2000
#4,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.64
Rare Last name
Melson
Derived from the Old English given name Mael or the Irish Gaelic Maolmhaodhóg, meaning "devotee of Saint Mael."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,163 Americans carry the last name Melson. That puts it at #7,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melson 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 Melson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,387
Census rank
#7,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,502 bearers of the surname Melson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melson
The surname Melson has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Mellows or Mellers, which were derived from the Old English word "melu," meaning "meal" or "flour." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a miller or someone involved in the flour trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melson can be found in the parish records of Northamptonshire, where a Thomas Melson was mentioned in 1597. Further instances of the name appear in various records throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, with spellings such as Melson, Mellson, and Melston.
The name Melson is also closely associated with the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire, which was originally recorded as "Melesburne" in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is possible that some individuals with the surname Melson may have derived their name from this location.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Melson throughout history include:
1. Sir John Melson (1601-1673), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Charles II.
2. Thomas Melson (1762-1832), a British naval officer who participated in the Battle of Trafalgar and later served as Governor of the Bahamas.
3. Elizabeth Melson (1811-1892), an American philanthropist and abolitionist who worked alongside Frederick Douglass in the anti-slavery movement.
4. James Melson (1846-1914), a Scottish architect known for designing several prominent buildings in Glasgow, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
5. William Melson (1870-1943), an American geologist and volcanologist who made significant contributions to the study of volcanic rocks and their formation.
The surname Melson has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to various regions of England, with possible connections to place names and occupational origins. While its prevalence may have fluctuated over time, the name has been carried by individuals who have made their mark in various fields, from law and military service to philanthropy and science.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melson
Among Census respondents with the surname Melson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Melson 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 Melson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 3,241
- Black or African American19.4% · 875
- Two or more races4.4% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melson
Melson 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
#6,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,054
-2,066 bearers (-29.0%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 2,111 places
2020
#7,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,502
-552 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,570 | 7,120 | 2.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,681 | 5,054 | 1.71 | -2,066 bearers (-29.0%) | Down 2,111 places |
| 2020 | #7,154 | 4,502 | 1.51 | -552 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 473 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 Melson 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 | #6,681 | #7,154 | -7.1% |
| Count | 5,054 | 4,502 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.51 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melson bearers went from 5,054 to 4,502 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 473 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,681 to #7,154.
FAQ
Melson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,163 living Americans carry the surname Melson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,387 residents.
How common is Melson?
Melson ranks #7,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,502 people with the surname Melson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Melson.
Has Melson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melson went from 5,054 recorded bearers to 4,502. That is a decrease of 552 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,681 to #7,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Melson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Melson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (3,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (19.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Melson (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 Melson mean?
Derived from the Old English given name Mael or the Irish Gaelic Maolmhaodhóg, meaning "devotee of Saint Mael." 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 Melson (1.51 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 Melson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.