2000
#744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.62
Uncommon Last name
Melendez
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Melendo, which is of Germanic origin meaning "mighty protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 67,106 Americans carry the last name Melendez. That puts it at #565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,108 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melendez 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
67K
1 in 5,108
Census rank
#565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
59K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 58,520 bearers of the surname Melendez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melendez
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melendez
Among Census respondents with the surname Melendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Melendez 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 Melendez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 53,981
- White5.4% · 3,183
- Black or African American1.1% · 624
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 349
- Two or more races0.4% · 232
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 151
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melendez
Melendez 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
#603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,230
+14,091 bearers (+33.4%)
Per 100,000 19.06
Rank movement Up 141 places
2020
#565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,520
+2,290 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 19.58
Rank movement Up 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #744 | 42,139 | 15.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #603 | 56,230 | 19.06 | +14,091 bearers (+33.4%) | Up 141 places |
| 2020 | #565 | 58,520 | 19.58 | +2,290 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 38 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 Melendez 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 | #603 | #565 | 6.3% |
| Count | 56,230 | 58,520 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 19.06 | 19.58 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melendez bearers went from 56,230 to 58,520 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #603 to #565.
FAQ
Melendez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melendez?
Name Census estimates that about 67,106 living Americans carry the surname Melendez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,108 residents.
How common is Melendez?
Melendez ranks #565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 58,520 people with the surname Melendez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (67,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Melendez.
Has Melendez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melendez went from 56,230 recorded bearers to 58,520. That is an increase of 2,290 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #603 to #565.
What does the Census say about the background of Melendez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (1.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Melendez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (53,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melendez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.4%), Black (1.1%). 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 Melendez (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 Melendez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Melendo, which is of Germanic origin meaning "mighty protector." 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 Melendez (19.58 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 share the surname Melendez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.