2000
#13,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Melin
A French occupational surname referring to a miller or one who operates or works in a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,241 Americans carry the last name Melin. That puts it at #14,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Melin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,947
Census rank
#14,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,954 bearers of the surname Melin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melin
The surname Melin is of French origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "molin," meaning mill or windmill. The name likely originated in areas of northern France where milling was a common occupation, such as Normandy or Brittany.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Melin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It lists several individuals with the surname Melin, indicating that the name had already spread to England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Jean Melin was a French architect and engineer who worked on several notable projects, including the construction of the Château Gaillard in Normandy for King Richard the Lionheart.
During the Middle Ages, the name Melin was sometimes spelled with variations such as Melyn, Mellin, or Melin. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the preference of the individual scribes who recorded the name.
In the 16th century, a French explorer named Pierre Melin was among the first Europeans to establish settlements in what is now Canada. He founded the town of Tadoussac in Quebec in 1600, which became an important trading post for the fur trade.
Another notable individual with the surname Melin was Jacques Melin, a French painter and engraver who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
Other historical figures with the surname Melin include Marie-Anne Melin, a French opera singer who performed in the 18th century, and Joseph Melin, a Belgian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 19th century.
Throughout history, the surname Melin has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting its origins as a name related to milling and the production of flour. While the name is most prevalent in France and countries with French cultural influence, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melin
Among Census respondents with the surname Melin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Melin 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 Melin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,732
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 116
- Two or more races3.3% · 64
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melin
Melin 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
#13,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
+209 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#14,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,954
-385 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,158 | 2,130 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,107 | 2,339 | 0.79 | +209 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #14,628 | 1,954 | 0.65 | -385 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,521 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 Melin 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 | #13,107 | #14,628 | -11.6% |
| Count | 2,339 | 1,954 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.65 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melin bearers went from 2,339 to 1,954 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,521 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,107 to #14,628.
FAQ
Melin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,241 living Americans carry the surname Melin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,947 residents.
How common is Melin?
Melin ranks #14,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,954 people with the surname Melin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Melin.
Has Melin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melin went from 2,339 recorded bearers to 1,954. That is a decrease of 385 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,107 to #14,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Melin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Melin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Melin (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 Melin mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a miller or one who operates or works in a mill. 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 Melin (0.65 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 common is the surname Melin?
See how common the surname Melin is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.