Milk Family History

English (Norfolk): nickname from Middle English milk ‘milk’ (Old English meolc). There are many possible reasons for the use of such a nickname including milk-white hair, the collecting or selling of milk, and of course the drinking of milk – whether or not taken to indicate effeminacy or spiritlessness.

Sorbian: from a pet form of a personal name such as Miłosław based on the Slavic element mil ‘gentle dear’ (from Old Slavic milъ). This surname is found mainly in Germanized forms such as Mielke and Milke.

Probably also an Americanized form (translation into English) of German Milch ‘milk’. Perhaps also an American shortened form of a surname beginning with Milk- such as Polish Miłkowski (see Milkowski).