Find out how popular the last name Melsheimer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Melsheimer.
A place name referring to someone from Melsheim or a similar location.
Melsheimer, 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 Melsheimer surname is from the 2010 census data.
Melsheimer is the 73464th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Melsheimer surname appeared 264 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 Melsheimer.
We can also compare 2010 data for Melsheimer 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 73464 | 77222 | -4.99% |
| Count | 264 | 231 | 13.33% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.00% |
The surname Melsheimer is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the late Middle Ages. This name is believed to have originated in the region of Hesse, a state in central Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic words "mel," meaning "mill," and "heim," meaning "home" or "homestead." Thus, the name likely referred to a family residing near a mill or a miller's dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Melsheimer name can be found in the Kirchenbücher, or church records, of the town of Alsfeld in Hesse, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document the presence of individuals bearing the surname Melsheimer in the region during that time period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with this surname was Friedrich Melsheimer (1628-1701), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Marburg. His works, including "Disputationes de Theologia Morali" and "Systema Theologiae," were influential in his time.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Johann Melsheimer (1728-1808), a German entomologist and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and published several works, including "Catalogue of Insects of Pennsylvania" and "Description of a Rare Species of Wasp."
Moving into the 19th century, another prominent individual with the Melsheimer surname was Friedrich Ernst Melsheimer (1782-1873), a German-American minister and entomologist. He emigrated to the United States in 1805 and became known for his extensive collection of insects, which he donated to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Another notable figure was Theodor Melsheimer (1806-1875), a German-American botanist and geologist. He was born in Germany but later settled in the United States, where he conducted extensive research on the flora and geology of Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Throughout its history, the Melsheimer surname has been associated with various professions, including theology, entomology, botany, and geology. While originating in the region of Hesse, Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to the United States in the 19th century.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Melsheimer.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Melsheimer was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 94.70% | 250 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.27% | 6 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.27% | 6 |
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 Melsheimer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.70% | 95.24% | -0.57% |
| Black | 2.27% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.27% | 2.60% | -13.55% |
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 Melsheimer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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