The Melendez surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 56,230 people carried this name — #603 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,250 people counted. That is up 33% from 42,139 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,596 people named Melendez 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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 76 people named Melendez.
Most of them — 40 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
52 people named Melendez live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where 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 print
Melendez in American newspapers,
1885–1927.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,733 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Melendez,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Francisco Meléndez de Rivera Díaz 1682–1752 · painter -
Melissa Melendez 1968– · politician -
Steven C. Melendez 1945– · animator
-
Jesús Papoleto Meléndez 1950– · playwright
-
John Melendez 1965– · actor
-
Lisette Melendez 1967– · singer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Melendez.
- Mela 260 · U.S. census
- Melan 204 · U.S. census
- Melani 197 · U.S. census
- Melano 154 · U.S. census
- Melchior 1,322 · U.S. census
- Mele 4,165 · 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
- Melia 2,509 · U.S. census
- Melikian 564 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Melendez 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.