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

Melancon, 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 Melancon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melancon in America

Melancon is the 5360th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melancon surname appeared 6,496 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 Melancon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melancon 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 Melancon

The surname Melancon is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the Normandy region of northern France. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The name Melancon is derived from the Old French term "melan," which means "dark" or "swarthy." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a darker complexion or hair color.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melancon can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor au Mans, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Radulphus Melancun," indicating the presence of the name in the region during that time.

In the 17th century, the name Melancon appeared in the records of the French colony of Acadia, located in what is now eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. Many Acadians of French descent carried the surname, including Jacques Melancon, who was born in 1653 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).

Another notable bearer of the name was Pierre Melancon, a French-Canadian farmer and militia officer who lived during the late 18th century. He was born in 1745 in Grand-Pré, Acadia (now Nova Scotia) and played a role in the defense of the colony against British forces during the French and Indian War.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Melancon surname was Émile Melancon, a French Canadian author and journalist. Born in 1854 in Québec City, he was known for his works that explored the culture and history of French Canada.

The name Melancon has also been associated with certain place names in France, such as the village of Mélançon in the Normandy region, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Throughout its history, the surname Melancon has been subject to various spelling variations, including Melançon, Melanchon, and Melancthon, among others. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its French roots and continues to be a prominent surname in regions with historical French influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melancon

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

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 Melancon 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 Melancon 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 Melancon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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