2000
#10,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Mellen
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Melun or a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,814 Americans carry the last name Mellen. That puts it at #12,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mellen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mellen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,803
Census rank
#12,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,454 bearers of the surname Mellen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mellen
The surname Mellen has its roots in the Old English word "melene," which means "mill" or "mill stream." It originated in England during the medieval period, typically referring to individuals who lived near a mill or worked as millers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mellen name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property conducted in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Meleham" and "Meleburn," referring to locations in Hampshire and Derbyshire, respectively.
As the name evolved, various spellings emerged, including Mellon, Mellin, and Melland. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes who recorded official documents.
Notable individuals bearing the Mellen surname include Robert Mellen (c. 1565-1640), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottingham in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was James Mellen (1733-1810), an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1801 to 1807.
In the realm of literature, Grenville Mellen (1799-1841) was an American author and poet known for his contributions to the literary magazine "The North American Review." Meanwhile, in the field of education, Charles Mellen (1831-1900) was a prominent figure, serving as the president of the University of West Virginia from 1869 to 1875.
Across the Atlantic, the Mellen name also gained recognition in Europe. One notable bearer was Friedrich Mellen (1833-1918), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the late 19th century.
These examples illustrate the diverse histories and accomplishments associated with the Mellen surname, spanning various professions and regions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mellen 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 Mellen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,295
- Two or more races2.7% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 44
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mellen
Mellen 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
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,076
+283 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 83 places
2020
#12,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,454
-622 bearers (-20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,536 | 2,793 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,453 | 3,076 | 1.04 | +283 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 83 places |
| 2020 | #12,124 | 2,454 | 0.82 | -622 bearers (-20.2%) | Down 1,671 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 Mellen 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 | #10,453 | #12,124 | -16.0% |
| Count | 3,076 | 2,454 | -20.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.82 | -21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mellen bearers went from 3,076 to 2,454 (-20.2% change). The surname moved down 1,671 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,453 to #12,124.
FAQ
Mellen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mellen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,814 living Americans carry the surname Mellen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,803 residents.
How common is Mellen?
Mellen ranks #12,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,454 people with the surname Mellen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mellen.
Has Mellen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mellen went from 3,076 recorded bearers to 2,454. That is a decrease of 622 (-20.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,453 to #12,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Mellen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Mellen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mellen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Mellen (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 Mellen mean?
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Melun or a similar name. 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 Mellen (0.82 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 are called Mellen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Mellen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.