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

Melia, 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 Melia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melia in America

Melia is the 12395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melia surname appeared 2,509 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Melia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melia 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 Melia

The surname Melia is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "mel," which means honey, suggesting that the name may have been associated with beekeeping or honey production in its early history.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Melia surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the region of Bari in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name may have its roots in this area.

In the 13th century, the Melia surname appears in records from the town of Catania in Sicily, where it is believed to be connected to the noble Melia family, which held land and titles in the region during that time.

The Melia surname gained prominence in the 15th century with the birth of Antonio Melia (1445-1519), a renowned Italian jurist and legal scholar from Naples. His works on Roman law and legal theory were highly influential during the Renaissance period.

Another notable figure with the Melia surname was Girolamo Melia (1590-1663), an Italian architect and engineer from Palermo, Sicily. He was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings and fortifications in the city, including the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and the Porta Felice (Felice Gate).

In the 19th century, the Melia surname is associated with Francesco Melia (1801-1886), an Italian politician and lawyer from Palermo. He served as a member of the Sicilian Parliament and played a significant role in the political and social reforms of the region during the Risorgimento period.

Throughout its history, the Melia surname has also been connected to various place names and older spellings, such as Melia, Mella, and Mellia. These variations may have emerged due to regional dialects or variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melia

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

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

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

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