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

Melius, 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 Melius surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melius in America

Melius is the 22421st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melius surname appeared 1,148 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Melius.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melius 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 Melius

The surname MELIUS originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "melius," which means "better" or "superior." This name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who was considered to be of higher status or exceptional in some way.

The earliest known records of the MELIUS surname date back to the 13th century in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. It was often spelled with variations such as Melio, Melii, or Mellius. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in a document from the city of Siena in 1286, mentioning a certain Guido Melius.

In the 14th century, the MELIUS name appeared in several historical records, including the tax rolls of Florence, where a family by the name of Melius was listed as landowners. During this time, the name was also associated with the town of Meleto, now known as Meldola, in the province of Forlì-Cesena.

Notable individuals with the MELIUS surname include Giovanni Melius (1532-1597), an Italian Protestant theologian and reformer from Ferrara, who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Italy. Another prominent figure was Filippo Melius (1504-1567), a renowned Italian physician and professor of medicine at the University of Padua.

In the 17th century, the MELIUS name was found in various parts of Italy, including Venice, where a family of that name held considerable wealth and influence. One member, Marco Melius (1619-1678), was a successful merchant and banker who left a substantial fortune to his descendants.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several MELIUS families emigrated from Italy to other parts of Europe and the Americas, contributing to the spread of this surname across various regions. Notable individuals from this period include Giuseppe Melius (1785-1862), an Italian composer and music teacher, and Antonio Melius (1822-1904), a prominent Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melius

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

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

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

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