2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Melinn
A surname likely derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Melinn. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melinn 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Melinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melinn
The surname MELINN has its origins in the British Isles, emerging in the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "melan," meaning "to grind" or "to mill," suggesting an occupational connection to the milling trade.
MELINN is thought to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Northumberland, where many mills were located along the rivers and streams that powered them. Early records show variants of the name, such as Melynne, Mellyn, and Mellin, appearing in parish registers and tax rolls from the 14th and 15th centuries.
One of the earliest documented references to the name comes from the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, which mention a John Melynn as a taxpayer. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname MELINN, but it does record several place names that may have contributed to its formation, such as Melton and Melbury.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the MELINN surname is Robert Melinn (c. 1520-1589), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who served as a tutor to the children of King Henry VIII. Another prominent individual was Sir William Melinn (1587-1652), a Member of Parliament and influential landowner in Gloucestershire.
During the 17th century, the MELINN surname spread beyond its northern English roots, with records showing families of that name in other parts of the country, including London and the West Midlands. One notable bearer was John Melinn (1622-1683), a successful merchant and shipowner in Bristol.
In the 18th century, the name gained wider recognition with the literary works of Samuel Melinn (1745-1819), a celebrated poet and essayist who was a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Another noteworthy individual from this period was Captain James Melinn (1760-1835), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the centuries progressed, the MELINN surname continued to be found throughout the British Isles and its former colonies, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including academia, the arts, and public service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Melinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Melinn 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 Melinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 100
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melinn
Melinn appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,913 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 1,913 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 Melinn 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 | #153,769 | #155,682 | -1.2% |
| Count | 106 | 100 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melinn bearers went from 106 to 100 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 1,913 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,682.
FAQ
Melinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melinn?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Melinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Melinn?
Melinn ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Melinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Melinn.
Has Melinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melinn went from 106 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Melinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Melinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Melinn (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 Melinn mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or location. 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 Melinn (0.03 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 are called Melinn?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Melinn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.