2000
#7,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Mellon
A surname of French origin referring to someone who grew or sold melons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,700 Americans carry the last name Mellon. That puts it at #7,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,926 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mellon 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 Mellon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,926
Census rank
#7,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,099 bearers of the surname Mellon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellon
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mellon 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 Mellon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 3,589
- Black or African American4.7% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 132
- Two or more races3.1% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mellon
Mellon 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
#7,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,628
+224 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#7,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,099
-529 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,018 | 4,404 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,211 | 4,628 | 1.57 | +224 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #7,770 | 4,099 | 1.37 | -529 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 559 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 Mellon 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 | #7,211 | #7,770 | -7.8% |
| Count | 4,628 | 4,099 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.37 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mellon bearers went from 4,628 to 4,099 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,211 to #7,770.
FAQ
Mellon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mellon?
Name Census estimates that about 4,700 living Americans carry the surname Mellon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,926 residents.
How common is Mellon?
Mellon ranks #7,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,099 people with the surname Mellon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,700), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Mellon.
Has Mellon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mellon went from 4,628 recorded bearers to 4,099. That is a decrease of 529 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,211 to #7,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Mellon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Mellon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (3,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mellon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (4.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Mellon (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 Mellon mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who grew or sold melons. 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 Mellon (1.37 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 Mellon?
See how many people are called Mellon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.