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

Meldrum, 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 Meldrum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meldrum in America

Meldrum is the 13132nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meldrum surname appeared 2,332 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Meldrum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meldrum 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 Meldrum

The surname Meldrum is of Scottish origin, derived from the lands of Meldrum in Aberdeenshire. The name can be traced back to the early 12th century, when the lands were granted to Philip de Meldrum by King David I of Scotland.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Chartulary of Arbroath Abbey, where it appears as "de Muledrum" in 1211. This spelling suggests that the name may have originated from the Gaelic words "maol" meaning "bare" and "druim" meaning "ridge" or "hill", referring to the geographical features of the land.

In the 13th century, the Meldrums were prominent landowners in Aberdeenshire, with Sir Philip de Meldrum serving as Sheriff of Aberdeen in 1260. Over the centuries, various branches of the family spread throughout Scotland and beyond, resulting in variations in the spelling of the name, such as Meldrum, Meldrom, and Meldrome.

One of the most notable figures associated with the name was Sir John Meldrum (1558-1645), a Scottish military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War. He played a significant role in the Battle of Wimpfen in 1622, where he led Scottish and English troops to victory against the Catholic League forces.

Another prominent Meldrum was George Meldrum (1637-1709), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the study of comets and the calculation of their orbits. He was a professor at the University of Aberdeen and published several works on astronomy.

In the literary world, John Meldrum (1734-1796) was a Scottish poet and playwright, known for his tragedy "Zeluco" and his contributions to the Scottish periodical "The Mirror".

The Meldrums also played a role in the exploration and settlement of North America. William Meldrum (1785-1866) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.

In the 19th century, David Meldrum (1823-1890) was a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who led expeditions into the interior of Western Australia and helped map the region.

Throughout history, the surname Meldrum has been associated with various professions, from military leaders and academics to writers and explorers, highlighting the diverse contributions made by individuals bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meldrum

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

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

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

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