2000
#6,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Mellott
An English surname derived from the Old French word "meslot," meaning a person who meddles or interferes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,854 Americans carry the last name Mellott. That puts it at #7,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mellott 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
4.9K
1 in 70,613
Census rank
#7,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,233 bearers of the surname Mellott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellott, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mellott
The surname Mellott is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "mell," which means "honey," or "malt." This suggests that the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who worked with honey or malt, or it could have been a descriptive nickname for someone with a sweet or pleasant demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mellott can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named "Mellottus" is mentioned in connection with a land transaction.
Another notable historical reference to the name Mellott is found in the Wormser Bürgerbuch, a citizen's register from the city of Worms, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In this document, a person named "Mellot" is listed as a resident of the city.
Over the centuries, the name Mellott has undergone various spelling variations, including Mellot, Mellott, Mellotte, and Mellotte. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mellott was Hans Mellott, born in 1452 in Nuremberg, Germany. He was a respected merchant and guild member in the city.
Another notable individual was Johann Mellott (1578-1642), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology during the Reformation era.
In the 18th century, a family of Mellotts emigrated from Germany to the American colonies, settling in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded members of this family was Jacob Mellott (1720-1792), who was a farmer and landowner in what is now Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
During the American Revolutionary War, a man named John Mellott (1745-1823) served as a private in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Brandywine.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Mellott was Reverend Samuel Mellott (1812-1887), a Methodist minister and educator who founded several schools and institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
It is important to note that these are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Mellott throughout history, and there are likely many more who have made significant contributions in various fields and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellott
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellott, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mellott 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 Mellott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,897
- Two or more races4.4% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mellott
Mellott 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
#7,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,552
+97 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 386 places
2020
#7,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,233
-319 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,942 | 4,455 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,328 | 4,552 | 1.54 | +97 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 386 places |
| 2020 | #7,567 | 4,233 | 1.42 | -319 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 239 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 Mellott 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 | #7,328 | #7,567 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,552 | 4,233 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.42 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mellott bearers went from 4,552 to 4,233 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,328 to #7,567.
FAQ
Mellott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mellott?
Name Census estimates that about 4,854 living Americans carry the surname Mellott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,613 residents.
How common is Mellott?
Mellott ranks #7,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,233 people with the surname Mellott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Mellott.
Has Mellott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mellott went from 4,552 recorded bearers to 4,233. That is a decrease of 319 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,328 to #7,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Mellott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellott, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mellott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,897 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mellott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mellott (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 Mellott mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "meslot," meaning a person who meddles or interferes. 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 Mellott (1.42 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 have the last name Mellott?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mellott is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.