2000
#76,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Mellencamp
A German name meaning "citizen of the town Mellencamp".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 289 Americans carry the last name Mellencamp. That puts it at #81,047 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,186,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mellencamp 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
289
1 in 1,186,001
Census rank
#81,047
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
252
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 252 bearers of the surname Mellencamp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81047th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellencamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mellencamp
The surname Mellencamp is of German origin, derived from the German word "mühlencamp," which translates to "mill field" or "mill meadow." It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a mill or worked as a miller.
Historically, the name was prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany, where many mills were located along rivers and streams. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Mühlenkamp, Muhlenkamp, and Muhlenkampe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of Ellwangen, Württemberg, Germany, where a Johann Mellencamp was born in 1680. Another notable early reference is the birth of Johann Georg Mellencamp in Hüttlingen, Baden-Württemberg, in 1714.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, many German immigrants bearing the name Mellencamp settled in various parts of the United States, particularly in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Friedrich Mellencamp, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Mellencamp throughout history are:
1. Johann Wilhelm Mellencamp (1779-1847), a German painter and engraver from Württemberg.
2. Wilhelm Mellencamp (1833-1906), a German-American teacher and writer who settled in Illinois.
3. John Mellencamp (born 1951), an American singer-songwriter and musician, known for hits like "Jack & Diane" and "Pink Houses."
4. Theodore Mellencamp (1893-1963), an American actor and vaudeville performer, best known for his role in the film "The Grapes of Wrath."
5. Elise Mellencamp (1908-1998), an American artist and sculptor, known for her works in bronze and stone.
While the surname Mellencamp is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history dating back to its German origins and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellencamp
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellencamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mellencamp 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 Mellencamp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 241
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mellencamp
Mellencamp 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
#81,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 4,481 places
2020
#81,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
+19 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,700 | 233 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,181 | 233 | 0.08 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 4,481 places |
| 2020 | #81,047 | 252 | 0.08 | +19 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 134 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 Mellencamp 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 | #81,181 | #81,047 | 0.2% |
| Count | 233 | 252 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mellencamp bearers went from 233 to 252 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,181 to #81,047.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mellencamp
FAQ
Mellencamp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mellencamp?
Name Census estimates that about 289 living Americans carry the surname Mellencamp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,186,001 residents.
How common is Mellencamp?
Mellencamp ranks #81,047 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 252 people with the surname Mellencamp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (289), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Mellencamp.
Has Mellencamp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mellencamp went from 233 recorded bearers to 252. That is an increase of 19 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #81,181 to #81,047.
What does the Census say about the background of Mellencamp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellencamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Mellencamp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mellencamp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (1.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Mellencamp (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 Mellencamp mean?
A German name meaning "citizen of the town Mellencamp". 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 Mellencamp (0.08 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 Americans have the surname Mellencamp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.