2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Melchers
A surname originating from a German place name referring to the town of Melchers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Melchers. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melchers 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Melchers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melchers
The surname Melchers is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "melker," which means "milker" or "dairyman." This suggests that the name may have originated among families or individuals involved in dairy farming or cattle herding.
The name was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of Germany, such as Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where dairy farming was a common occupation. Historical records from these areas show variations in spelling, including Melker, Melchers, and Melker.
One of the earliest known references to the name Melchers can be found in the parish records of the town of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname Melchers, suggesting that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Melchers was Johann Melchers (1592-1667), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. He was a respected scholar and author of several works on philosophy and theology.
Another prominent individual with the surname Melchers was Wilhelm Melchers (1837-1901), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Melchers & Co. trading company in Hong Kong in 1866. The company played a significant role in facilitating trade between Germany and China during the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the name Melchers was Paul Melchers (1913-1998), a German-American artist and painter. He was known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in numerous museums and private collections across the United States.
Another notable figure was Karl Melchers (1885-1962), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II. He was responsible for the design of several public buildings and urban development projects in the city.
The surname Melchers has also been found in other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, possibly due to migration or intermarriage with German families. However, its origins and strongest historical presence seem to be rooted in the northern regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melchers
Among Census respondents with the surname Melchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Melchers 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 Melchers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melchers
Melchers appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Melchers 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melchers bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Melchers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melchers?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Melchers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Melchers?
Melchers ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Melchers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Melchers.
Has Melchers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melchers went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Melchers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Melchers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melchers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Melchers (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 Melchers mean?
A surname originating from a German place name referring to the town of Melchers. 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 Melchers (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 common is the surname Melchers?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Melchers, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.