The owners of the surname Miller have a reason to be proud of their ancestors. After all, information about them can be found in many documents that confirm the trace they left in history. The nationality and origin of the surname Miller will be discussed in the article.
Professional nickname
According to researchers, the origin of the name Miller is rooted in English. It is a fairly common type of generic names that are derived from the personal nickname of their founder.
The origin of the surname Miller is a professional nickname. It indicates in what area its carrier worked. Translated from English, Miller is the owner of the mill or its worker, that is, the miller.
Melnik is a popular figure
As a rule, people of this profession were in high demand. In this regard, the studied surname in England is among the most commonly used. Millers lived in almost all settlements of the country. They often had nicknames appropriate to their occupation.
There is anotherversion of the origin of the surname Miller. It says that the generic nickname is an inaccurate version of the surname Müller, which came from Germany. However, it also means "miller". Among the Germans, this profession was no less popular than among the British.
On Russian soil
In Russia, individual settlers arriving from the British Isles appeared at the end of the 16th century. In addition to English merchants, these were hired Scottish soldiers who left their homeland for religious and other reasons.
The Millers have been known there since the 18th century. Most likely, they were immigrants from European countries. Among them were businessmen who aspired to start their own business, as well as the military and other employees who were invited to good places. There were also educators who entered noble families.
During the reign of Catherine II, entrepreneur Miller established a factory for the production of silk wool in St. Petersburg. Miller was known in the middle of the 19th century as a compiler of German textbooks. This surname was also worn by the person who wrote the popular guidebook describing the healing places located in southern Europe.
Continuing to study the origin of the surname Miller, it should be noted that in the Russian Empire German colonists could also wear it. Of these, about one third lived in the Volga region, in Ukraine and were in the Russian service. The other part is the Jews, whose surname was not connected with the profession of their ancestors. It was given at the behest of the authorities.
Famous people
Among the figuresdomestic science and culture can be called a number of famous people with such a surname. For example:
- Vsevolod Fedorovich, an academician who was an outstanding researcher of the Russian epic epic. He headed the Russian "historical school" in folklore (19th-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 known owners of this surname are:
- Arthur Miller (20th-21st century). He was an American playwright, very popular in the Soviet Union. Was a Pulitzer Prize winner.
- Another American, writer named Henry, author of scandalous books (20th century).
- Merton Miller (20th century), US economist, Nobel laureate.
- Founder of Brazilian football, soccer player Charles Miller (19th-20th century).
In conclusion, it should be noted that a number of ancient Russian clans have long claimed 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 exactly whose surname Miller origin has Anglo-Scottish roots, whose - German or Jewish, however, according to researchers, in most cases they lead to English shores.
