Explore the Family Name Melanson
The meaning of Melanson
Breton (Mélanson; mainly Finistère): nickname from an altered form of French mélasson ‘clumsy’. This surname is very rare in France. Compare Malonson, Melancon, and Melonson. History: The American Melansons are descendants of Pierre Melanson dit Laverdure from France, who arrived with his English wife in Acadia in 1657, via England. His descendants also bear altered forms of the surname, most commonly Melançon (Melancon), but also Lancon, Malonson, and Melonson. Some characteristic forenames: French Armand, Alcide, Andre, Normand, Alphee, Alphonse, Amedee, Antoine, Arsene, Benoit, Eloi, Euclide.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Melanson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Melanson has seen a slight decrease in its rank between 2000 and 2010, dropping from 6829 to 7238. However, the count of this surname has slightly increased during the same time period, moving up from 4539 to 4608. Despite this small increase in count, the proportion per 100,000 people has slightly decreased by 7.14%, from 1.68 in 2000 to 1.56 in 2010.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #6,829 | #7,238 | -5.99% |
Count | 4,539 | 4,608 | 1.52% |
Proportion per 100k | 1.68 | 1.56 | -7.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Melanson
On the topic of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some variations. The percentage of individuals with the surname Melanson in the White demographic was the highest but saw a slight decrease from 94.76% in 2000 to 93.36% in 2010. People identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander showed the most significant change, with an increase of 111.36%. Hispanics and those identifying with two or more races also evidenced a rise in percentages. Those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native saw an uptick of 12.70% and 13.79% respectively.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 94.76% | 93.36% | -1.48% |
Black | 1.89% | 2.13% | 12.7% |
Hispanic | 1.52% | 1.97% | 29.61% |
Two or More Races | 1.1% | 1.28% | 16.36% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.93% | 111.36% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.29% | 0.33% | 13.79% |
Melanson ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Melanson is British & Irish, which comprises 49.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.4%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.8%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Japanese.
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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
British & Irish | 49.6% |
French & German | 25.4% |
Spanish & Portuguese | 6.8% |
Other | 18.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Melanson
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Melanson have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 80.80% |
What Melanson haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Melanson is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Melanson surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Melanson have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Traits
Habits
Wellness
Are health conditions linked to the last name Melanson?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Melanson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition