Recorded as Milborn, Milbourn, Milbourn, Milbourne, Millburn, and Milburne, this is an English locational surname. It originates from places such as Milborne in the counties of Dorset and Somerset, or Milbourne in Northumberland and Wiltshire, Milburn in Westmorland as well as Melbourne in Derbyshire, but not Melbourne in Australia, which is much too late! However spelt the place name is composed of the pre 7th century words "mylem", meaning a mill and "-burna", a stream, hence the mill by the stream. As an example Millburn in Westmorland was recorded as Mileburne in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, and as Milnebrum in the rolls known as the Feet of Fines in the year 1199. Amongst the early surname recordings is that of Walter de Milleburne in the Calendar of Inquisitiones Post Mortem for Yorkshire in 1251, and William Milbourne in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1465. In the West Indies William Milborn was a member of the Council of Assembly for the Barbadoes Islands in August, 1673. The surviving church registers of the city of London include Wolfreyd Mylborne who married Jenne Feale on October 1st 1570, at Christ Church Greyfriars, and William Milburn who was christened at St. Sepulchre Church on February 13th 1733. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hugh de Meleburn. This was dated 1201, in the "Pleas before the King and his Justices, for the county of Dorset", 1198 - 1202, during the reign of King John, 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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