2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meluso
A surname potentially derived from the Latin "Melusius," indicating a connection to the town of Meluzzi, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Meluso. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meluso 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Meluso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meluso
The surname Meluso has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Basilicata. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.
One theory suggests that Meluso is derived from the Latin word "melus," meaning apple or apple tree. This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who lived near an apple orchard or had some connection to the cultivation of apples. Alternatively, it could be related to the Italian word "mela," which also means apple.
In the 14th century, there are records of a noble family named Meluso residing in the city of Salerno, located in the Campania region. This family held significant influence and power in the area during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meluso appears in a document from the late 15th century, where a man named Giovanni Meluso is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Potenza, located in the Basilicata region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Meluso. In the 16th century, a scholar and philosopher named Antonio Meluso (1490-1560) gained recognition for his works on ethics and moral philosophy. He was born in Naples and spent much of his life teaching at various universities in Italy.
During the 17th century, a painter named Girolamo Meluso (1620-1692) achieved prominence for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning churches throughout Southern Italy. He was born in the town of Matera, located in the Basilicata region.
In the 19th century, a politician and lawyer named Giuseppe Meluso (1810-1878) played a significant role in the Italian unification movement, advocating for the unification of the various Italian states under a single kingdom.
Another notable figure was the architect and engineer, Antonio Meluso (1860-1932), who was responsible for designing several iconic buildings and infrastructure projects in the city of Naples during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A more recent example is the Italian-American composer and conductor, Frank Meluso (1924-2022), who gained recognition for his contributions to classical music and his work with various orchestras and opera companies in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meluso
Among Census respondents with the surname Meluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meluso 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 Meluso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meluso
Meluso 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+20 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,164 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 8,164 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Meluso 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meluso bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Meluso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meluso?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Meluso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Meluso?
Meluso ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Meluso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Meluso.
Has Meluso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meluso went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Meluso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Meluso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meluso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Meluso (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 Meluso mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Latin "Melusius," indicating a connection to the town of Meluzzi, Italy. 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 Meluso (0.04 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 have the last name Meluso?
Find out how many people have the surname Meluso on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.