2000
#32,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Meloni
An Italian surname derived from the word "melone" meaning melon or watermelon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 764 Americans carry the last name Meloni. That puts it at #36,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 448,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meloni 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 Meloni with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
764
1 in 448,631
Census rank
#36,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
666
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 666 bearers of the surname Meloni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meloni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meloni
The surname Meloni is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "melone," meaning "melon." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who grew or sold melons.
The earliest recorded instances of the Meloni surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria. Historical records from this period often list individuals with the surname spelled as "Meloni," "Melloni," or "Mellone," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Meloni name can be found in a document from the city of Siena, dated 1286, which references a Giovanni Meloni. Additionally, records from the town of Viterbo in Lazio indicate the presence of a noble family bearing the Meloni surname in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Battista Meloni (c. 1450-1510) was a renowned painter from the city of Perugia, known for his frescoes and religious works. His artistic contributions are still celebrated in various churches and museums throughout Umbria.
Fast forward to the 17th century, a prominent figure named Antonio Meloni (1623-1701) was a Sicilian jurist and author. He served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Palermo and wrote several legal treatises that were highly regarded during his time.
Another significant individual with the Meloni surname was Girolamo Meloni (1718-1802), a Sardinian priest and writer. He authored several works on the history and culture of Sardinia, including "Memoria sulla Sardegna" (Memoir on Sardinia), which is considered an important historical reference on the island.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Meloni (1843-1912) was an Italian businessman and politician from Tuscany. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the development of the wine industry in his region.
The surname Meloni can also be linked to various place names across Italy, such as Meloni di Sardegna, a small town in the province of Sassari, Sardinia, and Meloni di Spoleto, a hamlet in the province of Perugia, Umbria. These place names likely originated from individuals with the Meloni surname who settled or held land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meloni
Among Census respondents with the surname Meloni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meloni 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 Meloni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 591
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 42
- Two or more races2.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meloni
Meloni 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
#32,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 698
+20 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 771 places
2020
#36,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 666
-32 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 3,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,094 | 678 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,865 | 698 | 0.24 | +20 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 771 places |
| 2020 | #36,198 | 666 | 0.22 | -32 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 3,333 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 Meloni 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 | #32,865 | #36,198 | -10.1% |
| Count | 698 | 666 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.22 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meloni bearers went from 698 to 666 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 3,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,865 to #36,198.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Meloni
FAQ
Meloni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meloni?
Name Census estimates that about 764 living Americans carry the surname Meloni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 448,631 residents.
How common is Meloni?
Meloni ranks #36,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 666 people with the surname Meloni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Meloni.
Has Meloni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meloni went from 698 recorded bearers to 666. That is a decrease of 32 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,865 to #36,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Meloni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meloni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meloni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meloni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meloni (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 Meloni mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "melone" meaning melon or watermelon. 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 Meloni (0.22 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 Americans have the surname Meloni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.