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

Mells, 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 Mells surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mells in America

Mells is the 49546th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mells surname appeared 424 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mells.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mells 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 Mells

The surname Mells is of English origin, and it first appeared in the historical records during the late 12th century in the county of Somerset. The name is derived from the Old English words "mill" and "hyll," which together mean "mill on a hill." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name lived near a mill situated on a hill in Somerset.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1196, where a person named Robert de Melles is listed. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the area by the late 12th century.

The name Mells is also closely associated with the village of the same name in Somerset. This village, which dates back to at least the 11th century, was once known as "Melles" or "Mulles," as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Mells was Sir John de Melles, a knight who served under King Edward I during the Welsh Wars of the late 13th century. He was born around 1250 and died in 1307.

Another prominent individual with the surname Mells was Robert Mells, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Somerset during the 15th century. He was born in 1420 and died in 1492.

During the 16th century, the name Mells appeared in various records related to the English Reformation. One such record mentions a William Mells, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1558 during the reign of Queen Mary I.

In the 17th century, a notable figure was Sir John Mells, a Member of Parliament for Somerset who served during the English Civil War. He was born in 1605 and died in 1678.

Another individual of note was Thomas Mells, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1660 and died in 1727.

It's worth noting that while the surname Mells is primarily associated with Somerset, it has also been found in other parts of England, particularly in the neighboring counties of Wiltshire and Dorset.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mells

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

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

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

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