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

Mellema, 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 Mellema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mellema in America

Mellema is the 32710th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mellema surname appeared 702 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 Mellema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mellema 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 Mellema

The surname MELLEMA originated in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "meldijk," which means "mill dike" or "mill dam." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked at a mill located on a dike or dam.

MELLEMA is predominantly found in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, particularly in Friesland and Groningen. The earliest known record of the name appears in a Dutch census document from 1589, where a Sijbren Mellema is listed as residing in the village of Dokkum, in the province of Friesland.

In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical records, including a baptismal register from the town of Leeuwarden in 1622, where a child named Sytse Mellema was baptized. Another notable entry is found in a land ownership document from 1678, which mentions a Harmke Mellema as the owner of a parcel of land in the village of Buitenpost, also in Friesland.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MELLEMA surname is Gerrit Mellema, a Dutch merchant and ship owner who lived in the city of Harlingen in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative Baltic trade and owned several ships that sailed between the Netherlands and ports in present-day Poland and Russia.

Another notable figure from history is Sjoerd Mellema, a Frisian poet and playwright who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1726 in the village of Hallum, he is known for his works written in the West Frisian language, which helped preserve and promote the region's cultural heritage.

In the 19th century, Pieter Mellema was a prominent Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Groningen, including the Groninger Museum and the Martini Tower, which is a iconic landmark in the city.

One of the earliest recorded individuals to emigrate from the Netherlands with the MELLEMA surname was Klaas Mellema, who arrived in the United States in the mid-19th century. He settled in the state of Michigan, where he worked as a farmer and helped establish a Dutch community in the area.

Another notable MELLEMA from history is Johanna Mellema, a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. Born in 1912 in the city of Leeuwarden, she was involved in smuggling Jewish refugees across the Dutch-Belgian border and providing them with safe haven during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mellema

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

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

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

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