2000
#20,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Melnyk
An occupational surname derived from the Slavic word for "miller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,073 Americans carry the last name Melnyk. That puts it at #15,568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melnyk 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 Melnyk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,342
Census rank
#15,568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,808 bearers of the surname Melnyk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melnyk
The surname Melnyk is of Ukrainian origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian word "melnyk," which means "miller" or someone who operates a mill. The name indicates that the original bearers of this surname were likely involved in the milling trade or lived near a mill.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Melnyk can be found in historical documents from the regions of Galicia and Volhynia, which were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. These areas are now located in modern-day western Ukraine. The name was also prevalent in other parts of Ukraine, particularly in the central and eastern regions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Melnyk can be found in the Lutsk Aktova Kniga (Lutsk Act Book), a collection of legal documents from the city of Lutsk, dating back to the late 16th century. This book contains records of various legal transactions, including property transfers, court cases, and other official matters, and mentions several individuals with the surname Melnyk.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Melnyk was well-established among the Ukrainian Cossack population. Several notable Cossack leaders and military figures bore this surname, including Petro Melnyk (c. 1650-1708), a Cossack colonel and participant in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule, and Ivan Melnyk (c. 1720-1795), a Cossack starshyna (elder) and military leader.
In the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Melnyk was Andrii Melnyk (1890-1964), a Ukrainian politician, statesman, and diplomat. He served as the first ambassador of the Ukrainian People's Republic to various countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and the Vatican.
Another notable figure was Mykhailo Melnyk (1892-1957), a Ukrainian writer, playwright, and literary critic. He was a prominent figure in the Ukrainian literary scene during the early 20th century and is known for his works that explored themes of national identity and cultural heritage.
During the 20th century, Volodymyr Melnyk (1901-1982) was a renowned Ukrainian composer and pianist. He was a pioneer of experimental and avant-garde music and is considered one of the founders of the Ukrainian modern classical music movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Melnyk. The name continues to be prevalent in Ukraine and among Ukrainian diaspora communities around the world, reflecting its deep roots in Ukrainian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melnyk
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Melnyk 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 Melnyk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 1,723
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Two or more races1.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melnyk
Melnyk 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
#18,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,496
+323 bearers (+27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 2,438 places
2020
#15,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,808
+312 bearers (+20.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 2,910 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,916 | 1,173 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,478 | 1,496 | 0.51 | +323 bearers (+27.5%) | Up 2,438 places |
| 2020 | #15,568 | 1,808 | 0.60 | +312 bearers (+20.9%) | Up 2,910 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 Melnyk 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 | #18,478 | #15,568 | 15.7% |
| Count | 1,496 | 1,808 | 20.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.60 | 18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melnyk bearers went from 1,496 to 1,808 (+20.9% change). The surname moved up 2,910 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,478 to #15,568.
FAQ
Melnyk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melnyk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,073 living Americans carry the surname Melnyk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,342 residents.
How common is Melnyk?
Melnyk ranks #15,568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,808 people with the surname Melnyk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Melnyk.
Has Melnyk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melnyk went from 1,496 recorded bearers to 1,808. That is an increase of 312 (+20.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,478 to #15,568.
What does the Census say about the background of Melnyk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melnyk, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Melnyk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,723 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melnyk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Melnyk (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 Melnyk mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Slavic word for "miller". 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 Melnyk (0.60 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 share the surname Melnyk?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.