2000
#5,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Uncommon Last name
Melgar
A Catalan habitational surname derived from a place name of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "hill" or "elevation."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,475 Americans carry the last name Melgar. That puts it at #3,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melgar 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
11K
1 in 29,870
Census rank
#3,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,007 bearers of the surname Melgar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melgar
The surname Melgar originated from the Galician-Spanish regions of northwestern Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Galician word "melga," which referred to a small plot of land or field. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near or worked on such a field.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Melgar surname can be found in the 13th-century Tumbo de Sobrado, a cartulary containing documents related to the Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Sobrado in Galicia. The name appears in various spellings, including "Melgaar" and "Melgaer," reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations of the time.
During the 14th century, the Melgar surname emerged in various parts of Galicia and neighboring regions of northern Portugal. Prominent individuals bearing this name included Pedro Melgar, a nobleman and landowner in the town of Pontevedra, Spain, who lived around 1350.
In the 15th century, the Melgar family expanded their influence and notable members included Juan Melgar, a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Salamanca in the late 1400s.
The 16th century saw the Melgar surname spread further across the Iberian Peninsula and into the Americas. One notable figure was Hernán Melgar, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
In the 17th century, the Melgar name gained prominence in the arts and literature. Miguel de Melgar was a celebrated poet and playwright from Seville, Spain, who lived from 1625 to 1689 and was renowned for his works in the Spanish Golden Age.
As the Melgar family dispersed across Europe and the Americas, the name took on various regional spellings and variations, such as Melgares, Melgarin, and Melgarejo. In the 19th century, José Melgar y Valdivieso (1791-1876) was a renowned Peruvian statesman and poet who served as the President of Peru from 1835 to 1839.
While the Melgar surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since been carried by notable individuals across various fields and regions, reflecting the rich tapestry of history and migration patterns that have shaped this surname over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melgar
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Melgar 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 Melgar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 9,466
- White2.9% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 166
- Black or African American0.4% · 40
- Two or more races0.3% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melgar
Melgar 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
#3,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,106
+3,803 bearers (+71.7%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Up 2,080 places
2020
#3,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,007
+901 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Up 417 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,977 | 5,303 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,897 | 9,106 | 3.09 | +3,803 bearers (+71.7%) | Up 2,080 places |
| 2020 | #3,480 | 10,007 | 3.35 | +901 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 417 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 Melgar 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 | #3,897 | #3,480 | 10.7% |
| Count | 9,106 | 10,007 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.09 | 3.35 | 8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melgar bearers went from 9,106 to 10,007 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 417 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,897 to #3,480.
FAQ
Melgar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melgar?
Name Census estimates that about 11,475 living Americans carry the surname Melgar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,870 residents.
How common is Melgar?
Melgar ranks #3,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,007 people with the surname Melgar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,475), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Melgar.
Has Melgar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melgar went from 9,106 recorded bearers to 10,007. That is an increase of 901 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,897 to #3,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Melgar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Melgar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (9,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melgar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Melgar (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 Melgar mean?
A Catalan habitational surname derived from a place name of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "hill" or "elevation." 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 Melgar (3.35 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 Americans have the surname Melgar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.