The Melchior surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,322 people carried this name — #20,172 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 222,200 people counted. That is up 4% from 1,274 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Melchior surname
A surname transferred from the given name.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Melchior» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 516 people named Melchior.
56 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 46 départements, most often Moselle.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 511 people named Melchior live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 197 people named Melchior live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
187 people named Melchior live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Graubünden.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
115 people named Melchior have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 139 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lublin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
58 people named Melchior is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Who carried it
People named Melchior,
with a public archive behind them.
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Johann Adam I. Melchior d. 1746 · bookseller
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Dorcas Melchior d. 1779
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Christoph Melchior 1615–1660 · mintmaster
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Christoph Melchior 1649–1710
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Albert Melchior 1662–1727 · composer
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Johann Peter Melchior 1742–1825 · sculptor
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Melchior.
- Mejias 4,472 · U.S. census
- Mel 310 · U.S. census
- Mela 260 · U.S. census
- Melan 204 · U.S. census
- Melani 197 · U.S. census
- Melano 154 · U.S. census
- Mele 4,165 · U.S. census
- Melendez 56,230 · U.S. census
- Meler 247 · U.S. census
- Melero 1,627 · U.S. census
- Meley 107 · U.S. census
- Meli 1,910 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Melchior is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.