2000
#6,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Melcher
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "melcher," meaning a dairy farmer or milk seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,058 Americans carry the last name Melcher. That puts it at #7,289 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melcher 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
5.1K
1 in 67,765
Census rank
#7,289
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,411 bearers of the surname Melcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7289th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melcher
The surname Melcher is of German origin, derived from the personal name Melchior, which itself traces back to the Hebrew name Malki-Or, meaning "king of light." The name was popularly associated with one of the three biblical Magi or Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The earliest recorded instances of the Melcher surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. It was common for surnames to emerge from personal names during this period, particularly those with biblical or religious connotations.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the Melcher name was Johannes Melcher, a merchant and landowner from Nuremberg, who lived in the late 14th century. His name appears in several historical records related to trade and property transactions in the region.
In the 16th century, the Melcher family played a role in the Protestant Reformation. Johann Melcher, a Lutheran minister from Wittenberg, was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped disseminate Luther's teachings throughout Germany.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals carried the Melcher surname. Johann Melcher (1639-1715) was a German composer and organist known for his sacred works. Andreas Melcher (1625-1683) was a respected theologian and author from Saxony.
As the Melcher name spread across Europe, it also gained prominence in other fields. In the 19th century, Carl Melcher (1818-1890) was a German-American artist and lithographer who created illustrations for books and newspapers in New York City.
One of the most famous individuals with the Melcher surname was Frederic Gailard Melcher (1879-1963), an American publisher and editor who served as the editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly magazine and played a significant role in promoting children's literature.
Throughout its history, the Melcher surname has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, clergy, artists, and publishers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since become widespread across Europe and the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Melcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Melcher 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 Melcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,952
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 182
- Two or more races3.9% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melcher
Melcher 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
#7,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,772
+27 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 433 places
2020
#7,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,411
-361 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,585 | 4,745 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,018 | 4,772 | 1.62 | +27 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 433 places |
| 2020 | #7,289 | 4,411 | 1.48 | -361 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 271 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 Melcher 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 | #7,018 | #7,289 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,772 | 4,411 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.48 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melcher bearers went from 4,772 to 4,411 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 271 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,018 to #7,289.
FAQ
Melcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melcher?
Name Census estimates that about 5,058 living Americans carry the surname Melcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,765 residents.
How common is Melcher?
Melcher ranks #7,289 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,411 people with the surname Melcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,058), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Melcher.
Has Melcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melcher went from 4,772 recorded bearers to 4,411. That is a decrease of 361 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,018 to #7,289.
What does the Census say about the background of Melcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Melcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,952 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Melcher (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 Melcher mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "melcher," meaning a dairy farmer or milk seller. 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 Melcher (1.48 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 Melcher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.