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

Melki, 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 Melki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melki in America

Melki is the 108199th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melki surname appeared 164 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 Melki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melki 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 Melki

The surname Melki is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Levant region, which includes modern-day countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. It is derived from the Arabic word "malki," which means "royal" or "kingly." The name's etymology suggests that it was likely used to denote someone with a royal connection or someone who had a regal bearing or demeanor.

In the early medieval period, the name Melki appeared in various records and manuscripts from the region, particularly in chronicles and genealogical records of noble families. One notable early reference to the name can be found in the "Kitab al-Ansab" (Book of Genealogies), a comprehensive work on Arab genealogies compiled in the 9th century by the scholar al-Sam'ani.

The earliest recorded example of the name Melki can be traced back to the 11th century, when a man named Melki ibn Salim al-Dimashqi was mentioned in a manuscript as a renowned scholar and poet from Damascus. Another notable figure with the surname Melki was Rashid al-Din Melki, a 13th-century historian and author from Aleppo, who wrote several works on the history of Syria and the Ayyubid dynasty.

In the 14th century, a prominent family with the surname Melki lived in the city of Tripoli, Lebanon. One member of this family, Ibrahim al-Melki, was a renowned merchant and diplomat who traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean region and maintained trade relationships with various European cities.

During the Ottoman period, the Melki surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Lebanon and Syria. One notable figure from this era was Khalil al-Melki, a 17th-century scholar and poet from Beirut, who was renowned for his expertise in Arabic literature and linguistics.

Another prominent individual with the surname Melki was Mikhail Melki, a 19th-century Lebanese writer, journalist, and political activist. He played a significant role in the Nahda (Renaissance) movement, which aimed to revive and modernize Arabic language and culture.

Throughout history, the surname Melki has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Malki, Maleki, and Meliki, reflecting regional variations and linguistic adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melki

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

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

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

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