The Melson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,054 people carried this name — #6,681 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,500 people counted. That is down 29% from 7,120 in 2000.

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In Poland’s population register

117 people named Melson have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 172 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 39
Łódź 32
Opole 18
Masovian 15
Lubusz 8
Lower Silesian 5

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In print

Melson in American newspapers,
1888–1898.

Newspaper page from Worcester Morning Daily Spy carrying the name Melson
Worcester Morning Daily Spy 1898-03-06
Newspaper page from The San Francisco Call carrying the name Melson
The San Francisco Call 1897-07-03
Newspaper page from The Southern Herald carrying the name Melson
The Southern Herald 1888-08-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,519 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Melson in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

583 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Melson. The most, 183, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 150
Western Australia 134
Queensland 119
Victoria 89
South Australia 60
Tasmania 28
ACT (Canberra) 1
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Melson.

Who carried it

People named Melson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles L. Melson
    Charles L. Melson 1904–1981 · military officer
  • Brenda Lee Jones d. 2001 · singer
  • Søren Melson 1916–1984 · screenwriter
  • Holger Melson 1916–1994
  • Marijohn Wilkin 1920–2006 · singer
  • C. W. Melson 1929–1981 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Melson,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States253 records

253 records of the Melson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 136
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 46
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 29
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 18
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 17
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 7
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Weston F. Melson

    Born 1917 in Iowa. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Des Moines; secondary school teacher. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1944, buried at Fort McPherson National Cemetery, Nebraska.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Melson

    Arrived at New York in 1847 aboard the Collooney from London, aged 19; draper. From Prussia, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Ramon Jackson Melson

    U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1949, died 2001; buried at Roselawn Cemetery, Decatur, Alabama.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 253 records for Melson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia34 records

34 records of the Melson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 16
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 12
  • Tasmanian Names Index 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Daft Melson

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lloyds, arriving 1833; ticket of leave 1839. Native of Linc.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Christena Melson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Asia, aged 28; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Biographical index Henry Melson

    In the Western Australian Biographical Index; born 1818.

    State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 34 records for Melson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany15 records

15 records of the Melson name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Emanuel Melson

    From Jarischau, Großstrehlitz. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 March 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Albert Melson

    From Kaltwasser. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 9 March 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Josef Melson

    From Lipine, Beuthen. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 19 December 1914.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Melson in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Melson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Maria Agnes Melson

    In the population register of Maastricht; day labourer, born 1821 in Maastricht.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jeronimus Melson

    Married in 1603 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Cornelia Melson

    Baptised in 1627 in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Melson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Melson name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Philip Melson

    Buried in 1972 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 57.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Allan Melson

    Married 1916 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 2 of 3 records for Melson in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Melson name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Emiel Melson

    Died 1910, aged 42; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Melson name in the United Kingdom Welsh wills index cards
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Joseph James Melson

    Will proved in 1924; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Counts: National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Melson.

When the index is not enough

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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.

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