[2] The city was named after a Sufi saint, Baba Mian Channu, who had lived there at one point.

A municipal council was established in 1975, as it had grown into small urban centre by that time.

It has been the headquarters of the Mian Channu Tehsil of Khanewal District since 1985,[3] and is administratively subdivided into three Union councils.

Mian Channu has approximately 90,130 residents per the 2017 census,[1] and is located on the Grand Trunk Road (250 km South West of Lahore, and 1,050 km northeast of Karachi), and KLP (Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar) railway line.

[2] The city is also known for their local specialty, Khushi Barfi, which is a kind of condensed milk.