An English and Scottish surname for the family name of Mills comes from the Old English word of ‘mylen’ which meant mill or referred to a person living near a mill. The Gaelic word of ‘mhuilinn’ means of the mill.

Spelling differences for Mills are Mylles and Meiles.

The Mills families started in Hampshire county and spread to Lancashire, Yorkshire and most of the southeastern coastal areas of England. In Scotland the Mills families cover most of Scotland and are concentrated in Lanarkshire county.

In the United States Mills families are in California, Illinois, Texas, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Famous: Clark Mills (boat designer and builder), Everett Mills (19th century baseball player), Bertram Mills (English circus owner), David Mills (TV writer and producer), Mary Miller (professional golfer), Hayley Mills (actress), John Atta-Mills (president of The Republic of Ghana), Dick Mills (professional baseball player), Susan Mills (19th century founder of Mills College) and William Mills (English inventor of the Mills Bomb - a hand grenade).