2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mehlhop
One who mills flour or grinds grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Mehlhop. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mehlhop 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Mehlhop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehlhop, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mehlhop
The surname MEHLHOP has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Mehl" meaning "flour" and "Hop" meaning "hop plant," suggesting a connection to either milling or brewing. The name may have originated as an occupational surname for someone involved in these trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MEHLHOP surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a Hans Mehlhop is mentioned in a document dated 1572. This suggests that the name was established in the region of Franconia, in southern Germany, by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the MEHLHOP name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing individuals with this surname in various towns and villages. For instance, a Johann Mehlhop is listed in the church records of Darmstadt, in the state of Hesse, in 1642.
The MEHLHOP surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Friedrich Mehlhop (1732-1811), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. Another is Wilhelm Mehlhop (1819-1892), a German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
In the 19th century, the name MEHLHOP can be found in various German-language records and documents, including census records and military rolls. For example, a Carl Mehlhop is listed as a soldier in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the MEHLHOP surname traveled with them. One notable bearer of the name was Hermann Mehlhop (1856-1934), a German-American brewer who established the Mehlhop Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century.
While the MEHLHOP surname is relatively uncommon, it has left its mark on history through the contributions of individuals from various walks of life, ranging from academics and artists to soldiers and entrepreneurs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mehlhop
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehlhop, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mehlhop 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 Mehlhop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mehlhop
Mehlhop 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,421 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,421 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 1,983 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 Mehlhop 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 | #158,432 | #156,449 | 1.3% |
| Count | 102 | 97 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mehlhop bearers went from 102 to 97 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,449.
FAQ
Mehlhop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mehlhop?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Mehlhop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Mehlhop?
Mehlhop ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Mehlhop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mehlhop.
Has Mehlhop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mehlhop went from 102 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Mehlhop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehlhop, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mehlhop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mehlhop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mehlhop (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 Mehlhop mean?
One who mills flour or grinds grain. 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 Mehlhop (0.03 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 common is the surname Mehlhop?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mehlhop on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.