2000
#634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.01
Uncommon Last name
Melton
From an English place name meaning "middletown" or a settlement in the middle of two other places.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,733 Americans carry the last name Melton. That puts it at #719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melton 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 Melton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,379
Census rank
#719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,858 bearers of the surname Melton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melton
The surname Melton has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 11th century or early 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "mele" and "tun," which together mean "mill town" or "town with a mill." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who lived in a settlement with a mill or were associated with the milling trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions several places with the name "Meltune" or similar spellings, indicating the presence of individuals bearing this surname in various parts of England during that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "de Meltona" and "de Melton," reflecting the practice of using locational surnames to identify individuals. This practice was common among the nobility and gentry, who often took their surnames from the places where they held land or property.
One notable figure bearing the surname Melton was William de Melton, who served as the Archbishop of York from 1317 to 1340. He played a significant role in the political and religious affairs of England during the reign of Edward II and Edward III.
Another prominent individual with the surname Melton was John Melton, a 15th-century English philosopher and theologian. He was a fellow of Oxford University and served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1437 to 1443.
In the 16th century, the name Melton was associated with several notable figures, including Sir William Melton (c. 1535-1599), who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1592 to 1599.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence in various parts of England, and one notable individual bearing the surname was Edward Melton (1622-1676), an English Puritan minister and religious writer.
The 18th century saw the rise of Thomas Melton (1713-1782), an English composer and organist who made significant contributions to the music of the Anglican Church.
These examples illustrate the long history and widespread presence of the surname Melton across various regions of England and its association with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melton
Among Census respondents with the surname Melton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Melton 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 Melton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 35,878
- Black or African American14.3% · 6,680
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,023
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,498
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 459
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 320
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melton
Melton 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
#688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,069
+1,475 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 16.97
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,858
-3,211 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 15.68
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #634 | 48,594 | 18.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #688 | 50,069 | 16.97 | +1,475 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #719 | 46,858 | 15.68 | -3,211 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 31 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 Melton 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 | #688 | #719 | -4.5% |
| Count | 50,069 | 46,858 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 16.97 | 15.68 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melton bearers went from 50,069 to 46,858 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #688 to #719.
FAQ
Melton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melton?
Name Census estimates that about 53,733 living Americans carry the surname Melton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,379 residents.
How common is Melton?
Melton ranks #719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,858 people with the surname Melton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Melton.
Has Melton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melton went from 50,069 recorded bearers to 46,858. That is a decrease of 3,211 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #688 to #719.
What does the Census say about the background of Melton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Melton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (35,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Melton (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 Melton mean?
From an English place name meaning "middletown" or a settlement in the middle of two other places. 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 Melton (15.68 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 are called Melton?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Melton is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.