Holders of the Miller surname have reason to be proud of their ancestors. After all, information about them can be found in a variety of documents that confirm the trace they left in history. The nationality and origin of the name Miller will be discussed in the article.
Professional nickname
According to researchers, the origin of the name Miller is rooted in the English language. It is a fairly common type of generic names, which are formed from the personal nickname of their founder.
The origin of the Miller surname is a professional nickname. It indicates the area in which its carrier worked. Translated from English, Miller is the owner of the mill or its employee, that is, a flour mill.
Miller - a popular figure
As a rule, people in this profession were in great demand. In this regard, the studied surname in England is among the most used. Millers lived in almost all settlements of the country. They often wore nicknames appropriate to their occupation.
There is another version of the origin of the name Miller. It says that the generic nickname is an inaccurate version of the record of the surname Mueller, which came from Germany. However, she also means "miller." The Germans this profession was no less popular than the British.
On Russian soil
In Russia, individual migrants arriving from the British Isles appeared at the end of the 16th century. In addition to the English merchants, these were hired Scottish soldiers who left their homeland for religious and other reasons.
There, the Millers have been known since the 18th century. Most likely, they were immigrants from European countries. Among them were businessmen seeking to open their own business, as well as military and other employees invited to good places. There were also educators who entered the noble families.
During the reign of Catherine II, entrepreneur Miller in St. Petersburg established a silk wool factory. In the middle of the 19th century, Miller was known, who was the compiler of German language textbooks. This surname was also borne by the person who wrote a popular guide describing medical places located in southern Europe.
Continuing to study the origin of the Miller surname, it should be noted that in the Russian Empire the Germans-colonists could also wear it. About one third of them lived in the Volga region, in Ukraine and were in the Russian service. The other part is Jews whose surname was not related to the profession of their ancestors. It was given by the will of the authorities.
Famous people
Among the figures of Russian science and culture, there are a number of famous people with such a surname. For instance:
- Vsevolod Fedorovich, an academician who was an outstanding researcher of the Russian epic epic. He headed the Russian “historical school” in folklore (19-20th century).
- Anatoly Filippovich, who was an oriental historian, author of works covering the new and recent history of the countries of the Near and Middle East and international relations in the Balkans.
In the west, the famous owners of this surname are:
- Arthur Miller (20th-21st Century). He was an American playwright, quite popular in the Soviet Union. He was a Pulitzer Prize laureate.
- Another American, a writer named Henry, author of scandalous books (20th century).
- Merton Miller (20th century), US economist, Nobel laureate.
- Founder of Brazilian football, football player Charles Miller (19-20th century).
In conclusion, it should be noted that a long time ago a number of ancient Russian clans claimed to be of Western European origin. Often their genealogies belonged to the realm of fantasy, which is the case in our time. Although today it is difficult to say for sure whose family name Miller has Anglo-Scottish roots, whose family has German or Jewish roots, however, according to researchers, in most cases they lead to the English coast.