2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mejean
A French toponymic surname derived from places named Méjan or Méjean.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Mejean. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mejean 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Mejean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mejean
The surname Mejean originated in France, specifically in the Languedoc region in the south of the country. It is believed to have first appeared in the 12th century, derived from the Occitan word "mejano," meaning "middle" or "halfway." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a centrally located area or a place situated between two larger towns or villages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Cluny, a collection of charters and documents from the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, dating back to the 12th century. The document mentions a certain "Petrus de Mejano," indicating the presence of the surname in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the archives of the city of Nîmes, located in the Gard department of southern France. A merchant named Jacques Mejean is recorded as having traded goods in the city during this period.
The name Mejean is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Jean Mejean, a French poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century (c. 1525-1585). He is known for his works in the Occitan language and his contributions to the literary tradition of Languedoc.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Louis Mejean (1768-1832), a French general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in several battles and was awarded the prestigious Légion d'Honneur for his military service.
In the realm of literature, Marie-Antoinette Mejean (1824-1906) was a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her works celebrating the beauty of her native Provence region. Her poetry collections, such as "Fleurs de Provence" (Flowers of Provence), were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
The name Mejean is also linked to some geographic locations in France. For instance, the village of Méjan, located in the Gard department, is believed to have derived its name from the surname. Additionally, there is a hamlet called Méjean in the commune of Saillans, in the Drôme department of southeastern France.
Throughout its history, the surname Mejean has undergone various spellings, including Mejan, Meyjan, and Meyjean, reflecting the regional linguistic variations and phonetic adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mejean
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mejean 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 Mejean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mejean
Mejean 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,800 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,800 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,162 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 Mejean 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 | #142,108 | #144,270 | -1.5% |
| Count | 117 | 117 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mejean bearers went from 117 to 117 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #144,270.
FAQ
Mejean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mejean?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Mejean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Mejean?
Mejean ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Mejean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mejean.
Has Mejean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mejean went from 117 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Mejean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejean, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Mejean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mejean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Mejean (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 Mejean mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from places named Méjan or Méjean. 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 Mejean (0.04 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 Mejean?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.