2000
#1,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.24
Uncommon Last name
Melvin
From the Gaelic "Maeleoin," a devotee of Saint John, or from the Irish "Maeleoin," meaning "bald John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,376 Americans carry the last name Melvin. That puts it at #1,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Melvin 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 Melvin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,035
Census rank
#1,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,641 bearers of the surname Melvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Melvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Melvin
The surname Melvin has its origins in the Brythonic Celtic language and is believed to have originated in Wales and surrounding areas during the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Welsh personal name Melfyn, which is composed of the elements "mel," meaning "honey," and "fyn," meaning "fair" or "blessed."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melvin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Melfin," which was likely a variation of the original Welsh spelling.
During the Middle Ages, the name Melvin was primarily concentrated in the Welsh Marches, the border region between England and Wales. It was often associated with families who held land or had connections to the area. One notable example is Sir John Melvin, a Welsh knight who fought alongside Edward I during the conquest of Wales in the late 13th century.
As the name spread beyond Wales, it underwent various spelling variations, including Melvyn, Melvine, and Melville. These spellings reflect the influence of different regional dialects and the gradual anglicization of the name over time.
In the 16th century, the name Melvin gained prominence in Scotland, where it was adopted by several influential families. One such family was the Melvins of Dysart, whose members included Sir James Melvin (1556-1617), a renowned Scottish theologian and scholar.
Another notable figure was Andrew Melvin (1545-1622), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland. He was a vocal critic of the episcopalian policies of King James VI and was briefly imprisoned for his beliefs.
In the 17th century, the Melvin surname began to appear in various parts of England, often associated with families of Welsh or Scottish descent. One prominent individual from this period was Sir Robert Melvin (1619-1683), an English courtier and politician who served as a member of Parliament and held various positions under Charles II.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Melvin name continued to spread across the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world through emigration. One noteworthy individual was James Melvin (1790-1856), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Melvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Melvin 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 Melvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.3% · 12,166
- Black or African American26.3% · 4,899
- Two or more races4.0% · 740
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 592
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Melvin
Melvin 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
#1,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,008
+485 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 6.78
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#1,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,641
-1,367 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 6.24
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,679 | 19,523 | 7.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,795 | 20,008 | 6.78 | +485 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #1,890 | 18,641 | 6.24 | -1,367 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 95 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 Melvin 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 | #1,795 | #1,890 | -5.3% |
| Count | 20,008 | 18,641 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.78 | 6.24 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Melvin bearers went from 20,008 to 18,641 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,795 to #1,890.
FAQ
Melvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Melvin?
Name Census estimates that about 21,376 living Americans carry the surname Melvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,035 residents.
How common is Melvin?
Melvin ranks #1,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,641 people with the surname Melvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Melvin.
Has Melvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Melvin went from 20,008 recorded bearers to 18,641. That is a decrease of 1,367 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,795 to #1,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Melvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Melvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Melvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.3% (12,166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Melvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.3%), Black (26.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Melvin (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 Melvin mean?
From the Gaelic "Maeleoin," a devotee of Saint John, or from the Irish "Maeleoin," meaning "bald John." 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 Melvin (6.24 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 Melvin?
You can see how common the surname Melvin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.