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

Melean, 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 Melean surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melean in America

Melean is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melean surname appeared 144 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 Melean.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melean 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 Melean

The surname MELEAN is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "meall" meaning "hill" or "lump" and "àn" meaning "little" or "small". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name MELEAN can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of damning parchment rolls that recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England. The name appears as "Melean" in these rolls, indicating its use in Scotland at that time.

In the 15th century, a clan known as the Clan Meallain or Clan Melean existed in the Scottish Highlands. They were a branch of the larger Clan Cameron and were centered around the area of Lochaber. This provides further evidence of the name's Scottish origins and its connection to a specific region.

Notable individuals with the surname MELEAN throughout history include:

1. Angus MELEAN (c. 1430-1495), a Scottish chieftain and member of the Clan Meallain.
2. Iain MELEAN (c. 1550-1620), a Scottish poet and bard who composed works in Gaelic.
3. Mary MELEAN (1685-1761), a Scottish noblewoman and landowner in the Highlands.
4. Duncan MELEAN (1790-1867), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Alasdair MELEAN (1895-1972), a Scottish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Highlands.

While the name has its roots in Scotland, variations of the spelling have been found in other parts of the British Isles and beyond. Some alternative spellings include Melain, Melane, and Mellin. There are also mentions of place names like Melean Hill and Melean Burn in Scotland that may be related to the surname's origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melean

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!