Show ContentsMilner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Milner family name has long been found in region known today as the Netherlands. It is unclear whether the name moved to the region from Germany, or arose independently in Holland. Milner is an occupational name for a miller, derived from the Old Germanic "Mulinari."

Early Origins of the Milner family

The surname Milner was first found in Southern Germany, where they were established in the Middle Ages. The name is the German form of the Latin name "Molinarius," "Mulinari" in Old German. The modern form of the name, Mueller, is documented early on in the chronicles of Swabia, wherein the knight Conrad von Husen is noted as having become known as Mueller for his ownership of a mill.

Early History of the Milner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Milner research. Another 238 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1630, 1668, 1670, 1676, 1693, 1752 and 1807 are included under the topic Early Milner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Milner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mueller, Muller, Mueler, Muler, Miller, Moeller, Moller, Muellner, Milner, Molner, Molenauer, Molenaar and many more.

Early Notables of the Milner family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Milner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Milner Ranking

In the United States, the name Milner is the 2,654th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Milner is ranked the 721st most popular surname with an estimated 9,278 people with that name. 2


United States Milner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Milner Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Milner, aged 24, who settled in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Francis Bonaventure"
  • Robert Milner, who landed in Virginia in 1624-1625 3
  • Michell Milner, aged 23, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "James" 3
  • Samuel Milner, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Phillip" 3
  • Michael Milner, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1638 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Milner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Fredk Milner, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
  • William Milner, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
  • Hans Michael Milner, who landed in New Jersey in 1744 3
Milner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Milner, who arrived in America in 1805 3
  • Elizabeth Milner, who arrived in New York in 1834 3
  • Isaac Milner, who arrived in Mississippi in 1846 3
  • William Milner, who arrived in New York in 1849 3
  • Samuel Milner, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Milner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Milner Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Milner, who landed in Prince Edward Island in 1817

Australia Milner migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Milner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Milner, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • James Milner, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
  • Thomas Milner, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
  • Mr. John Milner, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Amelia Milner, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Singapore" in 1839 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Milner migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Milner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Richard Milner, aged 38, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Sarah Milner, aged 41, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • George Milner, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Rosanna Milner, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Jane Milner, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Milner (post 1700) +

  • Martrez Milner (b. 1984), former American NFL football tight end who played from 2007 to 2009
  • John David Milner (1949-2000), American Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder, nicknamed "The Hammer"
  • Colonel John T. Milner (1826-1898), American engineer and businessman, founder of Milner Coal and Railroad Mines
  • Helen V. Milner (b. 1958), American political scientist
  • Martin Sam Milner (1931-2015), American film, stage, radio and television actor, best known for his roles in Route 66 (1960 to 1964), and Adam-12 (1968 to 1975)
  • Edward James Milner (1955-2015), American Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds (1980-1986) and in 1988
  • Angela Cheryl Milner (1947-2021), British paleontologist who, in 1986 with Alan Charig, described the dinosaur Baryonyx
  • Stanley Albert Milner OC AOE MSM CD (1930-2021), Canadian businessman and politician
  • Mrs. Helen Marion Susan Milner M.B.E. (b. 1958), British recipient of the Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Education and to the community in North East England 9
  • Rev. Isaac Milner FRS (1750-1820), English mathematician, inventor and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, President of Queens' College, Cambridge
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Cornwall
  • John Stanley Milner, British Lieutenant Commander aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 10


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SINGAPORE (aka SINCAPORE) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Singapore.gif
  9. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  10. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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