Find out how popular the last name Medellín is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Medellín.

Medellín, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Medellín surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Medellín in America

Medellín is the 5577th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Medellín surname appeared 6,231 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Medellín.

We can also compare 2010 data for Medellín to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Medellín

The surname Medellin originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish place name Medellín, a town located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura region. The name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "Metellinus," which referred to a person from the Roman family of Metellus.

In the 13th century, several historical records mention individuals with the surname Medellin. For instance, the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document detailing the distribution of land and properties in Seville after the Reconquista, includes the name Fernan Medellin, who received a property in the city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Medellin dates back to the 15th century. In 1492, a man named Pedro de Medellin was listed as a soldier in the army of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella during the conquest of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain.

During the 16th century, the surname Medellin gained prominence with individuals like Juan de Medellin, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Medellín, Extremadura, around 1490 and died in Mexico in 1546.

In the 17th century, the surname Medellin appeared in various literary works. For example, Miguel de Cervantes, the renowned author of Don Quixote, mentioned a character named Medellin in his novel "La ilustre fregona" (The Illustrious Kitchen-Maid).

Another notable figure with the surname Medellin was Pedro de Medellin, a Spanish composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his contributions to the development of Renaissance and early Baroque music in Spain.

In the 18th century, a Spanish soldier and explorer named Gaspar de Medellin played a significant role in the exploration and colonization of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Medellín, Extremadura, in 1708 and participated in several expeditions to the coast of present-day British Columbia and Alaska.

During the 19th century, the surname Medellin appeared in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America. One notable figure was Jose Maria Medellin, a Mexican general and politician who fought in the Mexican-American War and later served as governor of the state of Nuevo León from 1857 to 1863.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Medellín

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Medellín.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Medellín was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Medellín has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Medellín was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Medellín, please contact us.

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