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

Mellon, 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 Mellon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mellon in America

Mellon is the 7211th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mellon surname appeared 4,628 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mellon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mellon 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 Mellon

The surname Mellon has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word 'melon', which means 'apple' or 'apple tree'. It is believed that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near an apple orchard or had some association with apples.

This surname is found in the earliest records of the 12th century, particularly in the northern regions of France. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Savigny, a medieval manuscript from 1150, which mentions a person named Radulfus Mellon.

During the Middle Ages, the Mellon name was prominent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Mellon, suggesting that it was not yet widespread in England at that time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Melun and Melon, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that period. One notable individual from this era was Raoul Mellon, a French nobleman and landowner who lived in the region of Normandy around 1250.

As the centuries progressed, the Mellon surname spread across Europe and gained prominence in different regions. In the 16th century, a notable figure was Anne Mellon, a French playwright and poet who was born in Rouen in 1518 and died in 1590.

The Mellon name also gained recognition in Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by French Huguenot settlers. One prominent Scottish bearer of the name was James Mellon, a merchant and shipowner from Aberdeen, who lived from 1728 to 1809.

In the United States, the Mellon surname is associated with the influential Mellon family, which included Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937), a successful banker, industrialist, and philanthropist who served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932.

Other notable individuals with the Mellon surname include Paul Mellon (1907-1999), an American philanthropist and art collector, and Sir Alfred Mellon (1908-1983), a British businessman and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the North Sea oil industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mellon

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

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

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

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