player (1943 to 2015)
- Jayne Millington - (1962 to 2017)
- Charlie Millington - Football player (1884 to 1945)
- Ross Millington - Long-distance runner
- Ralph Millington - Football player (1930 to 1)
- Margaret Millington - Mathematician (1944 to 1)
- Grenville Millington - Welsh football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.