2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Melki
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "my king" or "royal".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 203 Americans carry the last name Melki. That puts it at #107,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,688,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melki 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
203
1 in 1,688,445
Census rank
#107,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
177
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 177 bearers of the surname Melki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melki
Among Census respondents with the surname Melki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Melki 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 Melki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 159
- Two or more races4.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melki
Melki 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
#108,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
+22 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,967 places
2020
#107,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
+13 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 1,175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #108,199 | 164 | 0.06 | +22 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 5,967 places |
| 2020 | #107,024 | 177 | 0.06 | +13 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 1,175 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 Melki 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 | #108,199 | #107,024 | 1.1% |
| Count | 164 | 177 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melki bearers went from 164 to 177 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 1,175 positions in the national ranking, going from #108,199 to #107,024.
FAQ
Melki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melki?
Name Census estimates that about 203 living Americans carry the surname Melki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,688,445 residents.
How common is Melki?
Melki ranks #107,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 177 people with the surname Melki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Melki.
Has Melki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melki went from 164 recorded bearers to 177. That is an increase of 13 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #108,199 to #107,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Melki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Melki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Melki (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 Melki mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "my king" or "royal". 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 Melki (0.06 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 share the surname Melki?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.