2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Melega
A surname of possible Italian origin, possibly rooted in the Latin word "mel" meaning honey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Melega. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melega 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Melega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melega, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melega
The surname Melega has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "melica," which means "honey millet" or "sweet grass." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who cultivated or traded in these crops.
The earliest known record of the surname Melega can be found in a 13th-century document from the region of Piedmont, where it was spelled "Meliga." Over time, the name spread to other parts of northern Italy, particularly in the areas around Milan and Genoa, where variations such as "Melega" and "Meliga" were used.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name Melega was Giovanni Melega, a merchant and diplomat from Genoa. He was known for his involvement in the negotiations between the Republic of Genoa and the Kingdom of France during the Italian Wars.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Antonio Melega, a 16th-century architect from Milan. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city, including the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.
During the 17th century, the Melega family established itself as a prominent noble lineage in the region of Piedmont. One member, Girolamo Melega (1620-1697), served as a high-ranking official in the court of the House of Savoy and was known for his patronage of the arts.
In the 18th century, the name Melega appears in records from the city of Brescia, where a family of that name owned several estates and vineyards. One of their descendants, Giuseppe Melega (1738-1812), was a prominent lawyer and judge in the Venetian Republic.
Another notable figure was Francesco Melega (1792-1867), a military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a general in the Sardinian Army during the Italian unification process.
While the surname Melega is most commonly found in northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, and Liguria, it has also spread to other parts of the country and abroad due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melega
Among Census respondents with the surname Melega, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Melega 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 Melega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melega
Melega 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,273 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 19,273 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Melega 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 | #151,532 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melega bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Melega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melega?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Melega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Melega?
Melega ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Melega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Melega.
Has Melega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melega went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Melega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melega, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Melega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (10.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Melega (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 Melega mean?
A surname of possible Italian origin, possibly rooted in the Latin word "mel" meaning honey. 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 Melega (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 Melega?
You can see how many people are called Melega on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.