Mel Ott
There are approximately 1 people named Mel Ott living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Mel with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ott. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Mel
2.9K
Alive today
Named Ott
29K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 2.9K
Rarity: Rare
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1958
Average age: 56
Top Census group: White (59.4%)
Estimated bearers: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,390
Per 100K: 8.38
Top ancestry: White (89.6%)
First name trend
Mel: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Mel. The peak year was 1958 with 131 births. The average person named Mel today is 56 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mel
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Mel, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 59.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Mel at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White59.4% · 4,686
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 1,182
- Black or African American12.1% · 958
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 756
- Two or more races3.0% · 233
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 72
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ott surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ott, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 89.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Ott described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Ott at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White89.6% · 22,429
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 1,135
- Two or more races3.2% · 800
- Black or African American1.3% · 335
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 224
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 122
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Mel has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0008% of the US population, based on 2,867 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Mel right now.
The surname Ott appears at a rate of 8.38 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0084%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Mel Ott. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Mel
FAQ
Mel Ott: questions and answers
How many people are named Mel Ott?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Mel Ott. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0008%) with the surname frequency (8.38 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Mel Ott?
We classify Mel Ott as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Mel a male or female name?
Mel is predominantly unisex. Out of 4,175 total SSA registrations, 88.2% were male and 11.8% were female. See the full Mel profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Mel Ott?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.