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

Melano, 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 Melano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melano in America

Melano is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melano surname appeared 154 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Melano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melano 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 Melano

The surname MELANO is believed to have originated in Italy, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian word "melano," which means "dark" or "black," suggesting that it may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with dark complexion or hair.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MELANO can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Campania region in southern Italy, dating back to the 9th century. The name is also present in the Regesto di Farfa, a cartulary from the Abbazia di Farfa in Lazio, which contains records from the 7th to the 12th centuries.

In the 14th century, a family with the surname MELANO was documented in the city of Genoa, where they were involved in maritime trade. One notable member was Giacomo MELANO, a merchant who lived between 1320 and 1385, and whose name appears in several commercial records of the time.

During the Renaissance period, the MELANO family gained prominence in the city of Florence. In the 16th century, Giovanni MELANO (1490-1567) was a renowned painter and sculptor who worked on various commissions for churches and noble families in the city.

Another notable figure with the surname MELANO was Girolamo MELANO (1570-1624), a Jesuit scholar and philosopher from Milan. He was a prolific writer and contributed to several theological and philosophical works during the Counter-Reformation era.

In the 18th century, the MELANO name was associated with the Italian noble family of the same name, based in the region of Calabria. One member, Antonio MELANO (1720-1795), was a prominent lawyer and statesman who served as a judge in the Kingdom of Naples.

The surname MELANO has also been found in other parts of Italy, such as Sicily and Sardinia, where it may have evolved from local variations or dialects. However, the exact origins and migrations of the name remain somewhat obscure due to the limited historical records available.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melano

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

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

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

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