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

Meléndez, 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 Meléndez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meléndez in America

Meléndez is the 603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meléndez surname appeared 56,230 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Meléndez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meléndez 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 Meléndez

The surname Melendez has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castile. It can be traced back to the 12th century and is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "melón," meaning melon. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who grew or sold melons as a profession.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melendez appears in the "Fuero de Sepúlveda," a legal document from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Rodrigo Melendez" as a witness to a transaction.

In the 15th century, the name Melendez was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was Diego Melendez de Valdés, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born around 1480. He was the first European to establish a permanent settlement in Puerto Rico and served as the island's first governor from 1509 to 1511.

Another prominent figure with the surname Melendez was Pedro Melendez de Avilés, a Spanish sailor and military officer born in 1519. He is best known for leading the Spanish effort to establish settlements in Florida and for his role in the massacre of French Huguenot settlers at Fort Caroline in 1565.

In the 16th century, the name Melendez also appeared in various Spanish literary works. For instance, Miguel de Cervantes, the renowned author of "Don Quixote," mentions a character named "Melendez" in his novel "La Ilustre Fregona."

Moving to the 17th century, we find Juan Melendez Valdés, a Spanish poet and politician born in 1754. He was a prominent figure during the Spanish Enlightenment and served as a minister in the Spanish government.

Another notable figure with the surname Melendez was José Melendez Valdés, a Cuban poet and playwright born in 1871. He was a prominent figure in the Cuban literary scene and is considered one of the founders of Cuban modernist poetry.

Throughout its history, the surname Melendez has undergone various spelling variations, including Melendez, Meléndez, and Meléndez de Avilés. It has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Melendez de la Vega and Melendez de Arvas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meléndez

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

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

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

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