2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Melk
A surname derived from the German word "Melker" meaning a milkman or dairyman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Melk. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melk 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Melk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melk, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melk
The surname Melk has its origins in the medieval German language, and is believed to have first emerged in the region of Saxony in present-day eastern Germany. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "melcan," which means "to milk." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to describe someone who worked as a milkman or dairy farmer.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Melk can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. The name appears in a document dated to the year 1247, which mentions a man named "Henricus Melk" who was a landowner in the town of Meissen.
In the 14th century, the name Melk began to spread beyond the borders of Saxony, with records indicating the presence of families with this surname in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable individual from this period was Johannes Melk, a monk and theologian who lived from 1345 to 1412 and was known for his writings on the spiritual life.
During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the Melk surname continued to gain prominence, with several individuals bearing this name making significant contributions to various fields. One such figure was Andreas Melk (1490-1562), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who worked alongside Martin Luther in the early years of the Reformation movement.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Melk family emigrated to the Netherlands, where they became involved in the Dutch East India Company's trading operations. One member of this family, Willem Melk (1625-1683), served as a ship's captain and was known for his voyages to the East Indies and the Cape of Good Hope.
Another notable individual with the Melk surname was Johann Melk (1723-1798), a German composer and organist who was active in the late Baroque and early Classical periods. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were widely performed and admired during his lifetime.
As the centuries passed, the Melk surname continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, with families bearing this name establishing themselves in various countries and regions. While the name may have evolved slightly in spelling or pronunciation in some locations, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German word "melcan" and the dairy farming traditions of Saxony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melk
Among Census respondents with the surname Melk, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Melk 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 Melk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melk
Melk 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+16 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 13,598 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 Melk 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 | #154,907 | #141,309 | 8.8% |
| Count | 105 | 121 | 15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melk bearers went from 105 to 121 (+15.2% change). The surname moved up 13,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #141,309.
FAQ
Melk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melk?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Melk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Melk?
Melk ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Melk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Melk.
Has Melk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melk went from 105 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 16 (+15.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Melk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melk, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%) and Hispanic (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 Melk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%), Hispanic (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 Melk (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 Melk mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Melker" meaning a milkman or dairyman. 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 Melk (0.04 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 have the last name Melk?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Melk? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.