2000
#10,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,945
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Melnick
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Slavic word for miller, referring to one who grinds grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,108 Americans carry the last name Melnick. That puts it at #11,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melnick 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
3.1K
1 in 110,281
Census rank
#11,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,710 bearers of the surname Melnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melnick
The surname Melnick is of Slavic origin, derived from the word "melnyk" which means "miller" in various Slavic languages. It originated in areas of Eastern Europe where Slavic languages were spoken, such as Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in these regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Andriy Melnick, a miller from the village of Kozelets in modern-day Ukraine, who was mentioned in a local census record from 1612. The name was often associated with individuals whose occupation involved operating a mill or residing near a mill.
In some areas, the name may have also been derived from place names containing the word "melnyk" or its variants, such as the town of Melnyky in western Ukraine. The spelling of the name varied across different regions, with variations like Melnyk, Melnik, and Melnitsky being common.
Notable historical figures with the surname Melnick include Hryhoriy Melnick (1768-1842), a Ukrainian priest and writer who authored several religious texts. Another prominent bearer of the name was Pavlo Melnick (1854-1920), a Ukrainian painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the 19th century, the name began to spread beyond Eastern Europe as Slavic immigrants settled in other parts of the world, particularly in North America. One such individual was Ivan Melnick (1876-1958), a Ukrainian-born farmer who emigrated to Canada and established a successful agricultural business in Saskatchewan.
Another notable figure was Mikhail Melnick (1909-1983), a Russian-born chemist who made significant contributions to the field of polymer chemistry and held several patents for his inventions. He spent most of his career working in the United States after fleeing the Soviet Union.
While the surname Melnick is not as widespread as some other Slavic surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the occupational and cultural traditions of Eastern Europe. Its prevalence in various regions reflects the migration patterns of Slavic populations over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Melnick 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 Melnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,515
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- Two or more races2.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melnick
Melnick 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
#11,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,864
-81 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 993 places
2020
#11,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,710
-154 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,088 | 2,945 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,081 | 2,864 | 0.97 | -81 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 993 places |
| 2020 | #11,168 | 2,710 | 0.91 | -154 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 87 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 Melnick 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 | #11,081 | #11,168 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,864 | 2,710 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.91 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melnick bearers went from 2,864 to 2,710 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,081 to #11,168.
FAQ
Melnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melnick?
Name Census estimates that about 3,108 living Americans carry the surname Melnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,281 residents.
How common is Melnick?
Melnick ranks #11,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,710 people with the surname Melnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Melnick.
Has Melnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melnick went from 2,864 recorded bearers to 2,710. That is a decrease of 154 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,081 to #11,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Melnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Melnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Melnick (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 Melnick mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Slavic word for miller, referring to one who grinds grain. 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 Melnick (0.91 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 Melnick?
See how common the surname Melnick is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.