McMillen
A Scottish and Irish surname usually meaning “son of Millen,” a shortened form of MacMillan or a related Mac/Mc- surname.
The #3,444 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,770 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McMillen is generally treated as a reduced or variant spelling of MacMillan / MacMullen-type surnames. These names ultimately come from Gaelic personal names with Mac meaning “son of,” attached to a byname or given-name element such as Maol- or a related form. In practice, McMillen is best understood as an anglicized patronymic surname whose spelling has varied over time and by place.
History
The name is most common in Ulster, where Scottish and Irish surname forms often overlap and spellings shift freely between Mac, Mc, Millen, Millan, Mullen, and related forms. Nineteenth-century surname writers grouped McMillen with MacMillan and similar names, reflecting that loose historical spelling tradition. In the United States the surname is now relatively uncommon, but it survives as a recognizable Anglo-Irish/Scottish family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname lists often placed McMillen right beside McMillan and McMullen, showing how fluid Gaelic surname spellings were before standardization.
From the historical record
“Mullen, MacMullin, Mac Mullon,MacMillan, MacMillen, MacBlain, Mullin, Mullins, &c. rriAc niAolcoltiim, Malcolmson,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames