2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Meldon
Derived from Irish Gaelic "meall dún", meaning "hill fort".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Meldon. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meldon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Meldon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Meldon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meldon
The surname Meldon is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "meld" and "dun," which together translate to "barren hill" or "bare down." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a location or a geographical feature, possibly a settlement near a bare hilltop.
One of the earliest known references to the name Meldon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and estates in England after the Norman Conquest. The entry mentions a place called "Melduna" in Wiltshire, which could be related to the origin of the surname.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, various spellings of the name appeared in historical records, including Meldun, Meldone, and Meldon. These variations likely arose from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, the surname Meldon was recorded in the parish registers of several counties in England, including Wiltshire, Somerset, and Devon. One notable individual from this period was John Meldon, a landowner and member of the gentry in Somerset, who was born around 1520.
In the 17th century, the name Meldon appeared in various legal documents and church records. One prominent figure was Sir Thomas Meldon (1610-1677), a baronet and Member of Parliament for Somerset. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Parliamentarian cause but later switching sides to become a Royalist.
Another notable individual was Richard Meldon (1670-1744), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Devon. He was involved in the wool trade and owned several estates in the county.
In the 18th century, the name Meldon continued to be found in various parts of England, with some families maintaining their landed gentry status. One notable example was John Meldon (1720-1798), a clergyman and author from Wiltshire, who wrote several theological works.
During the 19th century, the surname Meldon spread to other parts of the English-speaking world due to emigration and colonization. For instance, there are records of individuals with this surname in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1800s onwards.
Overall, the surname Meldon has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in the medieval English landscape. While the name has undergone various spellings over time, its connection to the concept of a "barren hill" or "bare down" has persisted throughout its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meldon
Among Census respondents with the surname Meldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Meldon 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 Meldon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meldon
Meldon 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-28 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,400 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,065 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 29,400 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,065 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 Meldon 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 | #141,140 | #150,205 | -6.4% |
| Count | 118 | 109 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meldon bearers went from 118 to 109 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,065 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,205.
FAQ
Meldon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meldon?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Meldon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Meldon?
Meldon ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Meldon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Meldon.
Has Meldon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meldon went from 118 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Meldon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Meldon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meldon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Meldon (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 Meldon mean?
Derived from Irish Gaelic "meall dún", meaning "hill fort". 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 Meldon (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 are called Meldon?
You can see how many people have the last name Meldon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.