2000
#6,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Medellin
A habitational surname referring to someone from the city of Medellín, Colombia, or a place with a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,886 Americans carry the last name Medellin. That puts it at #5,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medellin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,776
Census rank
#5,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,005 bearers of the surname Medellin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medellin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medellin
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medellin
Among Census respondents with the surname Medellin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Medellin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Medellin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 5,516
- White6.3% · 380
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- Two or more races0.5% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medellin
Medellin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,231
+1,493 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 1,022 places
2020
#5,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,005
-226 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,599 | 4,738 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,577 | 6,231 | 2.11 | +1,493 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 1,022 places |
| 2020 | #5,590 | 6,005 | 2.01 | -226 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Medellin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,577 | #5,590 | -0.2% |
| Count | 6,231 | 6,005 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.01 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medellin bearers went from 6,231 to 6,005 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,577 to #5,590.
FAQ
Medellin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medellin?
Name Census estimates that about 6,886 living Americans carry the surname Medellin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,776 residents.
How common is Medellin?
Medellin ranks #5,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,005 people with the surname Medellin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,886), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Medellin.
Has Medellin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medellin went from 6,231 recorded bearers to 6,005. That is a decrease of 226 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,577 to #5,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Medellin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medellin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Medellin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (5,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medellin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Medellin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Medellin mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from the city of Medellín, Colombia, or a place with a similar name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Medellin (2.01 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Medellin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.