Dorothy Miller

(female) Usual English form of Dorothea. The name was not used in the Middle Ages, but was taken up in the 15th century and became common thereafter. It was borne by the American film star Dorothy Lamour (1914–1996, born Dorothy Kaumeyer).

English and Scottish: occupational name for a miller. The standard modern vocabulary word represents the northern Middle English term, an agent derivative of mille ‘mill’, reinforced by Old Norse mylnari (see Milner). In southern, western, and central England Millward (literally, ‘mill keeper’) was the usual term. The American surname has absorbed many cognate surnames from other European languages, for example French Meunier, Dumoulin, Demoulins, and Moulin; German Mueller; Dutch Molenaar; Italian Molinaro; Spanish Molinero; Hungarian Molnár; Slavic Mlinar, etc.