2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mellenbruch
A surname originating in Germany that may have referred to someone from a village or town called Mellenbruch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Mellenbruch. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mellenbruch 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Mellenbruch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellenbruch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mellenbruch
The surname MELLENBRUCH is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the German words "melle" meaning "mill" and "bruch" meaning "stream" or "brook," suggesting it was originally a topographic name referring to a location near a mill stream.
One of the earliest documented references to the name MELLENBRUCH can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Schmallenberg, located in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. These records mention a Johann Mellenbruch, who was born in 1587.
Another early record of the name appears in the Musterungsrollen (muster rolls) of the Thirty Years' War, where a soldier named Hans Mellenbruch is listed as serving in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden, in 1632.
In the 18th century, the name MELLENBRUCH can be found in various historical documents from the region of Westphalia, such as land records and tax registers. One notable individual from this period was Johann Friedrich Mellenbruch, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Soest from 1725 to 1798.
During the 19th century, the MELLENBRUCH name spread beyond Germany as some members of the family immigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Carl August Mellenbruch, a German-born engineer who emigrated to Brazil in 1856 and played a significant role in the construction of the country's first railroad.
Another notable figure with the surname MELLENBRUCH was Wilhelm Mellenbruch, a German artist and sculptor who lived from 1838 to 1911. His works were featured in several exhibitions and can be found in museums across Germany.
While the surname MELLENBRUCH is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times and can be traced through various historical records and documents from Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellenbruch
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellenbruch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mellenbruch 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 Mellenbruch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mellenbruch
Mellenbruch 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,211 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-11 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,499 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 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,211 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 10,499 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 Mellenbruch 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 | #141,140 | #151,639 | -7.4% |
| Count | 118 | 107 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mellenbruch bearers went from 118 to 107 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 10,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #151,639.
FAQ
Mellenbruch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mellenbruch?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Mellenbruch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Mellenbruch?
Mellenbruch ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Mellenbruch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Mellenbruch.
Has Mellenbruch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mellenbruch went from 118 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Mellenbruch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mellenbruch, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Mellenbruch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mellenbruch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Mellenbruch (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 Mellenbruch mean?
A surname originating in Germany that may have referred to someone from a village or town called Mellenbruch. 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 Mellenbruch (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 Mellenbruch?
You can see how many people are called Mellenbruch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.