2000
#5,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Melancon
A French occupational surname referring to a miller or baker, derived from Old French "melanc" meaning "to mix."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,248 Americans carry the last name Melancon. That puts it at #5,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,290 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melancon 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
7.2K
1 in 47,290
Census rank
#5,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,321 bearers of the surname Melancon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melancon
The surname Melancon is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the Normandy region of northern France. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.
The name Melancon is derived from the Old French term "melan," which means "dark" or "swarthy." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a darker complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melancon can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor au Mans, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Radulphus Melancun," indicating the presence of the name in the region during that time.
In the 17th century, the name Melancon appeared in the records of the French colony of Acadia, located in what is now eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. Many Acadians of French descent carried the surname, including Jacques Melancon, who was born in 1653 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).
Another notable bearer of the name was Pierre Melancon, a French-Canadian farmer and militia officer who lived during the late 18th century. He was born in 1745 in Grand-Pré, Acadia (now Nova Scotia) and played a role in the defense of the colony against British forces during the French and Indian War.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Melancon surname was Émile Melancon, a French Canadian author and journalist. Born in 1854 in Québec City, he was known for his works that explored the culture and history of French Canada.
The name Melancon has also been associated with certain place names in France, such as the village of Mélançon in the Normandy region, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout its history, the surname Melancon has been subject to various spelling variations, including Melançon, Melanchon, and Melancthon, among others. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its French roots and continues to be a prominent surname in regions with historical French influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melancon
Among Census respondents with the surname Melancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Melancon 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 Melancon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 5,065
- Black or African American12.5% · 790
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 247
- Two or more races3.0% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melancon
Melancon 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
#5,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,496
+238 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#5,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,321
-175 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,144 | 6,258 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,360 | 6,496 | 2.20 | +238 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #5,321 | 6,321 | 2.11 | -175 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 39 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 Melancon 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 | #5,360 | #5,321 | 0.7% |
| Count | 6,496 | 6,321 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.11 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melancon bearers went from 6,496 to 6,321 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,360 to #5,321.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Melancon
FAQ
Melancon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melancon?
Name Census estimates that about 7,248 living Americans carry the surname Melancon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,290 residents.
How common is Melancon?
Melancon ranks #5,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,321 people with the surname Melancon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Melancon.
Has Melancon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melancon went from 6,496 recorded bearers to 6,321. That is a decrease of 175 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,360 to #5,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Melancon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Melancon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (5,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melancon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (12.5%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Melancon (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 Melancon mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a miller or baker, derived from Old French "melanc" meaning "to mix." 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 Melancon (2.11 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 Melancon?
Want to know how many people have the surname Melancon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.