2000
#22,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,066
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Melgarejo
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin words "mel" (honey) and "grex" (flock), likely referring to a beekeeper or honey merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,069 Americans carry the last name Melgarejo. That puts it at #15,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melgarejo 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
2.1K
1 in 165,662
Census rank
#15,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,804 bearers of the surname Melgarejo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgarejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and White (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melgarejo
The surname MELGAREJO originated in Spain and is of Spanish origin. It is derived from the words "melga" meaning a strip of cultivated land and "rejo" meaning a plough, indicating the name's connection to agriculture and rural life. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 15th century.
Records show that in 1492, a Diego MELGAREJO was among the conquistadors who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the Americas. The name is also found in the Catalonian region of Spain, where it was spelled MELGAREGIO in some old manuscripts.
During the 16th century, the MELGAREJO family established themselves as landowners and farmers in the region of Extremadura, Spain. One notable figure was Juan MELGAREJO (1523-1588), who was a prominent agriculturist and inventor of an early prototype of the plow.
In the 17th century, the name spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Miguel MELGAREJO (1634-1693) was a soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and founded the settlement of Melgarejo, now known as San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
Another significant figure was Mariano MELGAREJO (1820-1871), who served as the 16th President of Bolivia from 1864 to 1871. He was a controversial figure known for his ruthless rule and violent suppression of opposition.
In the 19th century, a branch of the MELGAREJO family migrated to Mexico, where they continued to be involved in agriculture and landholding. José MELGAREJO (1845-1914) was a prominent landowner and businessman in the state of Jalisco.
Throughout history, the surname MELGAREJO has been associated with farming, land ownership, and occasionally military and political roles, reflecting its roots in rural Spain and the contributions of various individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melgarejo
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgarejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and White (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Melgarejo 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 Melgarejo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.5% · 1,651
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 81
- White3.4% · 62
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melgarejo
Melgarejo 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
#15,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,822
+756 bearers (+70.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 6,574 places
2020
#15,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,804
-18 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,521 | 1,066 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,947 | 1,822 | 0.62 | +756 bearers (+70.9%) | Up 6,574 places |
| 2020 | #15,592 | 1,804 | 0.60 | -18 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 355 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 Melgarejo 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 | #15,947 | #15,592 | 2.2% |
| Count | 1,822 | 1,804 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.60 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melgarejo bearers went from 1,822 to 1,804 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 355 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,947 to #15,592.
FAQ
Melgarejo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melgarejo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,069 living Americans carry the surname Melgarejo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,662 residents.
How common is Melgarejo?
Melgarejo ranks #15,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,804 people with the surname Melgarejo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Melgarejo.
Has Melgarejo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melgarejo went from 1,822 recorded bearers to 1,804. That is a decrease of 18 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,947 to #15,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Melgarejo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melgarejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and White (3.4%). 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 Melgarejo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melgarejo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%), White (3.4%). 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 Melgarejo (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 Melgarejo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin words "mel" (honey) and "grex" (flock), likely referring to a beekeeper or honey merchant. 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 Melgarejo (0.60 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 Melgarejo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.