2000
#11,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Mendelson
Son of Mendel, a Yiddish diminutive form of the Hebrew personal name Menahem, meaning "comforter" or "consoler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,611 Americans carry the last name Mendelson. That puts it at #12,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendelson 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 Mendelson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,273
Census rank
#12,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,277 bearers of the surname Mendelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendelson
The surname Mendelson is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the German language. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Mendel, which itself comes from the biblical name Manasseh. Mendelson literally means "son of Mendel."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Mendelson can be found in historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in various parts of Central and Eastern Europe, where Ashkenazi Jewish communities thrived. The name is believed to have emerged as a way to identify individuals within these communities.
One of the earliest known references to the name Mendelson can be found in the records of the Jewish community in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention a Jacob Mendelson, who was a prominent member of the community.
Another notable individual with the surname Mendelson was Moses Mendelson, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the late 18th century. He was born in Dessau, Germany, in 1729 and is best known for his contributions to the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment movement.
In the 19th century, the name Mendelson gained wider recognition with the rise of the composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), whose grandfather's surname was originally Mendelson. Felix Mendelssohn is considered one of the most influential composers of the Romantic era and is known for his instrumental works, such as the Violin Concerto in E minor and the Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Other notable individuals with the surname Mendelson include Walter Mendelson (1915-2004), an American lawyer and civil rights activist who played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. He worked closely with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and was involved in several landmark cases, including Brown v. Board of Education.
Lastly, Joseph Mendelson (1890-1967) was a prominent American labor leader and lawyer. He served as the president of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) from 1937 to 1967 and played a significant role in improving working conditions and wages for garment workers in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendelson 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 Mendelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,074
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 101
- Two or more races2.2% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 27
- Black or African American1.0% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendelson
Mendelson 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
#12,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
-41 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 1,060 places
2020
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
-162 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,610 | 2,480 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,670 | 2,439 | 0.83 | -41 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,060 places |
| 2020 | #12,902 | 2,277 | 0.76 | -162 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 232 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 Mendelson 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 | #12,670 | #12,902 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,439 | 2,277 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.76 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendelson bearers went from 2,439 to 2,277 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,670 to #12,902.
FAQ
Mendelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendelson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,611 living Americans carry the surname Mendelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,273 residents.
How common is Mendelson?
Mendelson ranks #12,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,277 people with the surname Mendelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mendelson.
Has Mendelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendelson went from 2,439 recorded bearers to 2,277. That is a decrease of 162 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,670 to #12,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mendelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,074 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mendelson (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 Mendelson mean?
Son of Mendel, a Yiddish diminutive form of the Hebrew personal name Menahem, meaning "comforter" or "consoler." 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 Mendelson (0.76 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 Mendelson?
You can see how many people have the surname Mendelson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.